Northeast side neighborhood named latest Lift area

Indianapolis’ next community to be designated a Lift Indy Neighborhood is named. The East 38th Street corridor on the city’s northeast side is the eighth Lift Indy neighborhood.

The $3.5 million investment announcement builds on previous development in the area led by Cook Medical, nonprofit groups and the city.

The Department of Metropolitan Development will use federal development and housing grants to invest in the area.  DMD Director Scarlett Andrews said the goal is to build on recent success.

“They need the additional infusion of additional affordable homeownership and rental opportunities and additional investment in small businesses to really push them to the next level as a community,” Andrews said.

DMD will distribute federal development and housing grants for new houses, an affordable apartment complex, mortgage programs, microenterprise loans and park improvements.

This is Indianapolis City-Councilor Keith Graves’ (D) district.  He said years of disinvestment has created disparity for Indianapolis residents.

“So this Lift Indy investment will revitalize this East 38th Street corridor and will create opportunities for residents to overcome social and economic obstacles and this investment will dismantle the zip code divide,” Grave said.

The collaborative neighborhood revitalization effort has been championed by Ashley Gurvitz, CEO of United Northeast Community Development Corporation. She said the commitment from the private and public sectors has made a difference.

“They have stayed with us to see that community development can be done with community and done right with community and I cannot emphasize that enough,” Gurvitz said.

Other Lift neighborhoods include the Old Southside, the Far Eastside and Martindale-Brightwood.

Contact WFYI city government and policy reporter Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org.