Evansville's Forge on Main searching for urban-style grocery store to join apartments

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Within the next few months, 180 new housing units will open off North Main Street, boosting the city's Jacobsville neighborhood.

Forge on Main is a four-building development, and its first apartments are expected to be ready for rent by late November. The entire project is set for early 2022 completion.

In addition to the housing, the development includes 17,000 square feet of glassy storefronts facing the sidewalk along North Main. Officials are hopeful an urban-style grocery market will locate there, sometime after the apartments are occupied.

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Jacobsville remains a food desert more than four years after large IGA store's closing and demolition. The closest grocery stores are at least a mile away, a barrier for a neighborhood where not all residents have vehicles.

Recruiting a grocery store, however, has thus far been a "tough task," said Matt Gadus, a principal with Forge on Main developer House Investments.

The city two years ago hired a consultant to pursue a grocery concept for the neighborhood. House Investments has since worked with another consultant.

"We’re going to continue to work on that, and for that reason we have not actively marketed the rest of the commercial space because we don’t want to fill it with a non-grocer … we are being patient," Gadus said.

The bottom line, Gadus said, is that grocers want more households in the area before committing. He stressed the developer is being "selective," only recruiting grocery concepts that would offer fresh produce, meats and dairy.

"Obviously we are bringing 180 units online here, and there are other exciting new projects going on Downtown and in Jacobsville which will also bring new households," Gadus said.

Forge on Main's housing will include studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, with average monthly rents of $750, $950 and $1,200, respectively. Only one of the development's four buildings — the one facing North Main — has an elevator.

Ten percent of the 180 units will be open to renters making up to 60% of the area median income, with all remaining units available to those making up to 120% of the area median income.

Evansville's area median income is number is $53,300 for an individual and $76,100 for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Gadus said these are the figures used to determine income eligibilit

The $28 million Forge on Main development has financing from the City of Evansville, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation and other sources. Gadus said a manager of the property has been hired, and more information is available at Forgeonmain.com.

Empire Contractors of Evansville is building the project.

Jacobsville is a neighborhood of high poverty, although it's also home to Berry Global, Deaconess Midtown Hospital and a CenterPoint Energy facility.

"This project will allow those employees a chance to live, work and play in Jacobsville, right along (North) Main Street," Gadus said.

Other projects progress

Evansville has numerous other affordable housing projects which are either recently finished, under construction or still in planning stages.

A section of Downtown Evansville's old YMCA building is being made into 62 housing units. Those are almost complete.

Memorial Community Development Corp. recently cut a ribbon on 24 new housing units on Bayard Park Drive, the site a former Boy Scout headquarters, and 26 units are nearing completion at Lincoln and Garvin streets. This 50-unit project is known as Memorial Lofts.

HOPE of Evansville has completed duplexes, apartments and single-family homes in the Goosetown, Tepe Park and Culver neighborhoods. 

An Ohio developer plans at least 50 new housing units in the NoCo district, off Northwest Third Street.