Land bank approves Hope of Evansville plan for Oakley and Maryland parcels

The Evansville Land Bank Corporation approved an application from Hope of Evansville to develop several land bank lots into an affordable-housing cluster the group calls "Evans Village."

Nikki Waller, Director of Relational Financial Development for Hope of Evansville, said Hope would serve as developer and long-term property manager. Mackenzie Sadowski, a project representative, described a collaborative model pairing individuals leaving domestic violence shelters with individuals with disabilities. Sadowski said the Arc of Evansville would provide day services for the residents with disabilities while the participating women would receive training and paid caregiving opportunities.

Sadowski said the goal is to create affordable, supportive housing that reduces both shelter re-entry and gaps in secondary housing for people with disabilities. "This would allow those women to be paid to take care of those individuals that are living within that household," she said.

The parcels discussed include 903 and 905 Oakley and 623 Maryland (a combined development opportunity described in the meeting), and additional nearby lots at 907 and 911 Oakley were included in Hope's secondary application. Board members praised the concept as a strong reuse of the land bank's assets.

The board approved Hope's application by roll-call vote with one abstention: Josh Armstrong, Joe Cortosho, Jim Kegg, Colby Jackson, Malcolm Wickware, Casey Spivey and Darren Morley voted aye; Taylor Price abstained.

Why it matters: The project mixes affordable housing, supportive services and workforce opportunities for survivors of domestic violence and people with disabilities, using land-bank parcels and nonprofit partnerships to create long-term housing solutions.