IND announces plans for development of 428 acres of airport property

INDIANAPOLIS— A global brain health center that could change the lives of veterans and athletes and create more than three thousand jobs is the centerpiece of a new master plan land development on the grounds near the former Indianapolis International Airport (IND) terminal site. The Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) announced that the airport board has identified two firms, with separate proposals, to develop 428 acres of land.

The first firm, the Athletes Business Network (ABN) proposes to develop and build a sports/mixed-use campus in the parking area of the old airport terminal on nearly 130 acres of land. It would feature a sports-centered medical complex that includes up to five office buildings with an integrated treatment approach. The centerpiece of the project will be The ABN Global Center for Brain Health. Led by a world-renowned neurologist, the proposed center will offer treatment and research for concussions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries and other brain health conditions.

The second selected firm, Holladay Properties, proposes to develop a master plan to attract economic development projects on more than 300 acres along or near West Washington Street. This is separate and distinct from the ABN proposal.

Both developments were among four proposals submitted to the IAA following a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a master land developer that was issued last spring. A selection committee comprised of several airport board members carefully evaluated all of the proposals. The committee recommended that the IAA move forward and negotiate agreements with ABN and Holladay Properties. ABN has signed a letter of intent (LOI), a non-binding agreement spelling out terms toward a final agreement, and Holladay signed a development agreement to begin researching economic opportunities for the land over a one-year period. These documents will be presented to the IAA board for consideration and a vote to approve at its Friday, February 19th, meeting. It is anticipated that the final transactions will involve the lease of this land.

“The ABN project could potentially impact thousands of lives, have national and international visibility and serve our local community by creating jobs and stimulating even more development around the old airport terminal” said Mario Rodriguez, IAA executive director.

“The IAA is committed to returning airport land back to productive use and we are very excited about ABN’s plans,” said IAA board president Kelly Flynn. “This project could become a community asset with global reach and could help revitalize a prime corridor on the west side of Indianapolis that will have impact on the whole city.”

ABN’s plan will be developed in two phases and is projected to cost nearly $500 million when it is completed. The focus of Phase I, the Cornerstone Initiative, is the creation of the ABN Global Center for Brain Health, a traumatic brain injury research and treatment facility.

Dr. Jim Kelly, a neurologist and one of America’s top experts on treating concussions, will lead the ABN Global Center for Brain Health. Kelly, most recently director of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, co-authored the sports concussion guidelines of the American Academy of Neurology and the Standardized Assessment of Concussion that is widely used in athletic and military settings. He has been named one of America’s top doctors for the past decade.

Complementing the brain health center will be a series of additional medical office buildings that will round out the campus. The proposed buildings will include:

• ABN Sports Performance
• ABN Center for Dependency and Substance Abuse
• ABN Sports Medicine & Orthopedics
• Sports Medical Technology

A hotel is also included in the Phase I plans. Phase II plans include a sports/mixed-use venue, an additional hotel and sports-themed entertainment and retail.

Craig Sanders, a former U.S. Army Armor Cavalry Officer, is the CEO and co-founder of ABN. For him, this project is personal. “I grew up in a big family of army veterans,” said Sanders. “My oldest brother, an Army Ranger, committed suicide at age 39 after exhibiting symptoms of PTSD. It’s tragic because, if I knew then what I know today, I believe I could save his life.”

“A brain health project of this scope has never been done, anywhere in the world,” Sanders added. “I believe this research and our message and our ability to put a focused and global spotlight on brain health issues can save lives.”

ABN’s proposal, once approved, could lead to construction beginning by the middle of 2017. According to ABN, the annual economic impact of the entire proposal is estimated to include:

• Approximately $320 million in total spending
• Projected $79 million of increased earnings
• Nearly 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs

Plus, the annual fiscal impact is estimated to include up to $36 million in sales and use tax, hotel/motel tax and property tax revenues combined.

In addition to ABN, the project’s development team includes:

• Joseph Scimia & Matthew Delaruelle of Ice Miller, Indianapolis
• Former New York Governor George Pataki and John Cahill of the Pataki Cahill Group
• BC Ziegler & Company of Chicago
• Walsh Construction of Chicago
• Jeff Hagerman of the Hagerman Group, Indianapolis
• CH Johnson Consulting of Chicago
• Gensler Architectural Design

Holladay Properties, Inc., developing the additional 300-400 acres of airport-owned land, is a full-scale land development, design/build and fully-integrated real estate company, as well as one of the largest medical office management firms in the country. One of its best-known local projects, AmeriPlex Indianapolis, is located across I-70 from the Indianapolis International Airport.