2/21/2006
Media Contact:
Justin Ohlemiller, DMD, [317] 327-6709
April Kennedy, IHA, [317] 261-7209 |
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Peterson, Carson cut ribbon on first of hundreds of new housing opportunities on city’s south side
New housing is part of revitalization plan to transform once-blighted community into mix of quality, affordable housing and commercial development
INDIANAPOLIS - Lavonne Jones witnessed the decline of Brokenburr Trails. As a resident of the troubled apartments, she was there as the complex slipped into a dilapidated, neighborhood eyesore. She will now have a front-row seat to witness the community’s rebirth.
Mayor Bart Peterson and U.S. Congresswoman Julia Carson today joined Indianapolis Housing Agency (IHA) Director Rufus "Bud" Myers and community leaders in welcoming Lavonne as the newest resident of Red Maple Grove, the ongoing multi-phased residential and commercial development that will revitalize the area where Brokenburr Trails once stood.
Today’s event marked the opening of the development’s first 40 affordable apartments. Upon completion of all four phases, Red Maple Grove will encompass more than 200 quality, affordable housing opportunities - 165 rental units and 52 for-sale single family houses - and include 10,000 square feet of retail space.
"This is a wonderful development for the area and for the city, a great piece of progress toward better meeting the city’s housing needs and stimulating economic development," Congresswoman Carson said. "This is good business for our city and her people."
Red Maple Grove is located at the corner of Raymond and Perkins Streets on the site of the former Brokenburr Trails apartments. The troubled apartment complex was razed in the fall of 2003 to make way for the new development. The multi-million dollar redevelopment effort, overseen by IHA, was made possible by a $16.8 million HOPE VI grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
"This is a great day for our south side neighbors and all of Indianapolis as we celebrate the transformation of this once blighted area into one of the city’s finest residential neighborhoods," said Mayor Peterson. "The first phase of Red Maple Grove marks the beginning of a thriving, diverse, mixed-income community that will be a catalyst for further economic development and investment on the city’s south side."
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.
Nearly all Red Maple Grove housing units, including the homeownership opportunities, will be priced below market rate, and 68 rental units will be reserved for households with limited income and at risk of homelessness. The creation of these units coincides with the Blueprint to End Homelessness, the city’s ambitious plan released in 2002 to prevent and end chronic homelessness in Indianapolis.
With Red Maple Grove’s first 40 rental units complete, project partners expect the four-phase development to be complete by September 2009. Construction will commence this summer on more than 120 rental units in phase II, and marketing and sales of the 52 single-family homes in phase III will begin this fall. The development’s final phase encompasses a new retail center at the corner of Raymond St. and Perkins St.
Red Maple Grove residents and near-by neighbors will also benefit from a number of new neighborhood amenities and services. Plans call for a 8,500 square foot community center offering youth programming, a computer lab, swimming pool and two tennis courts; a 2.5-acre park with soccer fields and playground
equipment owned and managed by IndyParks; and a kindergarten classroom operated by Indianapolis Public Schools serving area children.
The new community center will be named after Senator Robert Brokenburr, paying tribute to the state’s first African-American member of the Indiana Senate and the namesake of the site’s previous housing development.
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 preventing future homelessness by helping at-risk households obtain the skills and resources necessary to support their housing needs.
Red Maple Grove 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 and Community Development Authority, the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, J.P. Morgan Chase, the Richmond Group, Van Rooy Properties, 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.
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