Looking For Retail Along Indy Waterfront

Developers in Indianapolis want to bring retail to its downtown canal, an area already busy with visitors and concentrated with housing. They're looking at San Antonio's River Walk for inspiration and advice.

1 minute read

June 28, 2006, 11:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


Though it is a relatively short stretch of space, the area along downtown Indianapolis' canal could mean a lot for developers and for the city. But developers are siding with caution before investing too much in a project highly dependent on a public-private partnership. City officials are hopeful but not too convinced that redeveloping the waterfront to be a destination will actually make it a destination.

"Millions of dollars, much of it public money, have been spent on or committed to upgrading the 1.5-mile Downtown Canal. Efforts are targeting everything from crumbling cement to new multimedia displays under bridges to more easily obtainable liquor licenses."

"The key question now facing city officials: Will it be enough to turn the canal into a must-see cultural and tourist destination?"

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 in The Indianapolis Star

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