million people passed through the McKinley neighborhood on the trail, and that the Cardinal Greenway had invested about $5 million in that general area.

Joe Robertson, resident of the McKinley neighborhood appeared to represent the request. He stated that he had several images to show how the neighborhood had transitioned over the years along Columbus Avenue, Madison Street, and Jefferson Street and Elm Street. He stated that burned and blighted homes had been removed, greenspace added, and trails updated. He stated that over the past months the conversation from residents had centered on welcoming growth and investment that aligns with the long term that had been shaped through decades of planning, investment, and neighborhood involvement. He stated that residents had repeatedly expressed support for earlier awareness of proposed projects, better communication and transparency, protecting existing public and private investment, and meaningful opportunities for input before major development decisions were finalized and that they were going to discuss the tools to help accomplish those goals. He stated that under Mayor Tyler’s administration in 2022, the Muncie Next Initiative saw residents participate in a master planning process led by Vandewalle and Associates. He stated that plan was ultimately adopted by the McKinley Neighborhood, establishing a shared vision for the future of the community. He stated that many of those same plans were reflected in the plan today including walkability, mixed-use development, corridor improvements, housing diversity, front porches, gabled roofs, and neighborhood scaled design. He stated that the overlay did not create a new vision, only a way to implement a vision that already existed. He stated that the McKinley Neighborhood already had an adopted master plan, design guidelines, community support and public and private investments. He stated that what was missing was an implementation tool, local review body, a structured review process, or design accountability to help ensure future projects aligned with the vision. He stated that with those missing pieces they could face misaligned future projects, reduced long-term value and a lost momentum from the past decades work. He stated that the purpose of the overlay was not to start over, it was to close the gap between the vision the neighborhood already had and the tools to implement it. He stated that the neighborhood began working towards establishing an overlay district that would have standards tailored to the character and long-term vision of the neighborhood. He stated that it would also create a more transparent review process that would encourage earlier communication, better project awareness and more opportunities for collaboration between developers, residents, and city leaders. He stated that the goal was to have clearer expectations and fewer surprises for everyone involved and that it was important to clarify what the overlay was and what it was not. He stated that the overlay was not anti-development, not an HOA, not a tool to delay projects or control project finances, and it was not a requirement that every building look the same. He stated that it was a way to create a clearer and more predictable process that was focused on design standards and neighborhood compatibility and that the goal was not to stop growth but to help guide growth well. He stated that one of the strengths of the overlay was that it recognized that different parts of McKinley served different purposes and was designed with 6 distinct areas. He stated that Area 1 was the River Levee where development would be highly restricted due to flood control and levee requirements. He stated that Area 2 was Public and Greenspace and included a park and open space areas by the trail and no overlay was needed for this area. He stated that Area 3 was Education and supported Central High School and the YMCA. He stated that Area 4 was Mixed-use, High Density Residential and encouraged walkable residential infill. He stated that Area 5 was Residential Rehabilitation which focused on protecting and stabilizing existing housing. He stated that Area 6 was Mixed-use, High Density Residential and Commercial and supported economic activity along key corridors and rather than treating every area the same, it focuses on creating coordinated framework to tie all the area together for long term strategy. He stated that the standards were not intended to limit creativity, they were intended to ensure that new development contributed positively to the new neighborhood. He stated that the overlay would benefit the neighborhood as well as developers, investors, and the city. He stated that developers would understand expectations before investing,