Former Oaktree Apartment site ready for redevelopment ideas

The city of Indianapolis seeks input on a Far Eastside redevelopment opportunity at the former Oaktree Apartment site.

The Oaktree Apartments were a blighted property involved in years of health violations, crime and legal battles. The 300 unit apartment complex sat vacant on the Far Eastside for years until it was finally demolished in 2019.  The city has spent more than $3 million on the site.

Now a Request for Information from the city and the Department of Metropolitan Development aims to bring mixed-use options including housing, business and civic space to the area.  Requests should also consider transit-oriented development options for the location near 42nd Street and Post Road.

“The redevelopment of the former Oaktree Apartment site offers the opportunity to catalyze change and meet the needs of Far Eastside residents,” Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement. “Indianapolis is its neighborhoods and when we uplift each community, we become a stronger city, together. With our Lift Indy partnership, the Purple Line, and now the Oaktree Request for Information, we're actively working to reverse decades of disinvestment.”

The Oaktree Revitalization Plan was released earlier this year.  The community was involved in imagining the possibilities for this 19 acre site that could serve as a legacy project.  Submissions will be accepted through January.

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