2/25/2005
Media Contact:
Justin Ohlemiller, DMD, [317] 327-6709
April Kennedy, IHA, [317] 261-7209 |
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Peterson, Carson kick-off revitalization effort on south side; once-blighted community to be transformed into mix of quality, affordable housing and commercial use
Indianapolis – Mayor Bart Peterson and U.S. Congresswoman Julia Carson today joined Indianapolis Housing Agency (IHA) director Rufus "Bud" Myers, community leaders and residents in breaking ground on a new development that will help revitalize the city’s south side and create hundreds of quality, affordable housing opportunities.
Located at the former site of Brokenburr Trails, a once-blighted, dilapidated apartment complex, the new mixed-use, mixed-income development will create 217 quality, housing opportunities – 165 rental units and 52 for-sale single family houses – and approximately 10,000 square feet of retail space.
The multi-million dollar redevelopment of the Brokenburr site, which will be overseen by IHA, was made possible by a $16.8 million HOPE VI grant awarded to IHA by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
All housing units, including the homeownership opportunities, will be priced below market rate, and 68 rental units will be reserved for households whose annual earnings are 30 percent or below the area median income, or just over $19,000 for a family of four. The creation of these units targeted for very low-income households coincides with the Blueprint to End Homelessness, the city’s ambitious plan released in 2002 to end chronic homelessness in Indianapolis.
"Today's groundbreaking follows the demolition and clearing of severely distressed housing in Brokenburr," said Congresswoman Carson, who played an integral role in securing the federal funding for the project. "As the name of its federal funding indicates – HOPE – this construction is new life for the aspirations of the Brokenburr community. Indianapolis can be proud of its commitment to create more affordable housing."
"This large-scale revitalization effort will have a far-reaching impact beyond the walls of the quality affordable housing opportunities being created," said Mayor Peterson. "We are going to see the creation of a thriving, diverse, mixed-income community that will act as a catalyst for further economic development and investment on the city’s south side."
Though he noted the two developments are different in nature, Peterson said he expected the redevelopment of the Brokenburr site to impact the surrounding community similar to the way the revitalization of Fall Creek Place has benefited the city’s near-north side.
Construction of the mixed-use development will occur in four phases. Phase I, which includes 40 rental units, is slated for completion by the end of the year, and sales for the single-family houses being built in phase III will begin this fall with prices ranging from $55,000 to $65,000. Phase II will involve the final 125 rental units, and phase IV calls for a retail center at the corner of Raymond St. and Perkins St.
The development will also include a 10,000 square foot community center offering youth programming, a computer lab, swimming pool and two tennis courts; and a 2.5-acre park with soccer fields and playground equipment owned, equipped and managed by IndyParks. Indianapolis Public Schools also plan to open a kindergarten classroom in the community center to serve children and families in the neighborhood.
A variety of onsite social services managed by IHA will be made available to residents of the new community. All residents receiving public housing assistance will be required to participate in a family self-sufficiency program, which includes intensive case management, as well as services designed to help residents earn and maintain good jobs. This is consistent with the city’s Blueprint to End Homelessness, which calls for not only providing affordable housing opportunities for individuals and families in housing crisis, but also preventing future homelessness by helping them obtain the skills and resources necessary to support their housing needs.
Brokenburr redevelopment project partners include the City of Indianapolis, HUD, IHA and Brinshore Development, LLC, which has a proven track record for developing high-quality affordable housing across the Midwest. Other contributors include the Indiana Housing Finance Authority, the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership and R/ROS Community Development Corporation.
The city’s investment totals more than $5.5 million – including $3 million in federal entitlement funding, $2.5 million in infrastructure improvements within the new development area, and $80,000 to manage the new on-site park.
Peterson promised to support the redevelopment of the Brokenburr site in Peterson Plan II, his detailed vision for the City of Indianapolis set forth during his re-election bid in 2003.
The Brokenburr Trails apartments were demolished in the fall of 2003. Once phase I of the new development is complete, former residents of Brokenburr, who were relocated to better, safer housing, will be given the opportunity to pursue housing opportunities in the yet-to-be named mixed-use community.
Since 2000, the city has invested more than $20.8 million of its annual appropriation from HUD in projects and initiatives that support very low-income households. The city also has appropriated $500,000 in HUD funding for rental assistance for very low-income families.
As a result of the city’s investment in affordable housing, more than 1,600 units for very low-income households were constructed, rehabilitated or preserved.
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