317 Project: Frog Holler works to keep identity against commercial development

Nestled into a crook of the White River, the Frog Holler neighborhood is an oddity of sorts.

The name doesn't show up on any map, but the North Perry area neighborhood on the southwest side was misnamed Frog Hollow for decades.

Plain houses with chipping paint are hemmed in with chain-link fencing and rest on foundations next to more modern residences with crisply painted accents and well-kept lawns.

With Harding Street to the west and Troy Avenue to the north, low-lying streets still flood often after heavy rains.

The floods aren’t so bad, though, and many residents continue their lives in rowboats during high water.

The city tried to address the flooding in 2011 when the Department of Public Works diverted incoming water from a nearby creek into the White River. The efforts might have helped some, but the waters continue to fill roads badly in need of maintenance.

Tom Lorenz, who leads the Northwest Perry Neighborhood Association, which includes Frog Holler, said after a downpour certain sections of road will remain underwater, and a nearby motorcycle club on Harding is surrounded by water.

Standing waters aren’t the only encroaching nuisance on the quiet neighborhood. Commercial and industrial interests try to snatch up lots, knock down homes and put in new, less quaint development.

“The zoning concerns have been a big thing for us,” Lorenz said.

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Lorenz began leading the association in 2022 and was asked to extend its boundaries to cover Frog Holler so the area would have someone to advocate for its residents.

Zoning fights are sometimes won, and sometimes lost. Development creeping into Frog Holler off Harding Street and Troy Avenue come at the expense of the property values.

“It seems like the city let too much go on over on Harding," Lorenz said, "and now there is not enough of a buffer between Frog Holler and the stuff going on.”

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk

IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 317 Project: Frog Holler works to keep identity against development