Owner says no development yet for Lockerbie Square parcel; temporary gravel parking lot permitted through 2026

The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission heard an update Thursday about a vacant parcel in Lockerbie Square where a temporary variance permits a gravel parking lot through the end of 2026.

Misha Rabinowitz, an attorney representing the property owner, told the commission the owner has not been able to advance a development on the lot at 420 Northeast Street. "We don't have much of a case here. We'll make it brief," Rabinowitz said, and later added, "The market conditions, as we reported last year, really aren't conducive to a development on that size of a parcel."

The parcel, immediately south of the Athenaeum South and East, has been used as a parking lot for some time. The commission last year approved a temporary variance allowing the gravel parking to remain through Dec. 31, 2026; Rabinowitz said the owner agreed to return to report progress and that there is currently nothing in the pipeline. She also said she had contacted the property management group, which told her the lot "is well kept and maintained the way it's supposed to be."

No new application or formal action on the property was taken at the July meeting. Commission members did not raise additional conditions beyond receiving status reports as required under the previously granted variance.

The report to the commission constituted an update rather than a new request for relief. Any future application to extend the temporary use or propose a permanent development would require formal submission and review by staff and the commission.

For now, the temporary allowance for the gravel parking lot remains in effect through Dec. 31, 2026, per the earlier variance approval; no new timeline for development was provided.