Indianapolis – Mayor Bart Peterson, alongside Near Eastside community leaders and neighbors, announced approximately $10 million in infrastructure improvements as part of the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative (GINI).

These investments align with the priorities identified by residents on the near eastside.

Approximately $5 million in new sidewalks, curbs and street resurfacing will be completed in three phases, beginning as soon as this July. As part of the GINI, a redevelopment area and special financing district was created on the city's near-eastside. This special financing district, which is partially funding the infrastructure work, captures money from increased tax revenue being generated by redevelopment and improvements.

"This investment in sidewalks, curbs, streets and sewers comes straight from the vision the neighborhood has for itself," Mayor Peterson said. "If neighbors, businesses and other community members are willing to work together to create a comprehensive quality of life plan, the city will do all within its power to make the neighborhood's vision a reality."

Mayor Peterson also announced $5 million in sewer upgrades, focusing on stormwater drainage problems in the area as well as alleviating sewer surcharging. This project is funded by stormwater utility fees and sanitary revenue.

Along with the infrastructure investment, community leaders who have been working tirelessly to create a powerful community partnership highlighted many other projects that will be occurring because of the neighborhood initiative.

GINI is a partnership between the City of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center (INRC), and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). It is a 3-year program that promotes comprehensive community development to strengthen and improve the quality of life in local neighborhoods.

"GINI holds the promise of creating a more vibrant and healthy community for all of our neighbors," said James Taylor, Director of the John H. Boner Center, the convening organization for the GINI process on the near-eastside.

Through a GINI early action grant, the community has been able to hire a Latino Engagement Coordinator, to help with outreach to Latino neighbors. Also, a 20-member team of the Near Eastside Collaborative Task Force – the steering body for the GINI process on the near-eastside – has been conducting interviews with near-eastside residents to engage them in the planning process. All of these activities are leading up to the June 16thkick-off of the quality of life plan for the neighborhood, where neighbors will be asked to work together to prioritize community needs and create a road map for reaching those goals.

About Great Indy Neighborhoods

Great Indy Neighborhoods is a renewed approach to community development activities across the city that promotes neighborhood-driven improvements.

Great Indy Neighborhoods is a set of initiatives established to support Indianapolis neighborhoods. The goals of these initiatives are to encourage neighbors to work together across traditional boundaries to:

• Organize and get involved in their neighborhood;
• Decide collectively on the priorities for their neighborhood; and
• Act on those priorities to implement change in their neighborhood.