New homes coming to old rail corridor near downtown Lafayette

Speaking of S. Fourth Street, Dining Divas & Dudes check out Martha Local Bar. Plus, possible murder-suicide on south side. And former TSC gym teacher arrest, charged for allegations at school

Jul 28, 2023

Plans for Corridor Place include 11 single-family homes and five townhouses in a former rail corridor on either side of South Fourth Street, between Kossuth Street and downtown Lafayette.

One of the last remaining strips of the rail corridor left behind two decades ago in Lafayette’s massive Railroad Relocation project will be the spot, just south of downtown, for 11 single-family homes and five townhouses in a plan laid out Thursday by the city and developer John Teibel.

The Lafayette Redevelopment Commission agreed to sell two strips of former railroad land on either side of South Fourth Street, about midway between Kossuth and Fountain streets, to Teibel for $41,500.

The city had been eying that property for several years for additional housing near the burgeoning residential scene in downtown Lafayette. A call for developers came up empty earlier this year, before the city negotiated a plan with Teibel – a homebuilder who has worked with the city and Centennial Neighborhood on several projects, including developing townhomes in 2014 where a vacant Midwest Rentals lot stood. (See: “Centennial neighborhood’s big bet on itself.”)

“The housing market down here is pretty strong,” Dennis Carson, Lafayette’s economic development director, said. “We’re pretty excited to have this going.”

Teibel’s plans for what he’s calling Corridor Place include eight single family homes between Third and Fourth streets. Three more single-family homes, along with the townhomes, would be on the east side of Fourth Street, heading toward Fifth Street.

Teibel told Lafayette Redevelopment Commission members Thursday that he hopes to get started yet this year with a couple of model homes and adding to those as buyers come forward to build homes.

He said the homes likely would be priced starting at $279,000, with most in the $300,000s, ranging from 1,500 square feet to 3,000 square feet. He said the homes would look different from one another, though consistent with the styles near that part of Fourth Street. Each house would have a two car garage.

These were some of the housing styles developer John Teibel said are planned for Corridor Place

First up, the land will be up for rezoning, with votes scheduled at the Area Plan Commission Aug. 16 and at the Lafayette City Council on Sept. 5.

Until 2001, the land was home to two rail lines that carried dozens of daily freight trains. The Lafayette Railroad Relocation project, started in the 1970s, took 29 years and $186 million to finish, rerouting trains from the heart of the city to a corridor along the Wabash River. Railroad Relocation removed more than three dozen at-grade rail crossings and reshaped much of the city’s infrastructure, replacing the Main Street Bridge (now the John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge) with the two downtown bridges over the Wabash, redesigning the Harrison Bridge, building underpasses on Wabash Avenue and North Ninth Street, and moving much of Lafayette’s rail traffic to a corridor along the river.

Lafayette has had a hand in other rail corridor housing developments.

+ Starting in 2004, developers built Stockton Crossing, more than 20 single-family homes along the east side of Erie Street, just north of Ferry Street, on land that railroad companies once owned.

+ And work has started on homes on a section of South Eighth Street, a block from South Street, on another chunk of land that once had rails. In September 2020, the city sold the once blighted land to Triple R LLC – a partnership of the Rider family that already owns and has renovated 13 properties in the nearby Ellsworth-Romig Neighborhood – for $1,000, in a deal that Mayor Tony Roswarski called “a once-in-a-lifetime moment” for that part of the city. Developer Jeff Rider has plans for a $12 million project to build between 20 and 22 custom homes – ones that started in the $275,000 range – near Eighth and Oregon streets.

Speaking of South Fourth Street features …

Today at Based in Lafayette, welcome back to a feature that debuted here in April. Dining Divas and Dudes is a team that has been reporting and rating new restaurants, hidden gems, international fare and updated menus from old favorites for years now at homeofpurdue.com. Here at Based in Lafayette, we’ll feature some of Dining Divas and Dudes’ best and most recent finds. The Divas and Dudes are: Tetia Lee, Kay Conner, Linda Eales, Iseral Quintero, Margy Deverall, Jerry Hunley, Whitney McBell and Jo Wade.

Today, Dining Divas and Dudes take on the new look Martha Local Bar.

DINING DIVAS & DUDES: MARTHA LOCAL BAR SERVES UP AUTHENTIC MEXICAN

By Margy Deverall / Dining Divas & Dudes

Hola! Hello! Nihao! No matter what language you speak, if you are looking for a good time and great service, with a relaxed neighborhood vibe AND authentic Mexican food … Martha Local Bar, 522 S. Fourth St., is the place to go. Added bonus: free live music on weekends.

Oh! And don’t let the city’s utility work out front throw you off. The Dining Divas and Dudes found plenty of easy parking right behind the restaurant, just off the alley.

The Dining Divas & Dudes in this round (clockwise from bottom): Tetia Lee, Jo Wade, Margy Deverall, Jerry Hunley, Linda Eales and Kay Conner. (Photo: Dining Divas & Dudes)

Open since August 2022, owner Martha Trinidad first came to Lafayette in 2007 from Momax, Zacatecas, Mexico, with her husband and three kids. Their original plan was to stay “for a couple months” to help a family member who owned an apartment complex here. Long story short, they ended up staying for 16 years. When the apartment sold recently, Martha decided to return to the bar/restaurant business, which she had back home.

