Several local organizations are planning to use American Rescue Plan funds to revitalize an Anderson neighborhood.
The city awarded $2.2 million in federal funds for affordable housing projects.
The Anderson Community Development Corp. (ACDC) is working with Habitat for Humanity of Madison County, the Anderson High School Career Center and the Anderson First Community Center to construct affordable housing.
ACDC was awarded $440,000 in American Rescue Plan funds by the administration of Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr.
Kevin Sulc, chairperson of ACDC, said they worked to develop a pilot revitalization program.
“The three organizations working together with other future partners to target a specific neighborhood to have a long-term impact through new housing, blight elimination and homeowner assistance,” he said.
Sulc said they reviewed census tracts.
The targeted neighborhood is between Pearl and Fletcher streets and to 25th Street on the south.
“We did some canvassing of the neighborhood last year and decided it was one of several neighborhoods we could have picked,” Sulc said. “The Community Center has already done some work in that area.”
He said Habitat has started some work on Fletcher Street and the desire was to continue the work already started.
“To have lots ready for new housing there is a need for some blight elimination,” Sulc said.
The original application for funding was in the $600,000 range to potentially purchase and demolish blighted properties and then provide them to Habitat for Humanity.
“The D26 classes wanted to have projects in that neighborhood,” Sulc said. “We do have one project planned in that area.”
Habitat is planning to construct a home at 21st and Pearl streets.
Sulc said the number of houses to be constructed will depend on the funding, and the hope is to build three houses.
He said there will be a request from the Anderson Redevelopment Commission and other city departments for additional funding for the construction of new houses.
JobSource was awarded $525,000 for the Anderson Scholar House program that helps single women with children to obtain an educational degree.
The program provides affordable housing for the families in an apartment complex purchased from Anderson University.
The program was started in 2021 based on a successful program in Louisville.
Currently eight of the 12 apartments have been renovated.
“We’re using the funds to eliminate the debt with Anderson University and to set work on the final four apartments,” Doug Eckerty, executive director of JobSource, said. “This helps out. Everything is going fine with the program.”
The city is providing $575,000 to the Anderson Housing Authority for the renovation of the Lincolnshire Apartments at 12th and Lincoln streets.
The plan is to renovate the four-story brick apartment building, built in 1927 on the northeast corner of 12th and Lincoln streets.
It now has 40 studio apartments, but the proposal is to create 21 one-bedroom apartments and nine studio apartments.
Anderson Housing Inc. is financing the project after a private developer was unable to secure the necessary funding.
“Those funds will be used to supplement funding from Anderson Housing Inc,” Sulc said. “Those funds will help make up the shortfall and allow us to start remediation of the building.”
The goal is to have the apartments completed in 2024.
A total of $660,000 was provided for the construction of the Home Court Apartments at the Wigwam.
BWI through its new company Building and Impacting Communities Inc. plans to construct a $12.9 million building on property to the southeast of the historic Wigwam complex.
The project was awarded $1.2 million in tax credits and $750,000 in development funds by the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority over 10 years.
The plan is to construct an L-shaped building with 20 one-bedroom and 24 two-bedroom apartments.
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.