The sidewalk will be extended to create an outdoor seating area for the hotel and apartments in the works for the Ben Hur Building.
Crews plan to extend the sidewalk by 4 feet on the Water Street side of the building for the patio, said Torrey Ehrman, a civil engineer for project architect MartinRiley. Crawfordsville’s Board of Public Works and Safety approved the request on Wednesday.
“The road is wide enough to accommodate [the space],” Ehrman said.
The project’s developer has until New Year’s Eve to begin construction on the downtown landmark under an agreement signed with the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. Renovations must be complete by the end of 2024.
In other business, the board approved a request to cancel a Pike Place street closure for Humans United for Equality’s Celebration of Unity on Sept. 18. The event was called off due to public health concerns.
The board also approved code enforcement requests for the city to mow properties at 1414 Danville Ave. owned by Kirby Morgan, 313 N. Grant Ave. owned by Dan Malek and 1009 Tuttle Ave. owned by Papa Tanny LLC.
