Jacobsville has become a center for revitalization near Downtown Evansville, with the latest project being another housing development.
On May 21, Mayor Stephanie Terry and other city officials cut the ribbon on Baker Flats. Brought to life by Indianapolis-based real estate developers House Investments and Partnership for Affordable Housing, Inc., the new 52-unit apartment complex offers affordable housing for residents 55 and older.
โWe could not be more proud of this project,โ House Investments Principal Matt Gadus says.
Gadus adds that the project would not have been possible without support from the city of Evansville, which, according to Gadus, provided $1.85 million in HOME-ARP funding and a 5-year, 100 percent property tax abatement. Gadus notes 28 of the buildingโs apartments had been leased by the time the ribbon was cut and says the complex will offer services including Meals on Wheels and a foster grandparent program.
The Baker Flats Affordable Housing complex is one of several improvement projects recently completed in the neighborhood, including the installation of a gateway arch across North Main Street near Division Street, a Dollar General neighborhood grocery on the ground floor of the two-year-old Forge on Main apartment campus, a new streetscape along North Main, and the Deaconess Aquatic Center, which opened in Garvin Park in October 2021.
โThis is the look and feel that we need to see all over this city,โ Terry says. โIโm hopeful that our team will be able to reimagine some of these spaces to ensure that theyโre more walkable, that weโve got adequate housing, and that we continue to uplift neighborhoods so that we have a stronger community overall.โ
