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New housing development coming to site of old state hospital

A national development company is breathing new life into the grounds of a former state hospital downtown.
M/I Homes debuted its first urban housing development in Indianapolis during the annual Indy Rama event. This Aug. 6, 2018, photo shows the kitchen of their model home at that development. (WTHR Photo/Evan Hoffmeyer)

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - A national development company is breathing new life into the grounds of a former state hospital downtown.

M/I Homes will debut on its first urban housing development in Indianapolis next week during the annual Indy Rama event. Their model home for the development will be the first stop on the six-house tour featuring fully-decorated new homes downtown.

A spokesperson told us M/I Homes wanted to take this opportunity to better target younger homeowners who are more interested in downtown living and low-maintenance lawns.

It certainly marks a change for the company. Better known for their work in suburban sprawl, this roughly 60-80 home development is situated on the grounds of the former Central State Hospital for the Insane, which served central Indiana's mentally ill for nearly 150 years. The hospital closed in 1994. The city of Indianapolis bought the land from the state in 2003 for $400,000, then sold it to a developer for $2.1 million in 2006. Since then, it has largely been used for apartments and green space.

M/I Homes plans to offer six to eight models on the site, including at least one model not available in their other central Indiana developments. A spokesperson said they are still developing the land and working out pricing, but they hope to have plots available for purchase by the end of the year.

The 2018 Indy Rama runs Aug. 10-12 and 17-19.

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