Republican Mayor candidate Jefferson Shreve unveiled Tuesday his plans for downtown Indianapolis.

Shreve’s says his plan will bring developments and strategic initiatives downtown to make it a vibrant and thriving hub for residents, students, businesses and visitors alike.

As part of Shreve’s plan, he will reopen the Circle to vehicular traffic. Shreve said his decision comes out of conversations with the business community on and around the Circle who have seen a drop in revenue since Mayor Hogsett clos

His plan also includes the following…

  • Transforming downtown with IUPUI’s split by maximizing the opportunity of having two Research 1 Universities in the city. These universities, along with IU Hospital, will anchor a biotech and STEM corridor that reaches from Lafayette to Bloomington. This growth will necessitate the creation of housing, dining, retail, and entertainment options, contributing to a more vibrant downtown.
  • Addressing vacant space by repurposing underutilized commercial properties into housing and modern office spaces to meet the demands of the growing downtown population that will come as a result of having two universities. Shreve has an extensive real estate background and understands how to build and repurpose properties to their maximum potential.
  • Revitalizing the City-County Building so it is at full capacity and can support City Market. Shreve will also improve communication with vendors at City Market so they’re aware of pending closures rather than concealing details like Mayor Hogsett has.
  • Preserving the Downtown Heliport because it plays a critical role in emergency response as IU Health uses the heliport as its Lifeline base of operations. Cities including Austin, Nashville and Columbus, Ohio all have heliports. If Indy gives up the heliport land, our city will never get it back. There are too many future opportunities with the heliport.
  • Addressing aggressive panhandling through a comprehensive approach to create a safe and welcoming downtown. This includes doubling down on support for government and charitable programs that provide shelter and assistance to those in need.
  • Beautifying downtown so it is welcoming to visitors the way it was when we hosted the Super Bowl a decade ago. Shreve proposes offering small grants to property owners who seek to improve their buildings and their facades. A revitalized interest in downtown will bring back businesses we’ve lost under Hogsett’s administration.

“It’s time for a new direction. A fresh set of eyes. We need a business-oriented, creative approach to finding solutions that make downtown Indianapolis the thriving destination it once was,” said Shreve. “It’s time to be exceptional again.”

You can hear Shreve in the Leon-Tailored Audio clips above.  Each segment runs about 15 minutes.