INDIANAPOLIS — Near Eastside residents are invited to share their hopes, dreams, and vision for the neighborhood at Near Eastside Visioning Day at Arsenal Tech High School from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. Neighbors will address local challenges head on through the creation of a new Quality of Life Plan. This plan will create new strategic goals based on neighbors’ assets and will positively impact the Near Eastside for generations to come.
The original Near Eastside Quality of Life Plan was created in 2007 to address concerns through the utilization of community assets. The plan established 175 objectives set by the community to improve the neighborhood and addressed a variety of core quality of life areas, including affordable housing, education, public safety, and economic development.
A lot has changed in the ensuing years. New businesses, and revitalization efforts on the east side have taken hold. In 2018, neighbors voted to refresh the twelve-year-old plan at the Near Eastside Neighborhood Summit. Neighbors will once again be empowered to take the lead developing goals for the Near Eastside based on the current state of the neighborhood.
Neighborhood goals include affordable housing for a diverse population, growing the commercial aspects of East 10th St. and other corridors with commercial potential, improving New York and Michigan streets, encouraging community-responsive policing efforts, and supporting quality schools.
Near Eastside Visioning Day is an opportunity for neighbors to identify current community priorities, ensuring the new plan is relevant and focused. Community leaders are working hard to ensure that the new Quality of Life Plan is inclusive, equitable, and receives input from as many neighbors as possible. The Plan will be certified by the City of Indianapolis and will “ensure that official public policy is in line with community desires,” the City’s Department of Metropolitan Development stated.
“Your voice is important!” said Alicia Baker, Director of Neighborhood Engagement at John Boner Neighborhood Centers. “We need as many people as possible to help create a plan that is equitable, sustainable, and truly driven by neighbors.”
To prepare for Visioning Day, individuals are encouraged to complete a survey (in English version https://bit.ly/2WLxViL or en Español https://bit.ly/2WXMkZb). Those interested in partaking in a 10-20 minute interview designed to provide Quality of Life Plan community organizers with a deeper understanding of their vision for the Near Eastside should contact Ellen Bankston at ebankson@jbncenters.org.
Neighborhoods included in the Near Eastside include Brookside Park, Windsor Park, Willard Park, Robson-Voorhees, Englewood, Arsenal Heights, and Grace Tuxedo, among others.
Near Eastside Visioning Day will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Arsenal Technical High School Gymnasium (1500 E. Michigan St.). Free lunch and childcare will be provided; individuals must RSVP by Saturday, August 31. Spanish and ASL interpretation will be available. Arsenal Technical High School can be reached by IndyGo bus route 3, and is ADA accessible.
For more information and to RSVP for Near Eastside Visioning Day, contact Alicia Baker at abaker@jbncenters.org.
