A developer who owns nearly an entire block in the Stringtown neighborhood is withdrawing a request to demolish 10 vacant homes.
And it appears the developer, Indianapolis-based Brougher Developments LLC, is close to selling the properties to an unknown buyer.
Brougher owns around 30 properties on Saulcy and Astor streets. The company was asking for permission from the city to tear down the homes. A city planner recommended denying the request, and a public hearing on the plan had been delayed five times.
One neighborhood group, Stringtown Now, considers Brougher’s withdrawal a win. The group saw Brougher’s plans as part of a larger trend in Stringtown that would benefit real estate investors more than the people living there.
“I do feel a little bit of relief,” said Jessy Baum, who helped launch Stringtown Now.
The caveat, Baum said, is that a potential sale of the properties creates more questions.
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On the commercial real estate website Crexi, a listing for the properties says they’re under contract — meaning there could be an accepted offer, but the sale isn’t final. As of Friday, Nov. 21, county records show Brougher as the owner.
Sam Brougher, the company’s president, could not be reached for comment.
Brougher did have some support in the neighborhood for the project.
Frank Staples, president of the Stringtown Neighborhood Association, wanted the homes demolished. He told Mirror Indy in October that the homes were beyond saving and had become a health hazard.
Staples did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
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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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