City Council Approves Incentives to Support Love Paza and Freight St. Development

City Council Approves Incentives to Support Love Paza and Freight St. Development

Elkhart, Ind. - The Elkhart City Council voted to approve 3 ordinances authorizing incentives that will support a major mixed-use redevelopment project in the South Main Street corridor. The incentives include a $5.8 million loan funded from a combination of the Downtown and Consolidate South TIF Allocation Areas, along with a pledge of future TIF generated by the project toward repayment of a bond funded by the developer. As well as a commitment of $5 million through the Residential Housing Infrastructure Assistance Program (RIF) for the construction of municipal utility and streetscape infrastructure improvements.

These investments support a $51 million mixed-use development by developers Garrison Frazier and Milhaus that will include 210 new housing units and commercial space designed to extend downtown development momentum beyond the railroad tracks. 

Notably, the project will also include the construction of a new public plaza at the corner of Prairie Street and Main Street incorporating a three-dimensional sculptural re-creation of the beloved Kelby Love mural as the centerpiece of the new Love Plaza. The project will include mixed use development on Freight Street as well. 

Mayor Rod "We are so happy to be able to honor the late Kelby Love with the development of the Kelby Love Plaza and a sculptural re-creation of his iconic mural. Additionally, for as long as I can remember downtown development had always stopped at the tracks. Now that is changing. And this will more completely round out the development in the Benham neighborhood between Benham Ave and Prairie St." 

Freight Street Rendering:

South Main Street Rendering: