Muncie council tables University Avenue parking ordinance amid neighborhood safety and historic‑preservation concerns

The Muncie City Council on Oct. 6 voted to table Ordinance 29‑25, the proposed change to Chapter 80 of the Muncie Code that would remove on‑street parking on University Avenue between Dix Street and Wheeling Avenue to add protected bicycle lanes and related streetscape treatments.

The measure drew extended public comment because it is tied to a Ball State University‑led connector project supported by a Lilly Endowment community grant. Ball State’s letter, read into the record by Mayor Dan Ridenour, said, “Ball State University supports the city's proposed plan to add bicycle lanes along University Avenue between Dix Street and Wheeling Avenue.” The mayor and university representatives told council the grant funds (the university described the amount as “roughly a million dollars”) would pay for art, colored crosswalks and other treatments; the city previously paid for curb and sidewalk work.

Why it matters: the corridor links Ball State’s village area and downtown Muncie; removing parking would change daily patterns for nearby residents of the Riverside Normal City neighborhood, where homeowners and neighborhood leaders warned about potential demolition of rear garages, increased on‑street parking pressure, and emergency vehicle access.

Most important facts: Mayor Dan Ridenour described Ball State’s outreach and proposed mitigations, including protected lanes, a painted buffer and colored crosswalks, and said the university will “provide funding for this treatment.” Beth Messner, a Riverside Normal City resident, urged the council to weigh safety and historic impacts, arguing that “parking does indeed slow traffic” and that on‑street parking currently acts as traffic calming and a buffer for pedestrians. Other residents and business leaders were split: the Downtown Development Partnership and several residents urged improved bicycle connectivity and said they saw underused parking in observations shared with council.

Council action and next steps: Councilman Green moved to table Ordinance 29‑25 to permit further neighborhood discussion and data gathering; the motion, seconded by Councilman Basham, passed on a roll‑call vote. Council members who supported tabling repeatedly asked for additional safety data, clearer parking counts, and more direct neighborhood engagement before a final vote.

What supporters said: Garrett Dunn, chair of the Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, said the connection would “benefit the entire Muncie community” by increasing activity between campus and downtown. Ball State’s written summary included comparative parking counts and argued that newly striped protected bike lanes combined with narrowed vehicle lanes “are an effective traffic calming measure.”

What opponents said: Riverside Normal City residents and neighborhood association members warned that loss of on‑street parking could make landlords tear down garages or pave yards for tenant parking, harming the area’s historic character. Resident Beth Messner said higher vehicle speeds have followed recent repaving and said removal of parking would not be reversible: “Once the landscape of our neighborhood is altered by eliminating parking on University Avenue, it will not be restored.”

Data and clarifications from the record: the Ball State package said an estimated 1,750 public on‑street parking spaces would be available within a four‑minute walk of the village after previously approved additions; Ball State representatives said the preferred route was the University Avenue connection and that the Lilly grant supports a connector between the village and downtown. City staff and the mayor said the city has already paid for some curb and sidewalk work while Ball State and its grant would fund artistic and lane treatments.

Public safety and operations concerns: multiple residents noted University Avenue is a frequent route for ambulances, fire apparatus and buses; speakers asked for clear plans to maintain emergency access and for more substantial physical protection for bike lanes than paint alone. Several commenters and council members urged that the project include stronger, longer‑term protections (bollards or other separators) rather than paint only.

What’s next: The ordinance is tabled. Council members asked the mayor’s office, Ball State and city staff to return with more detailed parking counts, safety analyses, variations showing parking retained in some locations, and a clearer description of which elements would be grant‑funded versus funded by the city. Council members also encouraged more direct neighborhood meetings before a new vote.

Ending: The tabling preserves the status quo on University Avenue while the council seeks more data and neighborhood consensus on a project tied to a high‑profile university and Lilly Endowment grant.