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SITE ANALYSIS

AREA 8

Kitselman Pure Energy Park (KPEP)

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CONTEXT ks

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St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

McCulloch Park

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Chambers Park

This site is located in the eastern portion of Muncie,

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Indiana. This triangular site is east of the White River and north of East Jackson Street. The total land area is approximately 5.3 million sq. ft., or about 122

Living Waters Church

acres. The perimeter around the three sides of the

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KPEP Bunch Blvd

N Manhattan Ave

MAYFIELD

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subdivision, as well as the proposed location of the Kitselman Pure Energy Park (KPEP). In the southwest

to northeast, the site is bound by railroad tracks which run both directions. Across from these railroad

Old Tracks

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the site includes a portion of the Mayfield residential

minimally. As a diagonal line cutting from southwest

Railroad Tracks

Whit

site totals 2.12 miles. As shown in the map to the left,

corner, the Cardinal Greenway cuts through the site

E Jackson St

Hitching Post Bar and Grill

BLAINE

First Merchants

E North St

TRC Muncie Head Start

N Grafton Ave

Bun

N Hodson Ave

ay

John Craddock Wetland Nature Preserve

N Leland Ave

l Greenw

r Greenway

Cardina

Hughes Nature Preserve

N Bellaire Ave

ite

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e Riv

White Rive

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N Gavin St

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Muncie Bypass

Bunch Blvd

tracks lies the John Craddock Wetland Nature Preserve, and further west lies McCulloch Park. The noticeable manmade landmark east of the site is the Muncie Bypass indicated by the large double loop.

HISTORICAL MAPS These four images are Sanborn-Perris maps of Area 8 in Muncie, Indiana. These types of maps were used by the fire department for identifying occupied buildings. Figure 01 and Figure 02 are historic maps from 1896. By using the White River as a bearing point, the pink areas labeled “29� exist on the Area 8 site. The top area on the map indicates Maring, Hart & Company which manufactured glass panes for windows starting in 1888. The natural gas Figure 01

Figure 03

discovery in Muncie attracted the company to move further south from Dunkirk, IN. The company later incorporated with American Window Glass Co. in 1899. The change of name is shown in Figure 03 which shows the area as it stood in 1902. Two years after that, the Kitselman Brothers formed and built the Indiana Steel & Wire Co. which gradually grew across the plot of land and eventually replaced American Window Glass Co. The bottom right map, Figure 04, is from 1911 and shows the building complex of the

Figure 02

Figure 04

Indiana Steel & Wire Co.1

HISTORY The company manufactured galvanized steel wire, wire products, and telegraph wire for domestic and foreign sales. 54 years later, nearly 1,000 Muncie residents were employed there. Up until the late 1990s, the number of employees fluctuated. Sadly, in 2002, the company ceased operations in Muncie.

Currently, only one building remains on the lot, and two staff run it as an environmental field office. At one point, IS&W’s property covered several dozen acres and contained Figure 05

two landfills and a sludge pond. Since this

Figure 07

land is to be repurposed, full decontamination is required for it to be safe again.2 According to a sustainability article, this land would be labeled a brownfield. The term refers to derelict or contaminated land that appears during deindustrialisation.3 The site’s active 130-year history has consistently been industrial, so considering this typology in a Figure 06

Figure 08

new design would be an homage of sorts.

HISTORY

Figure 09

Figure 10

These two sets of images show the site

also present in these images. Since

from an aerial perspective in the early

this site has historically been used

2000s prior to the demolition of IS&W’s

for industrial purposes, remediating

buildings. The top two images are the

the brownfield would need to be a

original photograph and the bottom two

top priority. Whether through active

are zoomed in to the selected portions

means, or by planting effective foliage

of the image. In the far left images, the

and plant life, few building types allow

direction of view is looking southeast

for construction on active brownfield

at the site past the Delaware County

sites. According to Tippmann Group,

Fairgrounds. The major stretch of road

one should complete a Phase I

is Wheeling Ave. In the bottom image,

Environmental Site Assessment (ESA)

a complex of buildings can be seen

prior to designing or constructing.

faintly beyond what is presently known

One crucial aspect of this assessment

as the John Craddock Wetland Nature

is locating the presence of any

Preserve. In the pair of images to the

underground tanks, stained soils, or

right, the Muncie Bypass is clearly

abandoned pipes. Additional Phases

indicated by the large double loop. This

of the ESA can also be completed to

image is looking to the west down E

ensure a holistic analysis has been

Jackson St. In the bottom image, the

considered and conducted.4

complex of industrial buildings is clearly visible. The Mayfield neighborhood is

DEMOGRAPHICS Marion Gas City Fowlerton Fort Wayne

Gaston Alexandria

Anderson

Eaton

Redkey Ridgeville

Muncie Yorktown

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Farmland

Blountsville Sulphur Springs Muncie

New Castle

Indianapolis

According to a 2020 census, Muncie

breaks down as follows: 82.1% White;

in mind, an infill design should consider

has a population of 68,083, which

2.5% Hispanic; 9.6% Black; 1.4% Asian;

addressing the needs of visitors while

makes it the 11th largest city in Indiana.

