A phone call to community organizations and leaders is a good way to start. Upon contacting the appropriate neighborhood and community organizations, offer to make a non-technical presentation at a regular board or membership meeting to illustrate the gateway project. Be sure to address traffic patterns, available greenspace, property values, neighborhood character, and so forth.
 

• Identify the potential sites and development opportunities in a community
• Identify the area’s needs and demands – immediate market research
• Garner the critical neighborhood buy-in for the project
• Interface with government agencies and build public/private partnerships
• Attract financing, investment and public subsidy
• Marketing the project
• Gain media attention and recognition
• Deal with neighboring “problem properties”
• Acquire land, in some cases with much lower costs and in a short time frame
• Remediate brownfield and contamination issues

See the FOCUS Initiative link at the website, www.focusindy.com for more information on how to establish joint ventures with CDOs and CDCs. Active Community Development Corporations in Indianapolis include:
 

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is a non-profit financial intermediary that supports local non-profit neighborhood redevelopment programs and projects. LISC provides “seed” money or funding for hard to finance pre-development activities such as environmental studies/analyses, architectural fees, market analyses, land options, and technical services. Funding is generally provided in the form of loans or recoverable grants that can subsequently be recycled for other projects. LISC also provides bridge loans to expedite project implementation, loan guarantees to induce banks to lend to certain projects, construction loans, and working capital Lines of Credit for organizations with assets of $1 million or more. The Indianapolis affiliate of LISC can be found at http://www.liscnet.org/indianapolis or call (317) 396-0588.

Township Administrators (City of Indianapolis, DMD) are staff assigned to each township within Marion County. They act as a key information resource for Indianapolis. Township Administrators work closely with neighborhood organizations and the business community. They also assist in locating vacant properties and buildings, and provide zoning ordinances, rezoning, permit, and variance information. Call (317) 327-5014 or see http://www.indygov.org/dmd.

The Marion County Association of Neighborhood Associations (McANA) is an umbrella organization that serves neighborhood organizations throughout Indianapolis and Marion County. Founded in 1990, McANA voices the concerns and aspirations of residents in how Indianapolis grows and how it is governed. More information about McANA can be obtained at their website, http://www.mcanaindy.org/.

The Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center (INRC) is a private, non-profit umbrella organization established to provide information and assistance to neighborhoods. INRC works directly with community-based organizations throughout Marion County, including neighborhood associations, homeowners associations, community development corporations, churches, and other non-profit groups. Call (317) 920-0330 or see http://www.inrc.org.
 

1. City of Indianapolis: The following information is available from the City of Indianapolis website, http://www.indygov.org:
   • Maps (including streets, railroads, rivers, zip code boundaries, wellfield protection areas, township boundaries, and recent aerial photography): Visit the website at: http://imaps.indygov.org/prod/GeneralViewer/
   • Planning Information (including Census, building permit data, community profiles, adopted land use plans, community organizations, and zoning ordinances): Contact the Division of Planning at 327-5155 or visit the website at: http://www.indygov.org/dmdplan.
   • Permit Information (including permit research, permit application demo, permit submittal on line, special events, permit forms, code compliance, land use petition research, contractor licensing information, and infrastructure legal documents): Contact the Division of Compliance at 327-8700 or visit the website at: http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DMD/Compliance/Permits/.
   • Rezonings, Variances, Special Exceptions, Approvals, Administrative Appeals, Plat Approvals, and Street, Alley, and Plat Vacation Information: Contact current planning at 327-5155 or visit the website at: http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DMD/Planning/Zoning/
2. Social Assets and Vulnerability Indicators: The United Way and The Polis Center have developed a database of information from sources such as the U.S. Census, the Indianapolis Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, the Family and Social Services Administration, and the Marion County Health Department. Information in this database can be displayed on a Marion County map. This database includes information about the people that live in Marion County and their social condition. For more information, contact the Community Service Council at 923-1466 or POLIS at 274-2455 or visit the website at http://www.savi.org.