INDIANAPOLIS — On the Old Southside of Indianapolis, less than a mile from Lucas Oil Stadium, local leaders and community members broke ground on a new affordable apartment community at 1202 South Meridian Street.
"Many folks who live here, including myself as a developer, think that the Old Southside has been somewhat forgotten over the past decade or so," said Gary Hobbs, CEO of BWI, LLC.
BWI, LLC is a construction, development, consulting and electric firm in Indianapolis that's helping spur change.
"105 families will be in here so a mix of studio, one-, two-bedroom units," said Hobbs.
The building will have an additional 3,000 square feet of commercial space, equipped with a parking garage, a gym, controlled-access entry and a rooftop terrace.
1202 will be located near public and future transportation and targeting the workforce population.
"That's that missing middle. Many of the folks here that are just slightly above the 60% kind of average medium income, but there not able to afford the super luxury rents in town," said Hobbs.
Some Hoosiers can't afford downtown prices.
"I remember the old building that was here. Families were living in that...substandard housing," said Lynn Rogers, a resident and part of Concord Neighborhood Center.
Rogers said this project is needed for the area.
"It's not had a lot of development in terms of homes. We have a ton of Airbnbs, we have some new projects going up, but for the families that work here, live here they want to a have access to something they can afford," said Rogers.
Hobbs said it's something that's been his focus.
"The thing that gets me motivated, excited is when I see people's live change," said Hobbs.
The $25 million project is expected to be complete by September 2024.