4.0% Mixed; and 0.4% Other.5 Since

staying true to Muncie aesthetic.

The average household income is

Muncie is the largest city in Delaware

Additionally, since the median age range

$45,516 with a poverty rate of 30.48%.

county, and it is surrounded by many

is made of younger people, and the

The median age range is 20-24. This

smaller towns, the “East Gateway to

median income is relatively low, a strong

age group makes up 17.1% of the total

Muncie� would receive many visitors.

design would appeal to the largest

percentage of the population. The race

This site would be seen by locals and

group of potential users and the existing

and ethnicity percentage of Muncie

outsiders alike. With this consideration

surrounding neighborhood residents.

EXISTING CONDITIONS The site is relatively flat and covered in native plant life that has overgrown the patches of concrete that remained after several buildings were demolished.

A handful of paved and one-way gravel roads weave throughout the site, but most have no real destination. The eastern portion of the site belongs to the Mayfield neighborhood. Most of the homes are relatively small in size and the streets are two lanes wide with street parking. As shown in the upper Figure 11

right image, there is no buffer between the open site and the edge of the neighborhood. The other three images show the only building still present on the post-industrial portion of the lot.

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Figure 12

CURRENT PROGRAM This map shows the general use of the site and the surrounding areas. The post-industrial portion of the site is highlighted in purple. Note that this is the planned location of the KPEP. In yellow, residential neighborhoods have been highlighted. Given that Mayfield, to the east, has a large presence, addressing it with a respectable buffer zone or possibly with single story buildings along the east perimeter would be suggested. It is worth mentioning that no buildings on this site, or the Mayfield site, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The pink areas on the map indicate places in the vicinity that have stores, restaurants, and gas stations mixed into a street side row of houses and yards. In the red, several functional industrial sites are noted. Finally, the pale green areas on the map indicate open grass fields and portions of dense tree clusters.

CIRCULATION Top Left Map:

Bottom Left Map:

The railroad tracks that limit the site diagonally

As notated on the map with the orange and

to the west create a type of barrier for road traffic.

yellow striped lines, the White River Greenway to

Within the confines of the map, only two railroad

the north, and Cardinal Greenway to the south, are

crossings exist, and neither physically cross over

effective at bringing pedestrians and cyclists to

the tracks, but rather underneath. There is a 10’

the site. The new Kitselman Trailhead to the south

clearance for Bunch Blvd. and 14’ for E Jackson St.,

of Jackson St. is where these two trailheads now

so most vehicles can reach the site directly. However,

connect. Up until 2019, the two were disconnected.

semi-trucks and most box trucks are too tall to access

the site through Bunch Blvd.

stretch of sidewalk along the southern boundary

of the site and the northern side of E Jackson St.

The purple arrows on the map indicate areas

It is worth noting that there is only a small

of heavy vehicular traffic. Fortunately, the Muncie

The sidewalk terminates at N Manhattan Ave just

Bypass, E Jackson St., and E Centennial Ave. (further

before reaching the dense part of the Mayfield

north but not shown) serve as arteries for accessing

neighborhood. Along the entire length of Jackson

the site and Mayfield. This emphasis allows other

St., however, there is a bike lane that runs the whole

areas with notable activity, marked in pink, to avoid

length of the road.

heavy traffic. The winding road, Bunch Blvd., is

particularly important since it is the only stretch of

useful connection should be made to the Mayfield

two-lane road that loosely follows alongside the

neighborhood. It should include sidewalks to

White River. Other than N Gavin St., which is notated,

increase walkability, and bike trails to increase the

the remaining streets are much quieter and less busy.

connectivity of the neighborhood to the two trails.

In the future design of this site, a real and

VIEWS

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4 As mentioned previously, the Kitselman Trailhead, located on E Jackson St., connects the White River and Cardinal Greenways. The second image shows the Hitching Post which sits at the southern origin of Bunch Blvd. The other images depict the open field where the KPEP is proposed to be built. Currently, the site is covered in overgrown plants from loose soil.

Image 04 was taken on a road that eventually turns into a maze of gravel roads that lead to N

Image 5

Bellaire Ave., part of western Mayfield.

