TIF

Districts.

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Click here to download the Elkhart TIF District map.

Redevelopment

Commission.

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• Aeroplex Economic Development Plan
• Cassopolis Street Economic Development Plan
• Consolidated South Elkhart Redevelopment Plan
• Downtown Redevelopment Plan
• Technology Park Redevelopment Plan

• Downtown – February 25, 1986
• Southwest Industrial – November 14, 2000
• Aeroplex – November 12, 2002
• Cassopolis – January 10, 2006
• Consolidated South Elkhart – November 12, 2013

• • • Kacey Jackson, Assistant Director for Community and Redevelopment  574-294-5471 X1062,   kacey.jackson@coei.org
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Housing

Program.

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Community Development Block Grant

City of Elkhart Community Development Block Grant

2021 Annual Action Plan Public Participation Summary

The City of Elkhart is a CDBG entitlement community, but not a recipient of HOME or HOPWA from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. The City works with elected officials, appointed committee members, local agencies, neighborhood associations, concerned residents, community leaders, local businesses and other interested parties to develop activities designed to improve the lives of low- and moderate-income residents and increase the safety and attractiveness of the City’s Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area. Through extensive public participation including public meetings and discussions with agencies serving the needs of low- and moderate-income clients during the development of the 2015-2020 Consolidated Plan, the City of Elkhart has identified several unmet needs in the community. From these needs, it was determined that most could fit within one of the following five areas:

• Housing Needs Strategy – which focuses on meeting the needs of area residents for safe, sanitary, and affordable housing.
• Homeless Needs – which provides assistance to agencies for meeting the needs of Elkhart’s Homeless populations.
• Special Needs Population Strategy – which provides assistance to agencies for meeting the needs of Elkhart’s Special Needs populations.
• Economic Development Strategy – which focuses on improving the earning potential of low and moderate income residents.
• Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy – which focuses on improving the safety and livability of the City’s central neighborhoods referred to as the Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA).

All City meetings for the 2021 Annual Action Plan, with the exception of the Homeless Coalition, will be virtual and broadcast from the Municipal Building (City Hall), 229 S. Second Street, Elkhart, IN 46516.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2021 Annual Action Plan (AAP) will be available from March 30-April 30, 2021. Click here for the Annual Action Plan

For more information contact Laura Miller at

(574) 294-5471 Ex 1022 or email laura.miller@coei.org

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Contractor

Information.

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The City of Elkhart has home renovation programs funded by Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)  is in need of qualified, professional and detail oriented contractors to perform a variety of housing rehabilitation projects.  They include owner-occupied as well as vacant homes.  To bid on any of the work, a contractor and all of their subcontractors must be on the approved contractor’s list.

To be placed on this list you must complete the contractor’s application and submit all required information.  Once a contractor is approved to participate in this program, they will receive email invitations to submit bids for projects involving their trade.  Project details will be included in the email invitations and are only available through this process.  Bids from contractors that have not been approved and registered with the Community and Redevelopment Department will not be accepted.

The City of Elkhart Community and Redevelopment staff looks forward to working with you to provide safe, sanitary, and attractive affordable housing in our community.

Elkhart

Housing Strategy.

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The Elkhart Housing Strategy, completed by enFocus in partnership with the City of Elkhart Redevelopment Commission, is now available! The Executive Summary/Implementation Plan and the full document can be accessed at the following link:

Executive Summary and Implementation Plan
Elkhart Housing Strategy (Full Document)

The appendices from the full document can be accessed individually at the following links. Appendices A and B include the financial background for the various development pro formas. Appendix C contains a catalog of financial and other tools necessary to implement the housing strategy:

Appendix A: Pro Forma Methodology
Appendix B: Development Pro Formas
Appendix C: Tools

As part of their contract, enFocus was also responsible for creating a neighborhood marketing and engagement campaign, with elements that could be selected on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis. These appendices can be accessed at the links below:

Appendix D: Sample Resident Survey
Appendix E: Focus Group Script
Appendix F: Focus Group Facilitator’s Guide
Appendix G: Setting up a Neighborhood Page
Appendix H: Sample Marketing Materials

Appendix I includes a summary of findings from Wabash College Democracy and Public Discourse. Wabash College assisted with the housing public meeting, held in March 2019, in the State & Division Neighborhood. Appendix J includes data assumptions for the housing unit projections.

Appendix I: Summary of Wabash College’s Findings
Appendix J: Data Assumptions for Housing Units

Background

In the fall of 2017, the Elkhart Redevelopment Commission retained Zimmerman/Volk Associates to prepare an Analysis of Residential Market Potential for Downtown Elkhart. The study found that, over a 5-year timeframe, Downtown Elkhart alone could support 680 to 880 rental and for-sale housing units. The study further concluded that the City of Elkhart had the potential to attract 4,980 households annually over the next five years.

To address Elkhart’s housing need, the Redevelopment Commission retained enFocus, a nonprofit consulting firm, in the fall of 2018 to develop an infill housing strategy for the City of Elkhart. This yearlong project included best practice research, assessment of a pilot neighborhood, development of a marketing and engagement strategy, and the design of an implementation strategy.

From this strategy, 53 tools have been identified to bridge the development and affordability gaps for housing development. The final report also includes recommended policy changes, as well as education and outreach initiatives to support the overall strategy.

Other enFocus Reports for the Elkhart Housing Strategy
In addition to the final report, enFocus also provided an assessment of the State & Division Neighborhood, as well as a report on best practice strategies for encouraging housing development. These documents can be accessed at the following links:

Assessment of the State & Division Neighborhood
Elkhart Housing Strategy: Phase I Report

Partnerships are critical in the implementation of the City’s housing strategy. This strategy cannot be implemented without the support from the development community, as well as nonprofit partners, private businesses, and other community stakeholders. Stay tuned for the next steps.