By: Stephen McCollum; photos by Don L. Rogers

Have you noticed the changes happening in Hartford City, like blighted houses being torn down, new houses being built, messy properties being cleaned up?  All this is the work of Blackford Development Corporation (BDC).  BDC is actively engaged in helping to improve the appearance and quality of life in Hartford City and Montpelier.

The direction the BDC has taken over recent years has created positive energy in the community,” said Dustin George, President of BDC. “In addition to the Blight Elimination Program, the BDC has been a collaborator in the development of  the Old Town Villas and Weiler Plaza downtown, the renovation of the Newberry Building on the square, and we’ve also recently added a dumpster at the transfer station to help Build a Better Blackford’s ongoing community cleanup efforts.”

 BDC is a (501C3) nonprofit organization, created by an Interlocal Agreement between the City and County to address properties that had been abandoned and the property taxes no longer being paid.  “The majority of the properties we’ve dealt with are tax delinquencies, or sometimes just abandoned outright,” said George. BDC member Jon Creek thinks of them as unoccupied “troubled properties.”   These are in contrast to those occupied properties overseen by the Property Standards Board. (see “New Ordinance Spurs Neighborhood Improvements,” March 24) 

“The BDC reviews the list of properties that are on the auction schedule and prioritizes those that owe large amounts of back taxes, are unoccupied and do not appear to have an interested party in charge.” explained George. “We let the County Commissioners know which ones we think are the highest priority and if they do not sell at auction, the Commissioners can assign that tax certificate to the BDC. But before that happens, the original deeded owner is given a last chance to pay the taxes or forfeit ownership.”

Neither George nor Creek, both active with BDC since its inception, can recall a property that the BDC identified to acquire being redeemed by the owner.  In short, the target properties have been abandoned by the deeded owners and if BDC does not act the properties will be blights to the neighborhoods going forward.

BDC had partnered earlier with the city to manage the Blight Elimination Program (BEP) that was funded with federal dollars to tear down blighted houses.  Beyond BEP, other options have been to sell to adjacent property owners or to partner with Build a Better Blackford (BBB) to take down blighted houses and clean up messy properties. 

 During the Blight Elimination Program (BEP), which ended in 2020, 57 houses were removed in Hartford City and five in Montpelier.  In addition to the federal funding for the BEP, the BDC was able to establish an initial operational fund thanks to tax credits paid by the developer of The Villages at Van Cleve Apartments project. 

Now that many of the eyesores have been eliminated around the City, the BDC is strategizing about how to encourage development of some of the vacant lots that are now available.

One option is to build new houses on these now empty BDC lots. George says that some local realtors have informed the BDC that they have potential clients who would consider moving to Hartford City if there were higher quality housing stock available.  “We’re talking to builders and developers to help revitalize our neighborhoods with some quality replacement stock,” said George.  

That is important because the City’s and the County’s populations have declined by 25 percent since 1970. The population decline is associated with the parallel decline in businesses, such as new car dealerships.  While replacement housing won’t solely bring those numbers up, it is a crucial factor. 

Recently, a model house was built at 923 N. Walnut Street that sold before it was completed.  The building of this house also attracted several other people who are interested in having houses built for them.  One is having a new home built at 1333 N. Mill Street on a BDC double lot.  BDC owns a number of double lots suitable for new home construction and can refer interested parties to builders. Contact Jon Creek at 765-499-3670 for details.  

Blackford Development Corporation is comprised of six members:  three appointed by the Mayor and three by the County Commissioners.  The members are Dustin George, Jon Creek, Michael Wolfe, John Oxley, Patrick Cale, and Anne Owen.  Mitch Glentzer serves as an advisory member representing the Community Foundation.  The BDC members are energized by recent successes and committed to continue to seek positive changes and improve the quality of life of the community.