For years, Devington Plaza has been an eyesore on the northeast side. After Kroger left in 2018, other stores followed leaving the once bustling shopping center mostly vacant.
A lack of upkeep from the property owner led to the building deteriorating and illegal dumping in the parking lot, leading residents to report dozens of violations with the city. The site has also attracted crime and vandalism.
“Every time it rains, the neighbors complain about the mold that they smell exuding from the building,” said Stephanie Marshall, president of the nearby Brendon Park Civic Association.
Neighbors hope that after the violations are dealt with, redevelopment can happen and Devington Plaza can once again become an asset to the community. And while change may look slow, neighborhood leaders want residents to know that there is a process in progress.
While New York-based Skysoar was interested in building apartments on the property in 2024, the plan was met with criticism from residents who said the plans did not meet community desires. Skysoar eventually withdrew the proposal in February 2025.
But the Devington Redevelopment Task Force was created in response to the development proposal. Made up of community leaders and residents, the goal of the task force is to ensure future development meets the neighborhood’s wants. Instead of apartments, residents would rather see more community and wellness spaces, dining and housing for the area’s aging community.
More importantly, residents want to be involved in the process, said Marshall, who also serves as chair of the Devington Redevelopment Task Force.
“One thing I’m so proud about this community is we have not let up on our mission and our focus to keep propping up Devington Plaza and our desire for how we can transform that property,” Marshall said.
A long, but strategic approach
Marshall said that many people don’t understand the nuances of development.
“Often a resident is like, ‘why isn’t this happening fast enough?’” she said. “We said we wanted change. We told you what we wanted. ‘Where’s the destruction and then the resurrection of the new thing,’ right?”
Marshall said the process can take years. If another developer wants to purchase a property, the current owner needs to be willing to sell it. And then there could be rezoning requests, possible demolition and then construction.
To keep progress on the site moving forward, the task force has been reporting property violations through the city’s Request Indy service. Marshall said over the past year, the task force has submitted close to 60 Request Indy tickets for violations such as illegally parked trucks, trash and the condition of the property’s building.
She said some progress has been made. There is less trash and the trucks are no longer parking on the property.
“We are able to garner attention and keep a recorded response on not only the requests, but we’re attaching pictures,” Marshall said. “We’re communicating with our councilmen and everybody else so they can understand this is a continuous problem.”
But many violations remain. When a violation happens and it isn’t fixed, the property owner is fined. The continuous violations at Devington Plaza have now gotten to the point where the city has taken the property owner to court. Now, each violation comes with a fine and legal fees.
“It is a very strategic, long, way of getting closer to where we ultimately want to be,” Marshall said. “And step one is, how do we get rid of the blight?”
Marshall said the task force’s next steps are to make sure the property receives the appropriate inspections and explore whether there can be additional action through other agencies.
Various city departments are involved when it comes to violations on vacant properties. There’s the fire department for fire hazards and the police department for anything crime related. When it comes to violations for the building, the Marion County Public Health Department handles interior problems while the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services deals with exterior violations for vacant buildings.
The property has potential
Amy England and her family moved into the Brendonshire neighborhood in 2019. She said a few shops were still holding on back then, but the property wasn’t in the greatest condition.
“We were hoping that it was something that was in transition, kind of like a lot of the houses around here, where the older generation is passing away and new people are moving in,” England said.
But she said that hasn’t been the case. And she said the condition of the property is hurting the neighborhood. She said the neighborhood needs more spaces for the community to gather and a grocery store.
Brendon Park resident Carla James said even when she moved to the area in 2006, she could tell the Devington Plaza property wasn’t living up to its potential. And it only got worse.
“It floods regularly,” she said. “Sometimes ducks and geese think it’s a pond, but I see its potential too.”
She hopes the space can serve as an anchor to the community again. She envisions restaurants and some sort of green space. She’s gotten involved with the task force and tries to stay up to date with the legal proceedings of the property.
James wants her neighbors to know that although it looks like progress is going slow, speed should not be a priority for redevelopment projects such as Devington Plaza.
“It took years for it to get to the state it’s in,” James said. “It’s going to take years to find the right development partner and the right project.”
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Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian or on Bluesky @darianbenson.bsky.social.
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