GM Stamping Plant Top Site for Justice Complex

The former General Motors Stamping Plant on the city’s southwest side is emerging as the preferred place for a proposed new Marion County Criminal Justice Complex.

No location has been selected, but the city considers the 100 acre site near the White River as the best option.

"What that analysis consisted of was a review of the in depth development cost and potential revenues associated with both the GM Stamping Plant and the airport site," said Indianapolis Bond Bank Deputy Director Adam Collins.  "What we found was there was an opportunity for up to a 10 percent savings by locating at the GM Stamping Plant Site rather than the airport site."

The former Indianapolis International Airport terminal site is the second option according to Collins, who says the city identified 14 locations.

"As we have been able to dig further into the details the last few weeks here, we found that the GM site has several advantages that we weren't aware of and several of the disadvantages that we had some concerns about weren't as serious as we thought they were," said Collins.

Now the Marion County Sheriff’s, Courts, Prosecutor and Defender officers will discuss putting the complex at the old plant.

Collins says a combination of factors make it the best fit.

"You look at the site availability, its accessibility, its geometry, it infrastructure that is available on site, and all those different factors contribute," he said.  

The complex will house adult detention, inmate processing, the prosecutor, public defender, clerk, probation and community corrections.

The goal is to start construction in 2015 and open the complex in 2018.

“It’s clear that the land previously occupied by the GM Stamping Plant is the best choice in terms of cost, accessibility and available space needed for this project,” said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. “We have listened to a lot of stakeholders in the process of coming to this recommendation. This project offers an opportunity to greatly improve the delivery of criminal justice services at a lower cost and without raising taxes.”