Project Overview
Amber Woods Apartments is a 350-unit affordable housing community at 10202 John Jay Drive on Indianapolis’ Far East Side — 28 buildings across a campus originally constructed in 1972. The property provides Section 8 project-based rental assistance, serving residents at 30% to 80% of area median income. Over 1,000 residents call Amber Woods home.
The community has a resilient history. In 2002, an F3 tornado struck the property as part of a major outbreak across Indiana, displacing more than 1,000 people and destroying multiple buildings. The community rebuilt — and two decades later, Flaherty & Collins Properties undertook a $24 million comprehensive rehabilitation to modernize the entire campus. The project was financed through $25 million in economic development revenue notes approved unanimously by the Indianapolis City-County Council.
Scope of Rehabilitation
The rehabilitation touched every building and nearly every system on the property:
- Full interior unit renovations — New kitchens, appliances, flooring, bathroom fixtures, furnaces, and water heaters across the community
- Exterior and site work — New roofing on all 28 buildings, new asphalt throughout, landscaping, and playground installations
- Community facilities — Clubhouse renovation and upgrades to the on-site Pathway Resource Center
- Safety and security — New camera systems and enhanced security infrastructure
The work was phased across multiple years (2018–2020) to allow residents to remain in the community throughout construction.
Our Role
MVGeneral served as a subcontractor to Flaherty & Collins Properties, self-performing two critical scopes on the rehabilitation:
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Selective demolition — Our crews executed interior demolition across 200+ units, removing existing finishes, fixtures, and systems to prepare each unit for the comprehensive renovation. On a phased, occupied rehab, demolition has to be precise — taking out exactly what needs to go without disrupting adjacent occupied units or creating conditions that compromise resident safety.
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Final cleaning — After renovation was complete in each phase, MVGeneral returned to perform final cleaning, preparing finished units for resident move-in. The standard on affordable housing is the same as any other project — residents deserve to walk into a space that’s move-in ready.
Results
The comprehensive rehabilitation was completed in 2020, celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October of that year. Amber Woods was restored as quality affordable housing for over 1,000 residents on Indianapolis’ Far East Side — with modernized interiors, new building systems, and a safer, more livable campus.
For MVGeneral, this project demonstrated our capacity to self-perform at scale on a large multifamily rehabilitation — 200+ units of coordinated selective demolition and final cleaning, delivered on schedule within a complex, phased construction environment.
Planning a multifamily rehabilitation? Start a conversation about how MVGeneral can deliver on your project — from management to self-performed trade work.