Rob Gerbitz: How great urban neighborhoods actually get built

The narrative that prioritizing office space in complex urban development somehow comes at the expense of housing misses the bigger picture. The reality is that the two are symbiotic.

Great neighborhoods are built in layers. First, you create a place where people want to be. Then housing follows and succeeds because it is surrounded by vitality, not vacancy.

There is a broader misconception about how cities grow and what it takes to make them thrive. The question is not whether to build office or housing. It is how to deliver the right mix of uses at the right time.

At Bottleworks District and across our work in Indianapolis, we are focused on building environments that work economically, socially and for decades to come.

Ten years ago, the 1-mile radius surrounding Bottleworks District looked very different than it does today. Since the project’s inception, hundreds — if not thousands — of residential units have been added within walking distance. In truth, entire blocks have been revitalized near Bottleworks District, and the demand for housing has surged.

You can build apartments almost anywhere, but housing alone does not create a neighborhood people choose to be part of. What drives demand is proximity to jobs, culture, amenities and energy, and that is the role Bottleworks District has played so far.

From the outset, our vision was to serve as an anchor for Mass Ave. and the surrounding neighborhoods. The Garage Food Hall, Bottleworks Hotel, entertainment venues, hospitality and retail established a destination. The addition of high-quality office space introduced a consistent, daily population.

The COVID-era office market presented a unique opportunity to focus on creating a product that aligned with where work was heading. Office spaces at Bottleworks are intentionally flexible, designed with high ceilings, operable windows, private outdoor access and infrastructure that allows for adaptation over time. Every structural and mechanical decision has been made with long-term optionality in mind, whether that means office, residential or hospitality use in the future.

While office space has become a priority, residential development remains central to our long-term vision. Phase IV at Bottleworks will introduce new mixed-use housing adjacent to The Garage Food Hall, completing the live-work-play environment we set out to build. It will be delivered at the right time, in the right context, supported by the ecosystem that we are building today.

A similar philosophy is guiding our work at Traction Yards. There, we have the opportunity to reimagine two city blocks into a dynamic, vertical mixed-use district that integrates residential, office, hospitality, retail and open-air public space. Our focus is on long-term adaptability to create a place that will grow and evolve alongside Indianapolis.

Cities that thrive build complete, adaptable environments — places like Bottleworks District that grow stronger over time.•

__________

Gerbitz is president and CEO of Hendricks Commercial Properties.