TOPOGRAPHY This map shows the contours of the site and surrounding areas indicating that the land gradually slopes downwards toward the White River. The site is relatively flat due to the pads of concrete that have existed for about 100 years. In the past few years though, efforts have been made to return much of this land back into natural landscape as preparation for the KPEP. The current process can be seen in some of the site photos. Most of the Mayfield neighborhood exists at a 960’ elevation with a general slope down towards the river as well. It is important to note that sound will travel far due to this flat, open landscape. Additionally, wind will also travel easily and quickly over the site. When considering program and site development, the blockage or redirection of both sound and wind should be considerations for a successful infill project.

KITSELMAN PURE ENERGY PARK (KPEP)

The Kitselman Pure Energy Park is a long-

term master plan for repurposing the empty lot indicated in the southwest corner of the site.

While these proposals differ from one other, many of the same programmatic functions are shared among them. While the plan on the next page shows a large solar farm, the goal of each of these proposals is to revitalize how this property can be Figure 14

used in a successful and sustainable way.

According to M Peters Group from South

Carolina, the project’s lead design team, KPEP is, “a re-development of a former 70 acre contaminated industrial site requiring extensive environmental remediation...New development includes a 128-unit affordable multi-family housing project, a 5 MW solar farm, an extension of the White River Trail, and a land donation to the City of Muncie for a new gateway park. 160,000 cubic yds of soil was imported and placed to create an environmental Figure 13

Figure 15

barrier for the entire site as well as raising the site out of the floodplain.”6

KITSELMAN PURE ENERGY PARK (KPEP) The conceptual design master plan (to the

Although KPEP is a well developed plan for

left) proposes 130 apartment and condo units

this small corner of Muncie, a larger urban

split among 6 buildings. Because of their

infill project would need to address many

arrangement, the buildings create a variety of

other elements of the site including Mayfield

corridors, community spaces, greenspaces,

to the east, the Kitselman Trailhead, railroad

and circulation paths, shown in the diagrams

restrictions, and zoning requirements,

below. Even though the land use is divided in

among others. With that being said, most

a complex manner, there is a sense of unity to

neighborhood residents have opinions about

this proposal. Through intentional alignment

what will be built near them. Zoning studies

of the streets and buildings, sustainability

would need to be conducted, and frequent

became a reinforced aspect of the KPEP. As a

discussions with Mayfield residents about

side note, that Mayfield is never addressed.

design proposals would need to take place. *All images on this page reference Figure 16

EXPERIENTIAL

As previously mentioned, this site does not mitigate sound since few trees and no large buildings can be found. Sound will travel from the bypass and the railroad tracks all across the site. This component of the site can aid in the design process. By choosing a program unaffected by sound, or proposing a “sound barrier,� a strong design will consider excess noise.

CLIMATE & IMPACT

There are no existing buildings taller than

two stories in the area surrounding the site which makes this a great area to use solar panels for

Muncie, IN

creating clean energy. As mentioned before, this site is relatively open and flat. This aspect creates both obstacles and opportunities because much of the site can be seen from a car driving down E Jackson St. In theory, a design could include a handful of outdoor gathering spaces distributed evenly at Figure 18

different points throughout the site.

Figure 17

Since the general topography of Area 8

slopes towards the White River, water collection, This map of the United States shows the different climate regions in the country.

Above, the Kitselman Pure Energy Park proposal from 2017 shows

retention, or guided water drainage becomes

Indicated by the purple dot, Muncie, Indiana falls into the warm summer humid

a great example of a large, 5-megawatt, solar panel installation.

another important design element to consider. Even

continental category; as shown in architectural documentation such as this map

Even though much of the shown area is occupied by this solar

though the White River cuts through a small corner

from the International Energy Conservation Code, Muncie falls into Climate 5A.

array, the full site of Area 8 is much larger. When designing on this

of the site, the vast majority of the 122 acres will

The climate region of any project dictates many important code requirements.

site, orienting the solar array to the correct sun angle is crucial

drain directly to the river or to the nearest road. In

Examples of code restrictions include insulation thicknesses, appropriate palette

for maximum efficiency. One element of this plan that is flawed is

addition, a master plan may include a destination for

of building materials, fenestration values, energy efficiency standards, and

the southernmost solar array which runs vertically, north to south.

volunteers to collect garbage and debris from the

foundation depths, among many others. The IECC is an invaluable resource for

Instead, this array should face south and look similar to the larger

river. This would greatly benefit the community and

determining what design guidelines to follow.7

array in the upper right corner.

Muncie’s environment.

