In 2004, the City of Elkhart Redevelopment Commission created the Sterling East Redevelopment Area Plan. The goal of this plan was to facilitate and encourage reinvestment and redevelopment in the area, both public and private, in the form of new and upgraded housing, improved infrastructure additional green space and industrial development and redevelopment. In 2017, the Redevelopment Commission developed the Sterling East Action Plan (SEAP) to address the unique assets of the area, as well as the challenges posed, by the land use conflicts and floodplain issues previously identified. This area, comprised of approximately 200 acres, is located one mile southeast of the downtown, and is entirely within the Consolidated South Elkhart Economic and Redevelopment Area.
