Published: October 14, 2009 11:05 pm      

Residents provide input on freeway

Forum participants oppose retail development along new U.S. 31

A consensus of Howard County residents was opposed to allowing retail development along the new planned U.S. 31 freeway being constructed east of Kokomo.

American Structurepoint, which is assisting the Kokomo/Howard County Plan Commission with zoning and land use along the existing and proposed U.S. 31 corridors, conducted the first of two planned public meetings Wednesday on the Indiana University Kokomo campus.

Approximately 40 residents attended the session and were divided into six groups to express their opinions on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the community by the construction of the new freeway, scheduled for completion by 2014.

All of the groups agreed they didn’t want to see retail development along the freeway because of a concern that businesses would relocate and leave the existing corridor as a landscape of vacant buildings.

Bob Johnson, owner of Sunspot Natural Market, said he didn’t want to see the property lose value in the future if retail is allowed along the new freeway. He was opposed to allowing any retail development on the new corridor.

Dave Turner, who farms along the proposed freeway route, wanted to see the area remain residential and agricultural in nature. He said maintaining the current land use will provide an attractive route around Kokomo.

Considered a threat by all six groups was future retail development that could be allowed in Tipton County where the existing U.S. 31 route and the new freeway will split.

Several people said motorists won’t exit the freeway and drive 1.5 miles to the existing 31 corridor to stay in motels, eat or shop if Tipton County is offering those services without exiting the freeway.

Other weaknesses of the existing route were the number of stop lights, unlimited access to U.S. 31, architectural styles that are not consistent and vacant properties.

James Papacek, a member of the Howard County Council told those in his group that the state has purchased 100 feet of right of way along the freeway and the interchanges.

“The state will determine driveway cuts,” he said. “On the current bypass, there was no limiting of the access to U.S. 31.”

Community strengths included restaurants and shopping, skilled work force, higher education opportunities, the park system and location on the main corridor between Indianapolis and South Bend.

Shane Burkhardt, with American Structurepoint, said the company has looked at how Kokomo has grown in the past, and the intent of the public meetings is to determine if residents want to follow the same patterns or exercise more control over future growth.

“We’re looking at the future impact of the freeway,” he said. “We can change the impact and the strategies.”

Burkhardt explained that when the existing U.S. 31 was constructed in the 1950s, it was designed as a rural road.

“It is now a rural configuration in a highly urbanized area,” he said. “It wasn’t planned for. The new freeway is being planned like an interstate.”

Burkhardt said the existing route has heavy industry to the north with retail industry toward the south and some residential areas.

Retail has kept pace, he said, noting some newer and remodeled buildings.

“There has been a lot of renewal in retail locations,” Burkhardt said. He said other retail outlets needed investment to modernize their appearance.

Burkhardt said the information garnered from the meeting will be prioritized and added to recommendations from a steering committee to become the focus of a second public meeting on Nov. 19.

• Ken de la Bastide is the Kokomo Tribune enterprise editor. He can be reached at 765-454-8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com