Tag Archives: housing development

Updates under way at Historic Pleasant Street homes

Current News, Noblesville, , ,

Construction crews are about halfway done reviving three HAND-owned houses on Historic Pleasant Street, a $1.4 million development that will create four affordable two-bedroom rental units for working families.

Two of the units will be reserved for residents who earn no more than 60 percent of area median income, or about $58,000 for a family of four. One will be reserved for residents earning up to 50 percent AMI, and one is for residents earning up to 40 percent AMI.

The city of Noblesville donated the vacant houses to HAND in 2022, after the city’s Pleasant Street extension was rerouted to bypass the historic Plum Prairie neighborhood.

HAND’s initial plans called for renovating the homes, but 630 Historic Pleasant (right) will be demolished due to structural damage. That work is scheduled for Jan. 26, and construction of a new home on the site (below middle) will begin soon after.

Meanwhile, renovations continue at 544/546 Historic Pleasant (below left), which will remain a duplex, and at 648 Historic Pleasant (below right), which is being made ADA accessible. The State Historic Preservation Office signed off on the rehabilitation work and the new construction.

HAND’s Plum Prairie development won $880,000 in HOME funding from the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, and Hamilton County awarded the project almost $305,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds.

Additional funding came from Lake City Bank and MIBOR Realtor Foundation’s Economic and Community Development Council.

Construction is expected to be complete by mid-2024.

Brenner Design Architects is the architect for the development. Home Experts Indy is the general contractor.

rendering of remodeled and new homes

Let there be walls!

Current News, Fishers, ,

After years of planning and months of site work, Cumberland Cottages has gone vertical.

HAND Inc.’s first development in Fishers is taking shape at the southwest corner of Cumberland Road and 141st Street, as crews begin framing 11 two-story rental units clustered around a shared courtyard.

Construction is expected to be complete by June 2024.

Six of the two- and three-bedroom homes will be reserved for residents who earn no more than 60 percent of area median income, or about $58,000 for a family of four; their rents will be based on household income and size.

Funders for the $4.6 million project include the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, Citizens State Bank, IMPACT Central Indiana, and the Crosser Family Foundation.

Once the site of a farmhouse, the property had only a garage remaining when HAND acquired it. That was demolished this summer before crews began building interior roads and other site infrastructure.

A June 15 groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of construction nearly two years after IHCDA awarded HAND $2 million for the project.

When work was delayed due rising construction costs, HAND secured a $1.4 million low-interest loan from IMPACT Central Indiana, the impact-investing affiliate of Hamilton County Community Foundation and Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Founded in 2003, HAND is based in Noblesville. It leases a total of 142 rental homes to low- and moderate-income residents in Hamilton, Boone, and Tipton counties.

Citizens State Bank returns as top Trivia Night sponsor

Current News,

HAND’s most popular event is scheduled for Dec. 1 with one big change: the location. This year’s team trivia competition will be held at the Delaware Township Community Center in Fishers.

But HAND Trivia Night will be the same big fun as past years.

Citizens State Bank is back as presenting sponsor (and defending champion), and Ryan from Indy’s Live Trivia will again put your wits to the test with five rounds of general-knowledge questions. There’s also a cash bar and a chance to win fabulous raffle prizes!

Registration is open, but there’s still time to put together your eight-person team. The highest-scoring trivia team will be rewarded, of course, and we have some fun surprises in store for everyone.

Interested in a sponsorship opportunity? Email Andrea Davis today.

Many thanks to our early sponsors:

Construction set to begin in Fishers

HAND staff and board members
Current News, Fishers, ,

Almost two years after being awarded $2 million to build an 11-unit rental community in Fishers, HAND Inc. hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the site June 15 to celebrate the start of construction.

The project had been on hold due rising construction costs, but HAND was able to proceed thanks to a $1.4 million low-interest loan from IMPACT Central Indiana, the impact-investing affiliate of Hamilton County Community Foundation and Central Indiana Community Foundation.

HCCF's Tom Kilian speaks at the Cumberland Cottages groundbreaking ceremony.

HCCF President Tom Kilian Jr. spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, heralding the opportunity the project is creating for working families in Fishers. Inclusive economic growth is one of the foundation’s strategic priorities.

HAND Executive Director Andrea Davis also addressed the crowd, thanking construction and design team members Meyer Najem, David Rausch Studio, and Weihe Engineers for their commitment to the project despite the delays.

Fishers-based Meyer Najem is the general contractor on the $4.6 million project. Rausch, based in Zionsville, is the architect, and Carmel-based Weihe handled civil engineering.

In addition to IMPACT Central Indiana, funders include the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, the Hamilton County Community Development Block Grant program, and the Crosser Family Foundation. Citizens State Bank provided initial project funding.

Six of the 11 units will be reserved for residents earning up to 60 percent of area median income, a population that is funding it increasingly difficult to afford to live in Hamilton County. The remainder will be available at market-rate rents.

Founded in 2003, HAND is based in Noblesville. It leases a total of 142 rental homes to low- and moderate-income residents in Hamilton, Boone, and Tipton counties. Cumberland Cottages will be HAND’s first property in Fishers.

Members of the Cumberland Cottages design and construction team are ready to get started.
From left, County Commissioner Steve Dillinger and State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn joined HAND’s Andrea Davis, Fishers City Councilor Crystal Neumann, County Councilor Sue Maki, and Fishers City Councilor Jocelyn Vare at the groundbreaking ceremony on June 15.
Funding partners Peter Nelson from IHCDA, Tom Kilian from HCCF/Impact Central Indiana, and Aimee Jacobsen from the Noblesville Housing Authority joined the fun.
HAND staff and board members
HAND staffers Kelley Romweber and Rebekah Metzger joined board members Nick Surak, Brittany Heidenreich, ED Andrea Davis, and board members Lauren Guynn, ME Barwacz, and Kert Toler for a photo at the site.

Tipton senior rentals ready for residents

Current News, Tipton, ,

Tipton Mayor Tom Dolezal cut the ribbon at HAND’s newest rental property on May 24, signifying the end of construction at Southwood Villas. Work on the five two-bedroom, one-bath homes began last fall.

Sign: There's no place like home

The development, located on Southwood Drive just east of the Tipton High School football field, made use of five vacant residential lots on a cul-de-sac.

All residents must be 55 or older and earn less than 60 percent of the area median income for Tipton County. South Bend-based Bradley Co. is processing applications; residents should be able to move in this month.

Funding for the $1.6 million project was provided by the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and Lake City Bank.

The project has been in the works since 2019, when IHCDA awarded HAND $2 million to build nine units on the site. The scope of the project was later reduced after neighbors objected and a judge ruled that the planned duplexes could not straddle plat lines.

About 30 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at Southwood Villas.

The development team included Meyer Najem Construction LLC, Weihe Engineers, and Brenner Design Inc.

Many thanks to Chrissy and Rick Ramsey of RC Fine Portraits for the photos below:

The five units at Southwood Villas each have two bedrooms and one bathroom.
The kitchen and living area have vaulted ceilings
Bedrooms have ceiling fans and lots of natural light.
All appliances are included, including a washer and dryer.
All units have a patio in addition to a front porch.