Downtown, Fort Ben are fastest-growing areas for renters
The number of people renting in downtown’s 46204 ZIP code doubled to 5,500 from 2011 to 2020, according to a recent study from California-based market researcher RentCafe.
Downtown Indy
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IBJ Podcast: Is downtown safe? Ask two business owners who reached different conclusions.
Mason King talks with Greg Harris, founder of Backhaul Direct, which left downtown, and Andrew Elsenser, co-founder of Spot, which is expanding downtown.
Lesley Weidenbener: High marks for food, not so for cleanliness
IBJ received nearly 2,000 responses to a survey asking questions about downtown. The results aren’t scientific but they are interesting.
Moments in time: IBJ photographers look at downtown Indy
For the Feb. 17 issues of IBJ, staff photographers and freelancers took to the streets (and the air) to photograph the central city.
Rebounding visitor stats generate optimism in hospitality industry
If downtown’s pandemic recovery had a report card, its tourism grade would be a B. And that’s not a subjective assessment. It’s based on newly released 2022 convention and tourism data.
A low-barrier shelter could be the answer to some of Indy’s homelessness problems
Indianapolis plans to pilot a low-barrier shelter on city-owned property and create a master leasing program in which the city would lease units on behalf of property owners to low- or no-income individuals.
Comic shop refocuses to cash in on events, tourists
“My business model completely changed,” said Downtown Comics owner Doug Stephenson of the Market Street store. “If you look at my sales chart, everything moved from Wednesday, which is traditionally the biggest day for comic stores … to the weekends.”
Design firm embraces downtown’s St. Joseph neighborhood
Loree Everette’s biggest concern about downtown has nothing to do with the typical complaints involving homelessness, safety or cleanliness. It’s that living downtown has become so popular it’s unaffordable for too many people.
Tale of two downtowns: $9B set to be invested in projects, even as business district struggles with recovery
Many parts of downtown are thriving—particularly neighborhoods, where rents are rising, people have to stand in line for a lunch table, and investments are flowing. Other parts—especially downtown’s central core, where many workers might come to the office only once or twice a week—are limping along, pockmarked by vacant storefronts, panhandlers and crumbling sidewalks.
Apartment growth supports surge in downtown Indianapolis living
Nearly 29,000 residents now live downtown, up from about 15,000 in 2010. It’s a number that has been growing as developers continue to add apartment and condo units in the Mile Square and downtown neighborhoods.
Five ways the state can help downtown
While the state and the city have come together on major downtown projects over the years, there’s sometimes tension between what Indianapolis officials would like to see from the state and how the state views its responsibility to the capital city.
Downtown’s largest employers bet on hybrid work
Cummins, Rolls-Royce, Eli Lilly and Co., AES and Elevance Health are among the city’s largest downtown employers and all say most of their workers have the option of working at home at least part of the time.
Nate Feltman: IUPUI split will be key to downtown’s future
As state and city leaders grapple with reinvigorating downtown and contemplate the future economic drivers for the region, arguably nothing holds more promise than the further activation of two of the state’s most powerful research engines.
Joe Hogsett: Downtown is a place to live, work, play—in equal amounts
We have begun transforming underutilized city-owned properties into mixed-use residential hubs. That added housing comes alongside other major residential projects and will be surrounded by infrastructure that improves mobility for residents with or without a car.
Melissa Proffitt: Business is prepared to lead downtown, but we can’t act alone
The Indy Chamber has a central role activating the regional business community, collaborating with elected officials and not-for-profit partners, and mobilizing resources toward strategic, long-term solutions. We embrace these responsibilities.
Taylor Schaffer: Progress requires public, private, philanthropic coalition
We need a return to the type of civic responsibility and corporate investment that rebuilt Monument Circle, re-envisioned Circle Centre, and empowered employees to get involved in the downtown civic ecosystem.
Cebronica Luft: Small-business owners need support to be downtown
It will take a collaborative effort from city officials, public safety, business owners and creatives to provide access to small-business owners and investors like myself who want to grow downtown and move forward, together.
Kären Haley: Downtown residents essential to city’s long-term vitality
To build on the attractiveness of the downtown residential sector, we should invest more in the kind of quality-of-life amenities we enjoy and seek out in other cities, like parks and open spaces, playgrounds, public art and public restrooms.
Vop Osili: City leaders must prepare for downtown reinvention
This means investments in affordable housing, new work opportunities, public safety, and enhancing downtown’s appearance and attractiveness.
Crime in downtown Indianapolis: Is perception worse than reality?
According to crime data for the Mile Square over the past three years—the only such data available that includes figures for 2022—violent incidents are down from the pandemic peak years of 2020 and 2021 in all categories except robberies, which were up 43%, from 56 to 80.