INDIANAPOLIS — On Sept. 18, the City, as well as officials from King Park Re-Development Group and David Weekley Homes, broke ground on a $20 million housing-mixed use development on the east side. Dubbed Monon16, the area to be redeveloped is near the Monon Trail running between 16th and 21st St. in the Kennedy Park district. City officials noted that the neighborhood hasn’t seen public or private investment in the area for nearly a century, with the exception of the Monon Trail extension. Plans include building 60 new single-family homes, with 20 percent reserved for lower income buyers.
The entire Monon 16 area is bounded by Central Ave. to the west, Dr. Andrew J. Brown to the east, 22nd St. to the north, and 16th to the south. Eastsiders may have noted a lot of housing development just outside the boundaries of the Monon16 area, plus new restaurants, major improvements to the Kroger, and growing interest in reclaiming 16th Street as “Tinker Street.”
To get a creative glimpse of what the area could be, there will be a PreEnactment Theater experience Oct. 7 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The stage is an entire three blocks of 16th Street from the Monon to Andrew J. Brown. Every vacant lot/building, existing business, street lane and sidewalk is part of the stage. Set designers will build temporary facades on the vacant lots and spruce up the abandoned buildings. Actors will act out an equitable way of living and will model a neighborhood that is revitalized, but is also inclusive. 13 professional theater groups (IRT, Ashante Children’s Theater, NoExit, Sapphire, Freetown Village, etc) are partners. Three schools and 20 neighborhood groups are also participating. The event is free and open to the public.