Ms. Vannice stated that they just found that out, and that it was the neighbors.

Maura Hoff, attorney with DeFur Voran appeared to speak on behalf of YWCA. She stated that the YWCA had just purchased the adjacent property and planned to invest 11 million dollars in that development and felt that the corridor standards were important since they were the first impression of your town. She stated that ideally the landscaping would be enforced, and that after speaking to the applicant, the hardship of the electrical lines was understandable. She stated that what she would love to see would be for the number and type of trees and plants required by planted elsewhere on the property to avoid the electrical lines and gas line. She stated that the applicant had moved out of the old Garfield building for the YWCA and that they wanted to be as supportive as they could.

Leslie McCroy, President of South Central Neighborhood Association appeared in opposition. She stated that she would read a letter that the association had agreed upon “We the Board of Muncie South Central Neighborhood Association would like to voice our concern over the Muncie Housing Authority’s application for a variance from development standards and request that the variance be denied. Our association is already working to address the lack of a cohesive plan for the Madison Street Corridor and neighbors have decided that the look and feel of that street to be of particular concern as it is a major street, not just along the eastern border of our neighborhood but also for the City of Muncie as a major southside gateway. In the absence of a comprehensive plan or an office of urban planning to ensure best use of land, we have been working to develop and articulate a plan that improves the main corridors for the next generation. It was already the subject of our last association meeting prior to learning of this application for variance”. She added that she only knew about this request through Urban Light Community Church. “We hope that working together and listening to each other will help achieve our common goals of creating a city that works together where each part makes sense in a greater whole. This plan of the Muncie Housing Authority seems to solve only the problem of finding a place to store equipment. It does so in a vacuum and does not fit well with the bigger picture we are working towards for Madison Street, our neighborhood, or south Muncie generally. We want structures that are beautiful and function to invite people to come and stay for a while, not store their stuff and leave. Therefore, while we trust the intentions of the Board of both the Housing Authority and the BZA to do no harm, we hope you will scrap this plan in favor of doing actual good together on Madison Street. Our primary desire for Madison is that it build a sense of community with the addition of homes, businesses, and organizations to serve as assets to increase the street’s vitality. We desire a more pedestrian friendly feel and infrastructure that makes Madison Street a destination. The use of our area of town as storage, including storage for businesses whose storefronts are elsewhere, as well as a few commercial storage a few blocks away undermines that work. Storage facilities do not add new neighbors or generate foot traffic. They do not create inviting spaces that welcome people to visit our area of town. They are functionally vacant. Therefore, we are disappointed that this prominent corridor has been chosen to build another brand new storage facility. It was difficult to imagine there is not existing built space in Muncie that could house such equipment including the vacant Parks Department building in nearby Heeken Park. Conversely we are excited about other recent and upcoming developments along Madison including the Industry Gateway Neighborhood and the promising reuse of Garfield Elementary by the YWCA as well as the infill residential development completed by Muncie Habitat for Humanity. These are the kinds of placemaking neighborhood developments we want to see. The Corridor Standards that create green strips, tree plantings, and beautification efforts are important ways that the city can support our volunteer efforts at beautification. We need the efforts of our time, energy, money, and sweat to become systemic and routinely followed. We have been working over the last decade and a half to add and maintain trees and landscaping along Walnut and 8^th Streets as neighbors and volunteers. It is a relief to us to have standards in place that systematize beautification to add full size trees to Madison Street, which is almost void of them. The current concrete and asphalt look is one we hope to change