Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission Meeting – October 21, 2026

The Metropolitan Development Commission of Indianapolis-Marion County met on 2026-10-21 (October 21, 2026); the agenda noticed the meeting for 1:00 PM in the Public Assembly Room, City-County Building, 200 E. Washington Street. The Commission adopted prior meeting minutes, approved routine administrative items, granted multiple continuances, and held a contested public hearing on a Regional Center design approval for the 'Union at Astor' multifamily project. All recorded votes were 6-0.

Consent Calendar

• Adopted the October 7, 2026 meeting minutes by a 6-0 vote.
• Approved six policy resolutions en bloc by a 6-0 vote:
  • 2026-R-033: as-needed outside legal services contract with Ricks Legal Services LLC, not to exceed $30,000.
  • 2026-R-036: amendment with Raven Commercial Group LLC for Union Station Grand Hall repairs; the agenda lists an increased not-to-exceed amount of $585,000, while the clerk's reading in the transcript appears to say $185,000.
  • 2026-R-037: amendment with Allied Logistical Services Inc. for property preservation, adding $40,000 for a total not to exceed $1,615,000.
  • 2026-R-038: demolition contract with Ray's Demolition LLC, not to exceed $127,200.
  • 2026-R-039: Vacant to Vibrant property conveyance authorization.
  • 2026-A-048: preliminary Economic Revitalization Area for M22 Housing, LP at 2204 North Meridian Street; the agenda states ten-year real property tax abatement, while the clerk's reading in the transcript states personal property tax abatement.
• Approved all 11 petitions of no appeal recommended for approval en bloc by a 6-0 vote: 2026-APP-017, 2026-APP-018, 2026-ZON-072, 2026-ZON-078, 2026-CZN-846, 2026-CZN-851, 2026-CAP-852, 2026-ZON-056, 2026-ZON-082, 2026-ZON-089, and 2026-REG-044.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jesse Baum, representing the registered neighborhood organization Stringtown Now, opposed 2026-REG-006. She testified that the Annex Group has been named among the top 40 evictors of Central Indiana for two years, that Indianapolis has 14 evictions for every 100 units, and that the developer's eviction record undermines its affordable housing mission. She stated the project would remove five heritage trees and roughly 90 percent of the block's green space, and she cited data she said showed Stringtown has a 40 percent lung cancer rate, 28 percent higher COPD rate, and 9 percent higher lung cancer death rate than anywhere else in Marion County. She also asserted the existing homes had been deliberately blighted and some destroyed by arson, that no promised traffic study had been done, and that the building's scale, window patterns, and materials were out of keeping with the 150-year-old neighborhood. She asked that feral cats be captured before demolition. During questioning, she acknowledged her testimony extended beyond design issues.
• In rebuttal, Ms. Baum raised additional concerns about spillover parking and traffic, said many Stringtown residents at 30 percent AMI own cars, argued the affordable rents would still be higher than many current Stringtown rents, and described the proposal as a wall of apartment buildings separating the neighborhood from downtown.

Discussion Items

• Continuances granted:
  • 2026-P-008 (Marion County Land Use Plan amendment) continued to December 16, 2026, at staff request for more review time; vote 6-0.
  • 2026-HP-002 (Former St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church Preservation Plan) continued to November 18, 2026, at the request of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission and with both parties' agreement; vote 6-0.
  • 2026-A-016 and 2026-A-017 (Metrobloks, LLC final ERA resolutions) each continued to November 18, 2026, because IEDI reported development terms were still being finalized; each vote 6-0.
  • 2026-ZON-060 (1305 Broad Ripple Avenue mixed-use rezoning) continued to December 16, 2026, after staff sought more time to review amended documents and the petitioner agreed; vote 6-0.
  • 2026-CZN-841 / 2026-CVR-841 (5935 West 56th Street companion petitions) continued to November 18, 2026, because staff discovered a legal notice mailing deficiency that prevented the petition from being heard under state statute; the petitioner agreed; vote 6-0.
• 2026-REG-006 regional center hearing: Petitioner Misha Rabinowitch, representing Brougher Developments LLC / the Annex Group, requested Regional Center approval for demolition and construction of approximately 241 multifamily units, an integrated 258-space parking garage, and resident amenities at 219 Koehne Street and nearby parcels in Stringtown. He emphasized that the property was already zoned D-8 and that height, building type, and open space variances had been approved in May 2026, so the hearing concerned only design guideline compliance. He described design revisions made after the Regional Center Hearing Examiner's concerns, including gabled roofs on the three-story western portion, lighter colors, balconies, and more brick, and he offered a commitment to submit final site plan, elevations, landscape plan, and lighting plan for staff approval before permits.
• Staff and commissioner discussion: Planning staff's Jeff York recommended approval, noting the site's history, the withdrawal of an earlier demolition-only request, the design improvements after meetings with remonstrators, and the fully wrapped parking garage. He said not every urban structure guideline had to be satisfied and that the project would add needed density. Commissioner Hergett said the proposal should be viewed in the context of Indiana's push for more housing and the demonstrated need for units affordable at lower AMI levels. President Dillon clarified that this was solely a design approval, not a zoning or variance matter. Commissioner Murphy explained that low-income housing tax credits are sold to reduce borrowing costs and enable lower rents, not to generate direct developer profit.

Key Outcomes

• Approved 2026-REG-006 by a 6-0 vote, subject to staff approval of final site plan, building elevations, landscape plan, and lighting plan before issuance of permits.
• Approved all policy resolutions and all 11 no-appeal petitions en bloc by 6-0 votes.
• Granted multiple continuances: 2026-P-008 and 2026-ZON-060 to December 16, 2026; 2026-HP-002, 2026-A-016, 2026-A-017, and 2026-CZN-841 / 2026-CVR-841 to November 18, 2026.