Council sends rezoning for former Drewry's Brewery site to full council after staff outline EPA cleanup

The common council’s Committee of the Whole recommended a rezoning for the roughly 14‑acre former Drewry's Brewery site at 1408 Elwood Avenue, moving the item to the full council with a favorable recommendation on Jan. 27.

Skip Morrell, principal development planner, and Joe Molnar, assistant director of growth and opportunity, presented the rezoning request and a site history. Molnar told the council the city acquired the property through a county tax sale process in 2022 after years of neglect and an improper demolition by a prior owner. He said the city partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency for initial asbestos removal work and cited an EPA cleanup award of "approximately $1,700,000," and removal of roughly 14,000 tons of debris. He added the city’s two remediation phases cost about $1,770,000 and that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management removed underground storage tanks earlier this year.

Molnar said the remaining work (a city phase 3) is scheduled for the summer and will include removal of remaining foundations and additional soil testing and partial soil removal where required before the site is declared clean for redevelopment. He characterized the rezoning request as a necessary step to allow residential development discussions with potential developers and partners.

Morrell described the requested zoning change from I (Industrial) to U3 (Urban Neighborhood 3) as consistent with the city plan objective H‑1 to ensure an adequate supply of housing. He displayed a concept plan that included a road through the site, single‑family units, and denser housing closer to Elwood Avenue, but stressed the plan is conceptual and that no developer contract or final design was before the council.

Council members asked several questions about environmental testing and EPA involvement. Molnar said earlier soil testing showed few contaminant hits and that the EPA and IDEM reviews had substantially reduced major environmental hazards; he said the remaining work is targeted removal of small pockets of contamination and foundations. Council member Lee praised city staff and noted the long timeline and community planning that preceded the city’s acquisition and cleanup.

No members of the public spoke against or in favor during the committee public hearing. The committee later moved the bill to the full council with a favorable recommendation; the council recorded a unanimous committee vote to advance the ordinance.

The rezoning process will return to the full council for third reading and final action; Molnar said the city would begin solicitations for developers and partners after completing remaining remediation and removing any environmental restrictions that limit residential use.