SOIL CONDITIONS The majority of soil on the site falls into the UetB subcategory. This type of soil is not prime for farmland because it a mixture of urban land and Glynwood complex. Since the land is covered in a high amount of non-pervious surfaces such as streets, parking lots, and buildings, there is also a high potential for surface runoff. This indicates the need for water drainage to be incorporated into the new site development. The permeability of the soil to a depth of 40 inches and below is very slow to moderate, which should be noted when determining foundation depths. The approximate depth of a restrictive feature, like dense material, is 25 to 48 inches deep. The surface layer of soil currently contains 1-3% of organic matter, however, this number has changed since the soil analysis was conducted.8

SOURCES Figures

9) Conatser, Roger. Muncie, Indiana Delaware County Fairgrounds aerial view. circa 1985-

1) Muncie, Indiana Sanborn Map, 1896, Sheet 01 (Key Map). 1896. Sanborn-Perris Map Co.,

2005. Roger Conatser Aerial Photographs Collection. Ball State University,

Limited. Muncie Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Collection. Ball State University,

University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. Muncie, Indiana.

University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. Muncie, Indiana.

10) Conatser, Roger. Muncie, Indiana Jackson St. and Muncie Bypass aerial view. circa

2) Muncie, Indiana Sanborn Map, 1896, Sheet 29. 1896. Sanborn-Perris Map Co., Limited.

1976-2005. Roger Conatser Aerial Photographs Collection. Ball State University,

Muncie Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Collection. Ball State University, University

University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. Muncie, Indiana.

Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. Muncie, Indiana.

11+12) Google Maps. “Map of Mayfield, Muncie, Indiana 47303.” Google, 2020.

3) Muncie, Indiana Sanborn Map, 1902, Sheet 29. 1902. Sanborn Map Company. Muncie

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Muncie,+IN/@40.1948013,-85.3623446,629m/

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Collection. Ball State University, University Libraries,

13, 14+16) “Muncie Announces Transformative Plan for Former Industrial Sites.” Muncie

Archives and Special Collections. Muncie, Indiana.

Delaware County, Indiana Economic Development Alliance, March 31, 2016.

4) Muncie, Indiana Sanborn Map, 1911, Sheet 88. 1911. Sanborn Map Company. Muncie

http://muncie.com/About-Us/News-Media/News/Muncie-Announces

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Collection. Ball State University, University Libraries,

Transformative-Plan-for-Former-In.aspx

Archives and Special Collections. Muncie, Indiana.

15) Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance. “Transformation of Former

5+6) Levene, David, and Matt Fidler. “The view from Middletown: Muncie’s forgotten

http://www.munciejournal.com/2017/07/transformation-of-former-muncie-brownfield

factories- a photo essay.” The Guardian, October 25, 2016.

Muncie Brownfield Sites Underway.” Muncie Journal, July 28, 2017.

https://www.theguardian.com/membership/2016/oct/25/middletown

sites-underway/

munciefactories-photo-essay-midwest

17) “Section 301 Climate Zones.” 2012 International Energy Conservation Code, October

7) Sellers, Otto. Men Testing Wire. 1915. Otto Sellers Photographs Collection. Ball State

18) “Kitselman Pure Energy Park (KPEP).” M Peters Group, 2017. Accessed on September

University, University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. Muncie, Indiana.

8) Sellers, Otto. Man Testing Wire. 1915. Otto Sellers Photographs Collection. Ball State

University, University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. Muncie, Indiana.

2013. https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/document/286?site_type=public

14, 2020. https://www.mpetersgroup.com/

SOURCES Footnotes 1) Lockhart, Bill, Beau Schriever, Bill Lindsey, and Carol Serr. “Hart Glass Mfg. Co.” SHA.org,

January 24, 2016. https://sha.org/bottle/makersmarks.htm

2) Levene, David, and Matt Fidler. “The view from Middletown: Muncie’s forgotten factories

- a photo essay.” The Guardian, October 25, 2016.

https://www.theguardian.com/membership/2016/oct/25/middletown-muncie factories-photo-essay-midwest 3) Tang, Yu-Ting and C. Paul Nathanail. “Sticks and Stones: The Impact of the Definitions of

Brownfield in Policies on Socio-Economic Sustainability.” Sustainability 4, no. 5,

(Spring 2012): 840-862. https://doi.org/10.3390/su4050840

4) “Building on a Brownfield Site?” Tippmann Group. Accessed on September 19, 2020. https://www.tippmanngroup.com/building-on-a-brownfield-site/ 5) “Overview of Muncie, IN.” StatisticalAtlas.Com, 2020. https://statisticalatlas.com/place/Indiana/Muncie/Race-and-Ethnicity 6) “Kitselman Pure Energy Park (KPEP).” M Peters Group, 2017. Accessed on September 14,

2020. https://www.mpetersgroup.com/

7) “Section 301 Climate Zones.” 2012 International Energy Conservation Code, October

2013. https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/document/286?site_type=public

8) USDA. “Soil Survey of Delaware County, Indiana.” National Cooperative Soil Survey,

2004. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov.