Board approves Broad Ripple sculpture despite resident safety concerns; DPW had cleared art-in-right-of-way review

The Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals Division 1 on Aug. 19 granted a variance to allow installation of a privately funded public sculpture at the northwest corner of College Avenue and Westfield Boulevard in the Broad Ripple village area.

Petitioner Mark Demmerly, representing the Indianapolis Art Center and Broad Ripple stakeholders, asked the board to permit a minor encroachment into the zoning clear sight triangle — requesting a 100-foot working triangle where the zoning ordinance specifies 120 feet — for an approximately 32.5-foot steel sculpture on a roughly 2.5-foot concrete base adjacent to the Central Canal. Demmerly said the project has private funding, easements from Citizens Energy Group for the parcel portion they own, and a maintenance fund overseen by partner organizations.

The proposal drew roughly an hour of testimony in the hearing from supporters who said public art would revitalize Broad Ripple and from residents and designers who raised safety and scale concerns. Remonstrators described the intersection as complex — with buses, Red Line stations, multiple pedestrian crossings and constrained sidewalks — and urged denial or relocation. Opponents cited worn crosswalks, broken pedestrian push buttons and the presence of a weathered wood retaining wall by the canal as factors raising public-safety concerns.

Staff of the Division of Planning recommended approval for the limited right-of-way encroachment. Staff and the Department of Public Works (DPW) said the project had passed DPW’s Art in the Right of Way review, noted the installation would be privately funded and maintained, and reported that Citizens Energy Group had granted an easement for a portion of the parcel. Staff said the encroachment into the zoning clear sight triangle was minor and that DPW uses a 100-foot engineering sight-triangle standard in practice; DPW’s deputy director of policy and planning, Daniel Stevenson, told the board the structure would be engineered to withstand a 115-mph wind gust and that the installation would use deep pilings and grounding rods, not rely on the canal wall, for structural support.

Opponents asked for a traffic study and pressed for commitments on lighting (staff requested non-monochromatic, non-traffic-signal colors) and long-term maintenance. Several remonstrators pointed to online polls and neighborhood surveys that found significant opposition to siting this specific sculpture at the intersection. Supporters noted public meetings and outreach earlier in the year and emphasized private funding and community stewardship commitments.

Board members voted to grant the variance. The roll call was: Jennifer Witt — yes; David Duncan — yes; Peter Nelson — yes; Andrew Catona — yes; Patrice Duckett Brown — yes. Staff and DPW will continue to process required administrative approvals, including a DBNS encroachment license and any final easement documentation with Citizens Energy Group and other required city approvals before installation may begin.

The board’s approval addresses only the zoning clear-sight-triangle variance and does not substitute for required DPW, DBNS or easement agreements, nor for permits and engineering reviews required before construction.