For years, the corner of 22nd and Meridian Streets in Indianapolis has been a dead zone of boarded-up storefronts and tired apartments. Now it is a demolition site. Crews are knocking down a cluster of long-vacant buildings, including what local coverage identified as the former Sandor headquarters, clearing the way for a new affordable-housing complex. Neighbors who have called the block blighted are watching a very different kind of transformation take shape, tied to a broader Indy Health District effort to bring housing, trails and food access to the city’s near-north side.
What’s planned for the site
The project, known as M22, is slated as a roughly $32 million development that will add about 116 affordable and workforce-rate rental units to the Near Northside, according to Indy Health District. Organizers say the plan is to cluster housing with other neighborhood investments, including new trail segments and workforce supports, in an effort to boost health outcomes and economic opportunity in the district. The Near North Development Corporation and the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership are listed as partners helping bring the project to life.
Demolition and site history
Local reporting yesterday showed demolition crews on site tearing out long-empty structures and handling initial site clearance, as reported by WTHR. That coverage also pointed to a history of unsafe-building investigations on the block by the city's Department of Business and Neighborhood Services. One of the demolished buildings was identified as the old Sandor headquarters. Sandor, a long-running retail-property owner founded by Sidney Eskenazi, moved its downtown offices years ago, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Why this matters for health
Backers of the Indy Health District are not shy about linking housing to health. The area covered by the district has a significantly lower average life expectancy than nearby suburbs, a gap local experts attribute to concentrated poverty, housing instability and limited access to services, according to Axios. District leaders say residents consistently named housing as a top priority during community surveys. More affordable units are being framed as one key tool to narrow those disparities, per Indy Health District.
Other nearby projects
The demolition at Meridian is unfolding alongside a smaller, roughly $8 million project at 22nd and Illinois that broke ground last summer and is expected to include about 26 townhomes and duplexes, according to IU Health's coverage of the effort. City officials and nonprofit partners say the two projects are designed to work in tandem, offering both for-sale and rental affordable options within walking distance of transit and neighborhood services.
What’s next
Developers and city officials say environmental remediation and site preparation are in progress, although they have not given the public a firm date for when vertical construction on M22 will begin, a point highlighted in local coverage. Community groups say they plan to keep an eye on permit filings and developer updates. In the meantime, the Indy Health District is set to continue rolling out neighborhood supports, including restarting its rotating "floating" farmers markets this spring, as part of a broader strategy to connect housing, food access and health services, according to Axios.
