Dozens of Martindale Brightwood residents gathered at Frederick Douglass Park Thursday, Nov. 13, to hear updates on the neighborhood’s quality of life plan.
The neighborhood’s quality of life plan was certified by the city this year. The five-year plan focuses on 10 areas:
- Arts and culture
- Education
- Economic development
- Environmental justice
- Youth engagement
- Neighborhood engagement
- Health and wellness
- Public safety
- Workforce development
- Housing and infrastructure
The goal of the town hall was to provide residents with an update on the plan and encourage them to get involved with the neighborhood’s efforts.
“This plan is designed to be resident-led,” said Cierra Johnson, vice president of neighborhood group One Voice Martindale Brightwood. “We don’t want to put a plan onto people. We want them to inform the plan. So we definitely want to have people who really live here and really work here be engaged and involved every step of the way.”
Residents can sign up to assist with efforts at this link.
Many residents attended the town hall in hopes of hearing updates about a proposed data center that has received vocal opposition from community members. Several residents left the town hall early after learning the data center wouldn’t be addressed until the end of the meeting.
The Nov. 13 meeting focused on education, economic development, workforce development, youth engagement and health and wellness.
Education
Jamie Scott Massie, the senior director of community family initiatives at Edna Martin Christian Center, shared updates on the education pillar of the quality of life plan.
“Our role is to make sure we’re serving kids and families where they are,” Scott Massie said.
One goal within the education pillar is to ensure children five years and under have access to early childhood development and education opportunities.
Scott Massie said one way leaders hope to meet that goal is to increase the number of families participating in home visitation programs, where a parent educator or health care worker visits a home and helps parents assess developmental milestones.
She said more than 120 children in the neighborhood have received home visitation services this year.
Additionally, eight local family home childcare providers have partnered with Edna Martin Christian Center to provide 30 scholarships for children to attend one of the care centers for up to one year. And 12 childcare providers have participated in a monthly program where they have reviewed additional resources for curriculum, certification courses and classroom supplies.
Economic Development
DeAnna Woodruff, the chief operating officer of the Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corporation (CDC), discussed efforts to bring businesses back to Martindale Brightwood.
“Economic development is crucial to the long-term sustainability and growth of any community,” Woodruff said.
Woodruff highlighted three initiatives. The Savvy Entrepreneurship Program helps businesses plan, strategize and learn about funding access.
The Microenterprise Program helps startups learn about running a company and the basic legal knowledge needed to operate a business.
And Martindale Brightwood CDC surveyed small businesses to collect data from local businesses and learn what owners needed from the community.
Workforce Development
The captain for the workforce development program is Brittany Keno, the senior director of community workforce initiatives at Edna Martin Christian Center.
Keno said several community organizations offer workforce training programs in Martindale Brightwood. Some of the programs Keno mentioned include certified nursing assistant classes, manufacturing training and OSHA 10 certification. She said the neighborhood’s goal is to strengthen those programs and provide additional programs community members want.
“We know when you are skilled and trained and you have access to education, you are more likely to score or land a job with a higher wage,” Keno said. “That is how our communities continue to grow, when our earning power increases.”
Youth Engagement
Kyla Jefferson, the program operations manager at Felege Hiywot Center, provided an update on the youth engagement pillar of the quality of life plan. Two of the center’s youth members joined Jefferson to share the accomplishments young people have made this year.
Those include a short film about mental health created by neighborhood youth, a partnership with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful for a spring clean up and a podcast hosted by youth.
Jefferson said it is important to help young people discover their passions through real world experiences.
“Along with giving them access to these opportunities comes listening to their voices and uplifting them and creating spaces for them to express their opinions,” Jefferson said.
Health and Wellness
When creating the quality of life plan, community leaders found that Martindale Brightwood residents have a lower life expectancy, higher rates of infant mortality and higher rates of chronic and infectious disease compared to other neighborhoods in Marion County.
A representative from HealthNet, a Federally Qualified Health Center in the neighborhood, shared how the organization is assisting with health and wellness.
FQHCs serve medically underserved areas that often face barriers to health care like income, transportation and health literacy.
HealthNet offers comprehensive care medical and behavioral health care and a pharmacy with free medication delivery.
Updates on the data center
At the end of the town hall, Johnson, from One Voice Martindale Brightwood, shared a statement on behalf of Protect Martindale Brightwood, the community-led group created to oppose a proposed data center.
Los Angeles-based developer Metrobloks filed a rezoning petition on Oct. 16 to create a data center at the site of the former Sherman Drive-in Theater in Martindale Brightwood.
Residents have been vocally opposed to the proposed data center, with many saying the center will not provide benefits to the community.
“For generations, Martindale Brightwood has endured the legacy of industrial contamination from lead and brown fields to disinvestment and neglect our residents have worked hard to clean up, to heal and to build a better future for our children. This proposal threatens to undo that progress,” Johnson said.
Residents were encouraged to complete a survey to share what type of development they hope to see at the site.
A correction was made on Nov. 17, 2025: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled Los Angeles.
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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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