Inside INdiana Business is reporting that Downtown Indy Inc. says growth continues, but challenges remain in downtown Indianapolis. Stakeholders, business leaders and community partners came together Thursday for the 2019 State of Downtown event.
According to the report, downtown Indy remains the fasting growing neighborhood in Marion County. The report also indicates downtown’s population should reach 30,000 residents by the end of 2020, nearly doubling since 2010.
Downtown Indy also reports more than 1,500 new jobs were added in 2018 downtown. In its survey of downtown Indianapolis businesses, the organization says 33 percent of downtown employees work in the creative sector across multiple industries, including advertising, design, film, music, and the arts.
The report also suggests downtown continues to be a popular destination. It says residents surveyed visited downtown, with central Indiana visitors coming nearly three times per month. The study also reports there are currently 7,259 downtown hotel rooms with more planned.
The report found that mobility options are evolving to include more lanes for biking, walking and running. Electronic scooters and bike and car sharing services are also growing in popularity. IndyGo’s Red Line will open in summer 2019 with seven Downtown stations, connecting riders from Downtown to Broad Ripple to Fountain Square and University of Indy.
“We are very pleased to report that the state of our Downtown remains strong with outstanding development, which sets the pace for the rest of the city,” said Sherry Seiwert, president of Downtown Indy, Inc. in a news release. “The growth we see throughout Downtown continues to attract talent and set the bar for the rest of the county and region.”
Seiwert and David Downey, chief executive officer of the International Downtown Association, will talk more about the report this weekend on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick. You can see the full report by clicking here.