Willie Boles is sweeping broken glass from the entryway of a nice looking two-story brick building in Jacobsville, and uses an old license plate to deposit the glass into a trashcan.
He blames a rock hurled by a wayward teen, and regularly does maintenance work for the property owner.
There are rough looking structures here and there, but he thinks Jacobsville is looking pretty good lately — “with how much money they put in the main street, you know, the walkways, the bike routes and stuff,” he said.
Boles is referring to the 2015 Complete Street project that transformed the main arteries of Jacobsville with new streets, bike lanes and better sidewalks.
These were part of the 2013 edition of the Jacobsvile Master Plan. Started in 1994, it’s updated every 10 years.
The Evansville City Council passed the plan last week. The Redevelopment Commission is set to approve on Tuesday.
Jacobsville is known as a blue collar, lower income neighborhood. $15 million was invested in the Complete Street program and there are two large housing developments right nearby with co-working space and a protected multimodal path.
Jacobsville was an early federal superfund site. Due to past industrial activities, soil in the neighborhood and beyond could contain toxins, for which residents can have their property tested.
The new plan document is 163 pages and touches every parcel whether vacant residential or commercial.
Project Manager Cynthia Bowen with firm Rundell Ernstberger Associates out of Indianapolis, said neighborhoods need a fully detailed Master Plan.
“So you can identify those parcels that may be vacant and need development on it, or those parcels that maybe have underutilized uses, whether it's a surface parking lot or a building that's become vacant, and you want to identify that for redevelopment purposes.”
Included are several “Big Ideas” such as making space for year-round events and filling out Main Street.
There are several themed “Redevelopment Zones” including a “Destination Zone” around Garvin Park.
On the fair weather Monday afternoon, Geese mingle on the grassy banks of Garvin Lake as visitors hang out near the water. The “Destination Zone” including Bosse Field, could bring a new sports facility and community gathering space.
Bowen said partnering with “Anchor Institutions” like Berry Global is important for the proposed “Live Work Play Zone.”
For example, more than one parking lot can be condensed into a single parking structure so unneeded parking can be replaced with workforce housing.
“So it becomes a win, win situation for everyone where Berry Global's employees live in the neighborhood, they're able to walk to work, they still have parking for their large workforce, and the neighborhood is strengthening its name, its neighbors and its neighborhood.”
At last weeks’ city council meeting, Bowen presented the updated plan to the Evansville City Council. She recommended starting on beautification and small scale redevelopment of a single, or multiple parcels in key areas to kick off investment into projects.
“So getting down to a very small scale, this master plan allows you to get to that scale and create a plan that the city and the community can follow and know where to target investment at a neighborhood level to create that redevelopment in the neighborhood.”
Of course the efforts of residents and business owners are important too. Chiropractor Ty Winiger’s family has practiced at the corner of Colombia and Main Street for 60 years.
Winiger is the second generation practitioner. He said the business has tried to do its part to improve the neighborhood, such as razing nearby derelict structures.
He sees the neighborhood as viable and has no plan to move. In fact, he’s considering expanding.
“So I hope to be here for a long time, and quite possibly have a third generation on the way,” he said, referring to one of his sons who may become a chiropractor. “Hopefully they continue to thrive in this area and the neighborhood continues to build.”
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