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Logansport committee agrees to pursue transfer of Eastgate properties to redevelopment commission
Summary
A Logansport planning committee directed staff to pursue transferring the city-owned Eastgate properties to the Redevelopment Commission for redevelopment, citing a large roof repair, monthly carrying costs and greater RDC flexibility; staff will report details to the full council before any vote.
The Logansport City Planning and Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to move forward with pursuing a transfer of the city-owned Eastgate properties to the Logansport Redevelopment Commission (RDC), committee members said during a May committee meeting.
Bill Cuppy, a city staff member who presented options for the property, said the city has had the site surveyed and is weighing whether to continue marketing it as city-owned or convey it to the RDC. He said the building has what he described as “about a half million dollar roof problem” and is currently costing the city roughly $1,800 a month to hold empty.
The transfer matter matters because the RDC, Cuppy told the committee, would have more flexibility than the city in structuring requests for proposals and selecting a buyer. “RDC has more flexibility. They can spec the RFP to kind of guide...they can deny it,” Cuppy said. By contrast, he said, if the city retains ownership it would be required to accept the highest bid from any RFP, even if the city preferred not to follow through.
Committee members discussed the site as a package that includes an old Ivy Tech building, an attached 22,000-square-foot structure, and adjacent parking outlots. Cuppy identified several repair needs and cost drivers: electrical upgrades he estimated at $40,000; fire-suppression work also about $40,000; and the roof work he described as roughly $500,000 if no cosmetic improvements are done. He said demolition estimates and appraisals are being collected.
Cuppy recommended transferring the parcel to the RDC and said further details—such as whether the city or RDC would pay for a required Phase I environmental study—would be worked out in consultation with the RDC before the item returns to the council. “I would recommend moving forward to transfer it to RDC, and then I will work on the details that you would know the details before you would actually vote on this,” Cuppy said.
Committee members agreed to advance the proposal to the RDC and asked staff to return any RDC conditions and cost responsibilities to the full council before a final vote. The committee chair noted the item will come back to the May council meeting for formal consideration.
The discussion also reviewed local market comparables for bare lots and small commercial parcels nearby, which Cuppy cited as evidence the eastern outlot may carry the most value and could help offset repair expenses if sold as part of a package.
No binding sale or formal RDC acceptance occurred at the committee meeting; the committee’s action was direction to pursue the transfer and to report back with RDC feedback and any requested conditions or cost-sharing proposals before the council votes.
