Three vacant sites on the east side will become a testing ground for Indy’s plan to spur housing development.
The city’s Department of Metropolitan Development wants to get a better understanding of the entire housing system in Indianapolis. That means talking to everyone from the demand side (think renters and buyers) to the supply side (developers and lenders).
“This is not another study or another plan that sits on a shelf,” Megan Vukusich, the department’s director, said during a budget hearing in August.
First up: meeting with developers and others involved in creating housing. The goal of those meetings, led by Fort Wayne-based consulting firm Club 720, is to figure out what opportunities and challenges exist on the supply side.
There will also be an in-depth survey for residents. The survey, which hasn’t launched yet, will include questions about what you can afford, how many bedrooms you want and how soon you’re looking to move or buy a house.
Jennifer Fults, a deputy director with the department, said feedback from renters and buyers has been a “missing piece” in housing development.
Getting that information, Fults said, should give developers more confidence that people will actually want the housing they build.
The department will start by focusing on three city-owned sites totaling about 46 acres: Black Mountain, Oaktree Apartments and the former Indiana Women’s Prison.
There isn’t an exact timeline yet for when development could begin. Each of the three sites are in different stages, with the former women’s prison coming under city ownership most recently in 2024.
But Fults said it’s realistic that some construction could start in 2027.
The 3 sites
Black Mountain
Black Mountain is a 12-acre site near Washington Street and Sherman Drive. The site used to be a brownfield (meaning the land was contaminated) but was cleaned up last year to make it safe for redevelopment.
A community vision plan from 2022 laid out different options for redevelopment, including multi-family housing, green space and industrial space.
Black Mountain is along IndyGo’s Blue Line, which is expected to open in 2028.
Oaktree Apartments
Oaktree Apartments is a 19-acre site at 42nd Street and Post Road. The city demolished a vacant 300-unit apartment complex in 2019.
A revitalization plan from 2021 called the site a “blank canvas.” Around 40% of surveyed residents said townhomes were their most preferred type of housing.
The site is along IndyGo’s Purple Line, which opened in 2024.
Women’s Prison
The former Indiana Women’s Prison is a 15-acre site near Michigan and State streets. The state transferred the site to the city in 2024.
A 2025 report from the Urban Land Institute said the site has potential for both housing and small-scale retail.
The Department of Metropolitan Development said in its request for ideas of what to do with the land it’s looking for mixed-use development, which could combine residential, retail and other uses.
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Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
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