Downtown North Judson could see some improvements in the coming years, thanks to some help from Ball State University. Grad students under the direction of Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation J.P. Hall will complete a downtown redevelopment study this spring.
James Young told the rest of the North Judson Town Council last week that the students will work with town officials, business owners, and other stakeholders to learn about some of the area’s challenges and opportunities. “They’re going to come, and they’re going to look at our downtown area,” Young explained. “They’re going to look at where the buildings stand now, what they could potentially be used for. They’re going to look, with their school of architecture, potentially, a layout of what downtown could look like.”
Young said they’ll also help identify some of the tools that may be available to meet the goals in the town’s comprehensive plan, like façade grants and design strategies. “So I think this is a great thing,” Young said. “I think the timing of it is going to work out pretty well for us and what we have going on, and J.P., just from the few conversations I’ve had with him, he is very enthusiastic, and he’s very excited about working with the Town of North Judson.”
Hall’s class will make its first site visit to North Judson on March 15. The students are expected to make a few more trips to town before presenting their final product in May.
The City of Knox went through a similar partnership with Ball State last year.
