The Sunday Post - Dec 7, 2025: Smart Housing, Downtown Gaps, and Holiday Giving in Indy
- Michael-Paul Hart
- 14 minutes ago
- 4 min read
A weekly report from Councilor Michael-Paul Hart — Building the Smartest City in America.
Volume 1, Issue 5
Hammer & Nigel: Indianapolis City Council Updates
I joined Hammer and Nigel this week for a 12-minute conversation that covered a lot of ground: homelessness, downtown building occupancy, public safety, and what it will really take to get Indy growing again.
On air, I talked about what I see every week at the City-County Building and across Marion County: we cannot ignore the rise in downtown vacancies or growing homeless encampments, but we also cannot afford quick, emotional fixes that do not work. If we want to become the smartest city in America, we have to pair empathy with data, and policy with accountability.
The full segment is linked in this section. It is just 12 minutes and worth the watch if you want to hear how I am pushing for smarter solutions, not just louder talking points.
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Full Council Meeting: Honoring 80 Years of MacAllister Machinery
At this week’s full City-County Council meeting, we passed a special resolution honoring MacAllister Machinery for 80 years of service to Indianapolis and to our state. MacAllister Machinery+1
MacAllister is one of those “quiet backbone” companies. For generations they have helped build our roads, our schools, and our neighborhoods. They employ hundreds of people, invest in training, and keep a lot of our construction and public works equipment running.
Recognizing them is not just about a single business. It is about the kind of long-term, locally rooted employers we need if we are serious about building the smartest city in America and keeping Marion County competitive for the next 80 years, not just the next budget cycle.
Meeting with Helix: Smarter Housing and Faith-Based Land
I also sat down with the Helix leadership team this week: Eli, Jake, and Jason. We had a deep, practical conversation about affordable housing and how deals actually get built in Indianapolis.
They walked me through how developers use Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and other tools to make the “capital stack” work. In plain language, that means they have to layer several types of funding together so a project can be built and still provide a reasonable return. Without that stack, a lot of needed housing never gets past the idea stage.
We also dug into one of my ongoing priorities: partnering with churches and other faith communities that already have land but are not using all of it. If we can lower land costs, and match that land with a smart capital stack, we can build more transitional and supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. That is how you turn compassion into real beds, real roofs, and real stability.
I even shared a live opportunity I am working on right now with a pastor who is ready to put his land to work for the community. The challenge is not the will. It is getting the funding and approvals to line up. The land is not in a LIHTC Census Tract (Image above).
If you are part of a church or nonprofit that has underused land and wants to explore housing, reply to this email or reach out through my website. I would love to connect you with the right partners.
Elevate Ventures Open House: Filling the Downtown Gap
To close out the week, I attended the Elevate Ventures open house. This was a stretch for me in
one way. I showed up not knowing many people in the room, but I went because I believe part of leading the county is listening to the investors and founders who are shaping our next economy.
I met members of Elevate’s leadership team and asked a simple question: “What are you worried about for Indy right now?”
Their answer matched what we talked about on Hammer and Nigel. We have high-potential startups that want to be in Indianapolis, but they are too big for small coworking spaces and too small to take on an entire floor in a Salesforce-type tower. At the same time, new reports show that around a quarter of downtown office space is sitting vacant. WTHR+1
That gap matters. If we do not solve it, we lose talent to other cities. If we get it right, we can bring more people downtown, support local restaurants and shops, and grow a tax base that funds better roads, better parks, and better public safety.
We agreed to meet again and keep working on ideas that match high-growth companies with the right-sized space. The goal is simple: make Marion County the easiest place in the Midwest for a founder to grow a company from 5 employees to 50 without leaving Indy.
That is what building the smartest city in America looks like in practice. It is not just about AI or new gadgets. It is about aligning policy, capital, and real estate so that people who want to build here can actually do it.
If you are a founder or small business owner struggling to find the right space in Indy, let me know. Your experience on the ground helps me push for smarter policies at the City-County Council.
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Accountability, Transparency and Local Leadership
See you next week with more updates from the Neighborhood.
