Elkhart mayor talks investments, strategy to attract talent
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe city of Elkhart is part of a growing region in northern Indiana, and local leaders and companies are investing.
Mayor Rod Roberson says companies not only look for places where there’s an employment base, but also where there’s a strong quality of life for people in the area.
“It’s almost like an experiential sort of relationship. You want people to experience your city,” Roberson said in an interview with Inside INdiana Business reporter Mary-Rachel Redman. “Elkhart is the anchor for Elkhart County. We realize that we are strong economically, but we want to make sure that our city appeals to people in a way that also represents that.”
The city launched ASPIRE Elkhart in January. It’s a series of investments in neighborhoods, infrastructure and quality of place projects.
“ASPIRE is a plan that that literally means that Elkhart’s future begins today,” Roberson said.
Roberson says the city is working on different development opportunities at Central Green Park with the hopes of building an outdoor amphitheater. Nearby, The Lerner Theatre is celebrating its 100th birthday this year after a $17 million remodel in 2011.
“Since we reopened the Lerner as a musical attraction theater, our population [decline] actually reversed. We were down 2% from 2000 to 2010 [and] we’re up 4% from 2010 to 2020,” Roberson said. “In order to expand on that, an amphitheater is absolutely the opportunity to grow our ability to bring in A-level talent for the entire Elkhart County area and the Michiana area, and to be able to make sure that people have those experiential experiences that work well inside of our city.”
Earlier this year, the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership received a 2024 Excellence in Economic Development Silver Award from the International Economic Development Council for its work with talent attraction and retention.
READ MORE: Collaboration, diversified industry and talent key to regional growth, leaders say
As new people move to the area, there’s a need for those employees and families to find housing. South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership President and CEO Bethany Hartley says hundreds of units are being developed in Elkhart and across the Partnership’s five county region.
“We’re actually on the back end of doing a regional housing study that will tell us exactly what our gap is over the next 10 years. I can tell you it’s significant—in the tens of thousands,” Hartley said. “That also coincides with child care. Our region serves about 36% of the need for childcare, especially in 0-5 year olds. It’s very challenging.”
Last month, the regional partnership submitted a request for READI 2.0 funding to revitalize Elkhart’s Benham neighborhood. City officials, the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture unveiled a neighborhood plan this summer that focuses on regeneration, restoration and reconnection of the neighborhood.
“[Those groups looked at] designing a Benham neighborhood that is accessible [and] inclusive [with] homes that people can be proud to own and really looking at how do we reshape a community that has been underfunded and underserved,” Hartley said.
The READI 2.0 project will focus on building all types of new affordable housing stock, revitalizing aging commercial hubs, and thoughtfully enhancing public spaces.
READ MORE: Optimism for future of Elkhart’s Benham Avenue
Roberson says the city will need more housing and developers are looking at building more apartments and condos.
“Elkhart is really starting to punch above its weight in quality of place. We’ve always punched above our weight in manufacturing, and now being able to sync those two and bring a sense of livability to Elkhart that it hasn’t enjoyed before,” he said.