Mayor Joe Hogsett unveiled a strategic initiative aimed at relocating over 300 city employees back to Downtown Indianapolis.
This move is part of a broader effort to centralize government services within the City-County Building (CCB), resulting in increased accessibility to these services and anticipated annual savings of approximately $450,000 starting in 2024.
Importantly, this initiative aligns with Hogsett’s Downtown Resiliency Strategy and is expected to invigorate the city’s central business district.
“This announcement underscores our commitment to both fiscal responsibility and a thriving downtown. We take pride in setting an example by maintaining a robust downtown workforce while simultaneously enhancing the accessibility of local government services,” said Hogsett.
Presently, numerous City-County employees operate from various satellite locations scattered across Marion County, often in taxpayer-leased private spaces.
Under Hogsett’s proposal, these employees will relocate to the recently vacated space within the City-County Building, which became available due to the opening of the Community Justice Campus.
The initial phase of this relocation will involve around 300 positions moving to the City-County Building.
This phase encompasses departments such as the Engineering Division of the Department of Public Works, the Planning Division of Indy Parks, and the entirety of the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services.
The second phase will include the transfer of Marion County Community Corrections from its current location at the former Jail I site. This move will enable the demolition and redevelopment of this significant Downtown real estate.
The Madison Avenue personnel are scheduled to relocate by the end of 2023, while Community Corrections will make the move by the end of 2024.
In the third phase of this initiative, the IMPD Downtown District will also be relocated to the City-County Building, co-locating with IMPD administration staff within the East Wing of the building.
The Downtown District is presently housed in the historic Union Station, and the Department of Metropolitan Development will explore innovative redevelopment opportunities for this unique space.
Hogsett’s consolidation plan will result in one of the most densely populated blocks of professional workers in the Mile Square, contributing to the growth of retail and entertainment offerings in the Market East District.
This consolidation will coincide with a comprehensive redevelopment of the City Market Campus, which will include the creation of the state’s most densely populated residential block.
Upon the completion of Phase III, residents will have the convenience of meeting with multiple agencies in a centralized, first-floor over-the-counter service center.
