Carmel’s Monon Boulevard and Midtown Plaza named finalist for 2022 Urban Land Institute Americas Awards for Excellence
CARMEL, IN – Carmel’s popular Monon Boulevard and Midtown Plaza has been named one of 21 finalists for the "Awards for Excellence” from the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Land Institute (ULI), one of the most prestigious awards programs in the real estate industry. This year’s finalists include 19 developments in the United States and two in Canada.
“We are honored to be among the finalists for this award,” said Mayor Jim Brainard. “The expanded Monon Boulevard has quickly become a major epicenter of activity in Midtown, which connects the Arts & Design District and our new downtown at City Center. Residents and visitors have found the area to be a great place to visit for places to dine, shop or simply gather with friends and neighbors over a cup of coffee or an adult beverage. We have also programmed many events including live music, special sports events and a variety of entertainment on our big screen television that overlooks the Plaza.”
The Carmel Redevelopment Commission began working on plans for Midtown in 2011, transforming a former struggling industrial area into one of the City of Carmel’s biggest attractions. Construction of the project, led by City Engineer Jeremy Kashman, included widening the Monon Greenway from 12-feet to 140-feet, adding new dedicated lanes for cycling, buffer zones, sidewalks, green spaces, one-way streets with additional parking on either side of the trail and the new Midtown Plaza urban park. The City's investment in public infrastructure and redevelopment efforts have led to more than $850 million of new private investment around Midtown.
"This has been a lengthy effort that goes back to my predecessors, Les Olds and Corrie Meyer," said Director of Redevelopment, Henry Mestetsky. "They've given me the opportunity to continue growing this transformative district. Growth that includes two new projects just approved by City Council - the $133 million AT&T site redevelopment and the partial-workforce housing Concourse project."
Midtown has previously been awarded the 2018 Congress for New Urbanism Charter Award as well as the 2021 International Making Cities Livable Award.
The ULI Americas Awards for Excellence program evaluates projects across a number of factors, including achievements in marketplace acceptance, design, planning, technology, amenities, economic impact, management, community engagement, innovation and sustainability. The program is open to projects in the ULI Americas region that are substantially complete, financially viable and in operation.
The 2022 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Finalists are as follows:
- 225 Polk – Nashville, Tenn., USA
- AT&T Discovery District – Dallas, Texas, USA
- Civic Space Park – Phoenix, Ariz., USA
- EPIC – Hollywood, Calif., USA
- Essex Crossing – New York City, N.Y., USA
- Helios Education Campus – Phoenix, Ariz., USA
- Homekey Mountain View – Mountain View, Calif., USA
- HopeWorks Station North – Everett, Wash., USA
- Indigenous Peoples Experience at Fort Edmonton Park – Edmonton, Alberta, CA
- Liberty Bank Building – Seattle, Wash., USA
- Meyer Memorial Trust Headquarters – Portland, Ore., USA
- Monon Boulevard and Midtown Plaza – Carmel, Ind., USA
- One Vanderbilt Avenue – New York City, N.Y., USA
- PopCourts! – Chicago, Ill., USA
- Saigon Park – Mississauga, Ontario, CA
- Solis – Seattle, Wash., USA
- St. Pete Pier – St. Petersburg, Fla., USA
- Taylor Street Apartments and Little Italy Branch Library – Chicago, Ill., USA
- Truax Lofts – San Diego, Calif., USA
- Wild Mile – Chicago, Ill., USA
- Willis Tower – Chicago, Ill., USA
“Amidst the evolving pandemic and the social, economic, and environmental disarray that it has highlighted, I am inspired by the range of projects that were submitted for the jury’s consideration, that elevate our sense of community and extol the human spirit through the built environment,” said Marilynn Davis, senior advisor, HR&A Advisors, Atlanta, Ga., and chair of the 2022 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence jury.
“Whether designed for the public realm or for more focused audiences, and whether large or small, these endeavors employ the highest development and design principles to serve a range of objectives, be they urban revitalization, environmental stewardship, equity, or community-building.”
This year, awards categories included Equitable Development, Low-carbon Development, Resilient Development, Small-Scale Development, and Urban Open Space, in addition to an open category that considers projects of all types.
Winners will be announced this summer and will become finalists in the 2022 ULI Global Awards for Excellence, along with the winners of the Europe and Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence. Winners of the Global Awards will be announced in the fall.
The Awards for Excellence program, established in 1979 and subsequently expanded globally, is the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of real estate development.
For more information about the ULI Americas Awards for Excellence, visit uli.org/aae. For more information about the ULI Global Awards for Excellence, visit uli.org/gae.
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