The potential location for a parking structure in downtown Warsaw was publicly revealed at Thursday’s Kosciusko County Council meeting as 225 N. Buffalo St., where the Ameriprise building currently is located. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — The potential location for a parking structure in downtown Warsaw was publicly revealed at Thursday’s, June 12, Kosciusko County Council meeting as 225 N. Buffalo St., where the Ameriprise building currently is located.

County attorney Ed Ormsby presented a resolution to the council on behalf of the board of County Commissioners. Reading applicable portions of the resolution to the council, Ormsby said the commissioners are interested in increasing the number of parking areas in downtown Warsaw.

“The board has identified the real estate commonly known as 225 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw, Ind., and more particularly described … as part of a possible location for an additional parking structure. To move forward with the board’s interest in increasing the number of parking areas in downtown Warsaw, the board, as the purchasing agent for the county, may seek to acquire the real estate,” he said.

In order for the commissioners to move forward with the purchase of the real estate, Ormsby said it’s required by Indiana code that the council pass a resolution to the effect that the council is interested in making a purchase of the real estate. If the resolution is passed by the council, the purchase of the real estate by the board may not be for a price greater than the average of two appraisals received. Ormsby said the real estate is the Ameriprise building just north of the county courthouse, behind Reinholt’s Town Square Furniture, across the street from American Legion Post 49 and adjacent to the county’s parking lot.

“This is an area in which we may be looking to build a parking garage on it, and once you guys approve the resolution, if you do so, we will then be able to select two appraisers to appraise under the (state) statute and then move forward to see if we can come to an agreement with the seller,” Ormsby told the county council.

County records indicate the property is owned by Snapping Turtle LLC. If they can not come to an agreement with the seller that is for no more than the average of the two appraisals, Ormsby said they then will have to proceed under the eminent domain statute.

Council President Tony Ciriello said the commissioners can’t move forward with any of it without the council approving the resolution. “This doesn’t mean that it will be bought, but most likely would be. This doesn’t necessarily mean a parking structure is going to go there, but there could be in the future. Right now it’s just an interest into looking into it,” Ciriello said.

Councilwoman Kimberly Cates asked if the proposal was that the county was going to make an offer and if the property owner didn’t approve it, the county would take it by eminent domain. “Is that what your intentions are?” she asked.

Ormsby said that was likely but the commissioners haven’t decided to institute an eminent domain. “We would go down this procedure first,” he said.

Councilman DeLynn Geiger made a motion to approve the resolution, Councilman Joe Irwin seconded it and the resolution passed with six council members in favor and Cates abstaining.

Of the $30 million in Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative funds that OrthoWorx received from the state a couple years ago, $5 million has been earmarked for a city-county parking garage in downtown Warsaw. In December 2024, the city and county approved a memorandum of understanding related to an infrastructure being built in downtown Warsaw for parking. The parking garage project is estimated to cost approximately $15 million, with the city contributing $2-$3 million. Remaining costs would be on the county.