10/13/2025
Empty lots plagued this block along Blaine Avenue in South Bend, Indiana for over a decade. According to resident and small-scale developer Jordan Richardson, these empty lots increased crime in the area. The loss in property tax also meant the city had less funding to provide services to the area.
Richardson is changing that, though. His small development company, Inner City Development, is filling in those empty lots with three small, single-family homes. It’s just one example of his mission to bring practical, thoughtful, and community-focused housing to disinvested neighborhoods.
