Struggling neighborhoods want their ‘own renaissance’
The tension between a desire for investment and an inherent distrust of it is occurring across disadvantaged Indianapolis neighborhoods.
Community development
Articles
New tax break may bolster neglected neighborhoods
Neglected neighborhoods in Indianapolis that have been targeted for development will soon have another way to attract investors.
LISC facade grants aim to boost small businesses through beautification efforts
The program has awarded more than $3.1 million to Marion County businesses since 2004—which has leveraged more than $10.6 million in property owners’ investment.
1 in 5 Indianapolis residents lives in poverty. And many areas are getting worse.
Median household incomes have dropped in a full third of Indianapolis ZIP codes since 2000. Inequality is growing across the city.
Critics say downtown development group should go
The Hogsett administration and City-County Council are weighing whether to kill a little-known organization that has quietly worked for two decades on the key downtown redevelopments.
Neighbors raising money to aid potential buyer of Saddlebrook Golf Course
The public course, an anchor for the neighborhood bounding West 56th Street in Pike Township, closed in late 2015 after the previous owner defaulted on a $2.4 million bank loan.
Safety, revenue motivate desires for more streetlights
Joe Hogsett said more streetlights, for safer streets, would be one of his first priorities as mayor. Nearly four months after taking office, the administration is still in discussions with Indianapolis Power & Light Co.
Arts group Big Car to remake area near its new home
The arts-focused Big Car Collaborative, birthed in Fountain Square in 2004 and most recently headquartered at Lafayette Square Mall, has found a permanent place to park on Indianapolis’ south side.
Revitalization taking root along East Washington Street
A collaboration of not-for-profit community development corporations, or CDCs, has released a plan targeting four sections of the street, from Interstate 65 to Sherman Drive, that could be transformed in the next five to seven years.
Riley CDC names successor to retiring executive director
Eric Strickland’s appointment was effective June 1. He brings more than 18 years of engineering, real estate development and economic development experience to the organization.
LISC sues to foreclose on Emrich’s Furniture building
LISC, a not-for-profit lender, says it has not received any payments on its $515,265 construction loan since Jan. 1, 2011, and is owed more than $228,000.
Lilly retiree runs Christamore on smaller budget
Christamore House, a west-side community center that was in danger of closing its doors last year, recently hired an Eli Lilly and Co. retiree as executive director. Bill Scott, 57, took on the job to give back to the Haughville neighborhood where his grandmother and other relatives lived.
Holy Cross startup sees plenty of room for more craft brewers
A startup brewery called Flat 12 Bierwerks has ignited a revival along lonely Dorman Street in Holy Cross, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods.
Fountain Square turning to first-of-kind tax to fund improvements
A Fountain Square group led by neighborhood business owners hopes to create an “economic improvement district” for the up-and-coming neighborhood, where additional tax revenue could be used for everything from litter cleanup and marketing to capital improvements.
Controversy engulfs Devington community group
Devington Community Development Corp. tried to tackle a host of neighborhood ills before closing its doors this month. But the agency also was embroiled in disputes with a local minister and its landlord.
East-side residents forge $100M plan to renew neighborhood
Since 2004, residents and community leaders in the area just east of downtown—including Boner Center chief James Taylor—have raised more than $100 million to improve their neighborhood. The deployment of so many resources to one area is almost unprecedented in Indianapolis.
Property shuffle aims to connect police, fire services with neighborhoods
The city plans to open police-and-fire hubs in two former IPS schools, retrofit
an Eastgate mall department store into an Emergency Operations Center, and build at least two fire stations.
Baseball complex could bring area near coke plant back to life
A plan to build a 28-acre sports complex on the southeast side is sparking hopes that a polluted parcel across the street
that formerly housed a Citizens coke plant can be revived as a retail and industrial center.
City eyes Central State site for sports complex
Indianapolis officials are exploring turning the former Central State Hospital into a 150-acre sports complex that could include
facilities for everything from soccer and baseball to tennis and ice skating.
Retail project in search of tenants after Ace deal falls apart
A not-for-profit group that's hoping to build a retail project at the northeast corner of 22nd and Delaware streets
is looking for tenants after a deal for an Ace Hardware fell apart.