Indianapolis church hosts community sessions to revitalize 32nd Street corridor

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Residents of Indianapolis’s near north side have a chance to help shape the future of their neighborhood.

Crossroads AME Church is hosting two community listening sessions to gather input on revitalizing the 32nd Street and Capitol Avenue corridor in the Crown Hill neighborhood.

The first session is 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Community Action of Greater Indianapolis, 3266 N. Meridian St. A second session is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 30, at the same location.

“We as a congregation do not want to undertake that initiative without getting input from the community,” said Reverend Jerry E. Davis III of Crossroads AME Church.

The corridor, located two blocks west of the Children’s Museum, has long been identified as an area in need of resources. Davis said the church’s research and conversations with community leaders have already surfaced concerns about access to food and pharmacy services. The area has been described by some as both a food desert and a pharmacy desert — a situation that worsened when a CVS near 38th Street and Illinois Street was replaced by a car wash.

“There is one less resource where perhaps within walking distance we can get the pharmaceutical needs that we have satisfied,” Davis said.

The July 14 session is designed as an open forum, with no limits placed on what residents can raise. Davis said the church wants to hear ideas that go beyond what research has already uncovered.

“We want to hear even beyond the numbers,” he said.

The July 30 session will give attendees a chance to return and prioritize the ideas and needs shared at the first gathering. Davis called the two sessions a “both and” opportunity, encouraging residents to attend both.

Both sessions offer in-person and virtual participation options. A free dinner will be provided at both in-person gatherings.

For more information, contact Crossroads AME Church.