Demolition of apartment complex highlights vacant structure issue in Indianapolis

Thousands of vacant properties plague Indianapolis neighborhoods and continue to be a public health and safety issue, stalling revitalization. A recent city demolition project highlights how difficult the process of razing neglected buildings can be.

The Courtyards at Roselawn Park apartment complex on the near northeast side sat vacant for more than a decade. In the years that followed fires, crime and blight moved in. Nearby along Emerson Ave, two other abandoned complexes need to be demolished.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the problem of vacant structures in Indianapolis is not new. “These issues came about over the course of many years, and they have persisted,” Hogsett said at a recent press event marking the demo work.

Cook Medical President Pete Yonkman said the company has invested in the near northeast side neighborhood with a new medical manufacturing facility and a grocery store. He said abandoned structures can hold back community revitalization.

"It sounds maybe simple that we're just going to tear down some buildings, but it involves a Byzantine layer of regulations, ordinances, laws, you name it, whatever the government can throw at you you have to navigate,” Yonkman said.

This site is owned by an out of state company that let the property fall into disrepair. The company still owns the land that also underwent asbestos mitigation paid for by the city. 

The city spent more than $380 thousand on this most recent apartment complex demolition. It has had to take over similar projects at other neglected and abandoned apartment complexes in recent years.

The city has increased funding in the budget to address a backlog of demolition projects. $3 million was set aside this year. 41 structures were demolished last year – there are plans to tear down 57 structures in 2025.

At a meeting of the Metropolitan Economic Development Committee last month Department of Business and Neighborhood Services Director Abbey Brands said the added investment is needed to be more intentional. “And target properties that have been nuisances for a long time and larger properties that maybe we wouldn’t have been able to demolish previously.” Brands said.

Yonkman said he has worked closely with community members and local officials to find the best way to reinvest in the neighborhood and target problem areas.

“And the approach we've taken on that has been really to look at properties one by one,” Yonkman said, “these are properties individually that either contribute to the health and safety and vibrancy of this community, and there are some that are not - including these apartment complexes that have been allowed to fall in disrepair.”

Not all vacant properties in Indianapolis need to be torn down. DBNS Director Abbey Brands said that in the midst of a housing crisis, city leaders need to look at all options.

“We can’t just keep looking to new builds, we have to look at some of our current housing stock,” Brands said.

To address unsightly and unsafe buildings in Indianapolis, DBNS enforces Indiana’s Unsafe Building Law.

Contact WFYI Managing City Editor Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org.