Our server, Dravin, was super friendly, answered all our questions and helped with suggestions. Every dish is made to order using fresh ingredient so it was easy to ask for adjustments as needed. No cheese? Substitute avocado? Want extra peppers? No problem.

As always, we started with appetizers:

Jalapeno poppers: Jerry – “Love these! Pass the plate back over here, please.”
Breaded mushrooms: Linda – “Mmmmmmm, huge & juicy!”
Guacamole: Iseral – “Great guacamole, reminds me of my mom’s!”

For lunch the D&Ds ordered:

Kay: Ceviche tostada. Fish with lime, veggies, cilantro and avocado on top. Really good tangy lime flavor. Perfect size for lunch.
Linda: Fish burrito. Flavors all melted together. Seamless combination of melty goodness.
Jerry: Chorizo taco, corn tortilla. As good a taco as there is in town. Bang for the buck, taco special here on Tuesdays are the best.
Margy: Veggie fajitas, corn tortillas. Hit the spot! Love the fresh homemade tortillas, topped off with some of the guacamole and salsa.
Jo: Veggie fajitas, add egg and avocado, no tortillas. Peppers and veggies all so fresh, mixed well together. Stayed nice and hot, more than enough food. Loved my fresh iced tea as well.
Tetia: Grilled tenderloin. Great grilled flavor and fries.
Iseral: Fajita burrito, steak. Nice mix of big veggies. Melt in your mouth flavors. Generous portions, needed a to-go box.

At Martha Local Bar, you are treated like family with different food and drink specials each day in addition to the regular menu. Monday: Wings. Tuesday: Tacos. Wednesday: Pork chops. Thursday: Tenderloin. Friday: Fajitas. Saturday: Everything. Sunday: Menudo. Meals come with your choice of traditional Mexican or American sides. Rice and beans for that south of the border flavor? You got it. Potatoes, gravy and green beans your thing? You bet.

Want to know more? Check their website Marthalocalbar.com, or follow them on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Martha Local Bar is a smoking bar, but they turned on the fan when a comment about the smoke was made – again, very accommodating. The smoke was not bad, and the great food made it easy to overlook.

Look for occasional features from Dining Divas and Dudes in Based in Lafayette. For more reviews and local attractions visit www.homeofpurdue.com/blog/

DEATH INVESTIGATION ON KINKAID DRIVE

Lafayette police were investing the deaths of two people – a 43-year-old woman and a 5-year-old girl – in the 100 block of Kincaid Drive in southern Lafayette Thursday afternoon.

The names of the pair hadn’t been released, as of Thursday evening. Lafayette police gave few details, thought Lt. Justin Hartman said whatever happened in the house posed no ongoing threat to the community.

J&C reporter Ron Wilkins had more details, reporting that police were investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide. Here’s his full report: “Lafayette police investigating a possible murder/suicide on city's south side.”

FORMER GYM TEACHER CHARGED WITH BATTERY, ACCUSED OF INAPPROPRIATE TOUCHING

A former gym teacher at Southwestern Middle School was charged this week with seven counts of battery, with accusations of inappropriate contact with girls at the school during incidents in 2021 and 2022.

According to court documents, seven students told principals and counselors at the Tippecanoe School Corp. middle school that Peter Anders, 45, of West Lafayette, touched and tickled them in ways they found inappropriate. In one case, Anders was accused of smacking a girl on the buttocks with a shoe in a school hallway and kicking another in the buttocks, according to information filed with charges. Another student told school officials that Anders came up from behind her as she ran on an outdoor track during gym class “and lifted (her) shirt up while she was running.”

Anders denied remembering some of the incidents when speaking with school officials and denied to police that he touched the students.

Anders was booked into the Tippecanoe County Jail Wednesday, where he was as of Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors had requested a $50,000 bond.

Sue Scott, TSC spokesperson, said that after receiving the student complaints, district officials “immediately contacted law enforcement and the Department of Child Services.” Scott said TSC also started an internal investigation, placing Anders on administrative leave. Scott said Anders later resigned during the investigation.

According to charges, Anders started with TSC in 2021.

Anders’ profile on LinkedIn listed a current position as a learning coordinator and school liaison with Paramount Schools of Excellence, an Indianapolis-based charter school opening a K-8 school in Lafayette for the 2023-24 academic year.

Tommy Reddicks, Paramount’s CEO, said Anders worked since June at My Learning Nook, a tutoring center the charter school operated in a Tippecanoe Mall storefront. Reddicks said Anders had not been hired as a teacher or staff member at Paramount Lafayette, which is on Elmwood Avenue in a former Pay Less Super Market. Reddicks said Anders was let go Thursday, after Paramount learned of the charges, saying the charter should have been informed about the investigation during the interview process.

“Prior to his employment at My Learning Nook in Lafayette, Paramount Schools of Excellence ran a full background check on Mr. Peter Anders, and it came back without any material issues,” Reddicks said. “Once (Paramount) was made aware of Mr. Anders' current situation, he was immediately released from employment due to the severity of the charges and his failure to disclose the situation. … We take the health and safety of our students and staff seriously, and our swift actions, in this case, represent zero tolerance for such behavior.”

Based in Lafayette, Indiana

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