One goal for Indiana Ave redevelopment? Reconciliation.
INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — Reconciliation.
That’s what Indy’s Black residents can expect from a redeveloped Indiana Avenue, according to a team of consultants who will help shape the future of the once-storied corridor. They described their plans at a kickoff event Tuesday, April 16, to gather community input on what redevelopment should look like.
It’s been half a century since highway construction displaced an estimated 17,000 people from the area, followed by the development of IUPUI that continued the erosion of what was once a hub for African American business and culture.
Now, the group of professionals in areas ranging from urban design to redevelopment of historical sites are in the early stages of figuring out what’s possible for Indiana Avenue.
They’ll meet over the next eight weeks with landowners, academics and others who have ties to the corridor to get an idea for redevelopment priorities before hosting more public engagement events.
Indy Equity Collaborative CEO Nicole Carey, one of the consultants on the project, said the idea of reconciliation is what got her interested in joining.
“I work for liberation,” she said during a recent panel discussion at the AMP at 16 Tech. “I did not want to miss the opportunity to be a part of the conversation of what that could look like for our community.”
Other partners on the project include EKLA PLLC, which specializes in redeveloping historical sites, and WXY Architecture + Urban Design — both of which are based in New York.
Mayor Joe Hogsett announced the Indiana Avenue Certified Strategic Plan in February 2023 in partnership with the Urban Legacy Lands Initiative and Reclaim Indiana Avenue.
The project comes at a time when Purdue University is eyeing expansion after the IUPUI split. The university plans to build a student center along with parking garages on 28 acres of land just south of Indiana Avenue between Blake and West streets.
Plus, a pair of Indianapolis developers recently presented plans to build a mixed-use 12-story tower at 501 Indiana Ave., according to IBJ.
The plans are raising familiar concerns about gentrification, prompting a question from one attendee about the possibility of redevelopment sparking displacement.
Elizabeth Kennedy of EKLA said the group’s goal is to leave the community with “strategies and tools” to protect the neighborhood — things like zoning laws and regulations to secure affordable housing.
[Take a look back to see Indiana Avenue’s history.]
‘It was extremely empowering’
Whether the avenue’s heyday is a firsthand memory or a story passed down from elders, the desire to restore its glory remains strong.
Aaron Laster, a 29-year-old real estate developer who lives in Haughville, said he was happy to hear the city is working with Black people and descendants of Indiana Avenue.
“It was extremely empowering,” he said of the launch event.
Laster said Indiana Avenue is an example of the influence of Black culture. That includes design, fashion, music — “you name it.”
Adelle Stokes, 64, is part of the group Riverside Riders Indy and rode her bike to the meeting. She remembers her parents dressing up to go to Indiana Avenue.
“I would just love for it to be like that, a destination again,” Stokes said, “the way it was back then.”
But she also remembers the avenue’s decline as she grew up. Stokes said she considers Indiana Avenue to be stolen land and that now, all these years later, guilt is driving the change.
Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers economics. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick.