INDIANAPOLIS -- One of the largest Indy-based companies is planning to build a second parking lot on a large piece of green space, but people who live nearby say they don’t want to waste green space on a new parking lot.
According to the city, Anthem Inc. has applied for a variance to build an approximately 60-space parking lot on a large piece of green space outside their headquarters on Virginia Avenue.
Neighbors like Glenn Blackwood believe the land could be put to better use, and that a parking lot would take away from the community.
“When we put in surface parking lots, we’re not really making the best use of this land,” said Blackwood. “It would be like putting a paved front yard in your house.”
The company says the parking lot project is part of a large-scale effort to relocate more than 300 workers to their headquarters building from other locations.
But they’ve run into a few issues, like the city’s ordinance that prohibits any new surface lots to be built within the area known as the Downtown Mile Square – which is bordered by South, East, West and North streets.
So they applied for a variance.
“A variance is a way of legally granting a use that would not otherwise be allowed,” said Jim Lingenfelter, Chair of the Southeast Community Land Use Task Force.
An Anthem Health spokesperson issued the following statement to RTV6:
“We are currently evaluating all of our parking options. We have been a part of the surrounding neighborhood for more than 20 years and we are committed to being a good neighbor now and in the future.”
“When the neighborhood responded to Anthem. Anthem responded very appropriately. They said, ‘maybe we need to look at this a little bit differently,’” said Lingenfelter.
The city will be scheduling open public hearings sometime in the next month. We’ll have those dates available as soon as they are released.
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