INDIANAPOLIS – On Tuesday morning, Pamela Harris sits on her porch.

“My neighbor and I are kind of like the neighborhood watch,” Harris said.

Harris and her neighbor Linda Hawkins have lived in the Martindale-Brightwood area for 40 years.

“I love this area,” Harris said.

Harris and Hawkins have observed changes in the neighborhood over the years, including the construction of newer homes, some of which are very expensive.

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According to a report by Fair Housing of Central Indiana, the average cost of a home in Martindale-Brightwood increased 262 percent between 2018 and 2023.

“They’re too expensive for the neighborhood,” Hawkins said.

The City of Indianapolis is working to address this growing concern about affordability.

In 2021, the Martindale-Brightwood Housing Development District was created. On Monday evening, the City and County Council approved expanding that area to include Reagan Park and creating a housing tax increment financing district there.

“This HOTIF will collect the taxes that are expected to be generated by this development activity,” said Megan Vukusich, director of the Department of Economic Development. “We will be able to collect those taxes and then reinvest them in affordable housing.”

Provided

The new HOTIF stretches from 25th Street on the north, Monon Trail on the east, 22nd Street on the south, and Broadway on the west. Some of the properties are owned by the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, which includes Arnold Place, a new affordable housing project that began construction last year.

“The HOTIF increases, which belong to the INHP, will be used to support the down payment for these new affordable home buyers,” said Emily Scott, the community and economic development administrator.

The parcels, which are not owned by the INHP, will generate funds for infrastructure projects and sidewalk improvements, as well as help residents with repair costs and possible relocation within the neighborhood.