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City of Greenwood hoping to expand parking near Mrs. Curl

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — The City of Greenwood is hoping to add parking and walking paths downtown with a new investment.

Tuesday in its meeting, the Redevelopment Commission approved the purchase of two properties near popular ice cream shop Mrs. Curl, located downtown.

This year the city purchased a property just north of Mrs Curl and demolished the house.

Tuesday the city’s plans for that land and that changing part of downtown went public.

On a hot summer day in Greenwood, a line at Mrs. Curl’s ice cream shop is nothing unusual.

“It’s a very popular place, lots of people are here all the time,” Greenwood resident, Carrie Jones said.

The iconic local business is located near Main Street and Meridian Street., right near kid-friendly city amenities.

“You can go to the park across the street, the library,” Jones said, “Every time we go to the library for the summer program we come here to get ice cream.”

But for as many people who line up at Mrs. Curl, there’s matching congestion in their small parking lot.

However, that will most likely soon change when the city buys another house just north of the ice cream shop and razes it for public parking.

“More parking is an awesome idea because you’re always waiting in line to get to park,” Jones said.

Right now a lot of kids cross Meridian Street from the ice cream shop to access other parking lots.

“Actually make it safer, so we don’t have people running back and forth across a busy street to get to their destination,” RDC President, Brent Tilson said.

Tilson and the other commissioners gave a unanimous vote to approve buying 21 East Main Street and 301 South Meridian Street, a house just south of Mrs. Curl.

“The Greenwood Redevelopment Commission supported the plan for the two properties as part of our overall goal of continuing to expand downtown Greenwood,” Tilson said.

The Meridian Street property will be used for a new trail to the Old City Park.

“Look for future development to improve pedestrian traffic from one park to another park,” Tilson said, “It’s just a great area and we want to improve that and make it an area that’s supportive of the families.”

There isn’t a timeline for the purchase of the two properties or the construction projects.

But now that the commission approved the funds, the city reps can begin negotiations with the current owners right away.