INDIANAPOLIS — On May 17, the Department of Metropolitan Development filed suit in Marion County Superior Court seeking to acquire the Oaktree Apartments, located at 9012 Pinehurst Drive, through eminent domain. The property, which was condemned in February 2014 by the Marion County Health Department, has been a magnet for crime, vandalism, and fires, and a drain on city and county resources.
The 336-unit apartment complex, comprised of 29 blighted structures on 19 acres, has been troubled for over a decade. In 2008, a tornado destroyed 48 units and damaged another 200, and in 2010, the Oaktree Apartments were cut off from Section 8 housing because the property failed to meet housing standards. In 2013, the city prosecutor filed a public nuisance case again the Oaktree Apartments due to the hundreds of police runs, incident reports, and housing and building code violations. In February 2014, after burst pipes deteriorated the property further, the Marion County Health Department condemned the Oaktree Apartments, and the Marion County Superior Court ordered the removal of the remaining 46 tenants. Several buildings have been destroyed by fires in 2015, 2018, and two separate fires set on March 27, 2019.
“With dozens of police runs to this property in the past two years, the Oaktree Apartments clearly present a danger to the Far Eastside,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Filing suit for eminent domain is the first step to improving the public health and safety of nearby residents and beginning to repair the damage this blighted property has done to the neighborhood.”
Since 2014, the complex has remained vacant due to a court order, and the property owner, Indy Diamond LLC, has failed to demonstrate any effort to bring the property into compliance with local code. In July 2018, Marion County Superior Court ordered Indy Diamond LLC to obtain wrecking permits and demolish the structures by August 30, 2018. No application for demolition permits were submitted, and Indy Diamond LLC has since been found in contempt of court for its lack of action.
Today’s filing can allow the Department of Metropolitan Development to acquire the property. If successful, the city would demolish the blighted Oaktree Apartments and prepare the site for future redevelopment, removing a significant public safety and health nuisance and simultaneously improving the quality of life on the Far Eastside.