INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Airport Authority says the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized the closure of the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport.
While the IAA owns the heliport, it needed approval from the FAA to close it.
"After a nearly four-year deliberative process, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a determination letter to the Indianapolis Airport Authority authorizing the decommissioning of the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport," IAA Senior Director of Public Affairs Megan Carrico said in a statement. "The Heliport will remain open and active until its only tenant, IU Health LifeLine, moves its operations to a new facility at the Indianapolis Regional Airport. That transition, along with some additional steps required by the FAA, must be completed before the heliport’s closure can occur. The IAA plans to sell the site for fair market value -- as FAA regulations require. This real estate sale is part of IAA’s broader Land Use Initiative that has been in progress since 2017 and focuses on returning land no longer needed for aviation use back into productive use for the community."
Heliport at the center of MLS plans
In May, 13News obtained a letter sent to the City-County Council president from the Indianapolis Airport Authority confirming the authority was moving forward with closing the downtown heliport.
The process first started several years ago after the authority said the financial burden of continued operation outweighed the public value provided to the citizens of Indianapolis.
Currently, the heliport's only tenant is IU Health’s Lifeline.
But there is another catch.
The heliport is also where Mayor Joe Hogsett wants to build the city’s new soccer stadium. The stadium is part of the Mayor's plan to lure a Major League Soccer team to Indianapolis.
A special tax district to fund the construction of the stadium has been sent to the State Budget Committee.
At a June event, Hogsett made it clear he will not build a soccer complex without an MLS team.
"I want to make it clear to the people of Indianapolis, I am not Bill Hudnut and we're not going to build a football stadium without a team. We will build a soccer-specific stadium if and only if MLS wants to bring a club to Indianapolis," said Hogsett.
The mayor also said the state needs to approve the plan before the city will apply to the MLS for a club and franchise.
Soccer stadium faces opposition
Indy already had plans for a new professional soccer stadium before the mayor announced the Major League Soccer bid. The ElevenPark development along the White River was valued at around a billion dollars and would have included a tower with living and retail space, along with the stadium.
But the area where the development was going used to be Greenlawn Cemetery, one of the first in the city. As many as 650 remains could still be at the site, according to the city's estimates. Many of those remains could belong to Black Hoosiers, who were not relocated when the remains of white people were moved from Greenlawn after it was closed.
13News obtained a letter, offering to buy the site from Keystone Group, the developer. The developer rejected the Mayor's offer and denounced the "half-baked" MLS bid.
