Elkhart Mayor Rod Roberson makes the state of the city address

ELKHART, Ind. -- Mayor Rod Roberson gave the state of the city address tonight at the Lerner theater.

This speech officially kicks off his second term as mayor.

Mayor Roberson addressed things like housing, public safety, downtown development and looking towards the future of Elkhart.

Hundreds filled the Lerner theater, Thursday night, for Elkhart mayor Roberson's state of the city address.

Mayor Roberson said before he took office, the Tolson center was closing, and the common council was divided.

Now, he sees Elkhart as a thriving city,

"The ability to increase our housing stock by 1700 units is critical, I mean that's a part of this 500-million-dollar investment, most of them include housing opportunities," said Roberson.

But Ed Newman, who listened to the speech, is disappointed to see the city lose a 20-million-dollar investment from the Elkhart AMP group which pulled out of a downtown amphitheater project.

‘I think if we had that completed, it would draw bigger names, that needed more seating which would draw more business to downtown, you know it's a domino effect," said Newman.

Roberson highlighted achievements like a new Tolson center, a new Meijer supermarket, and Chick-fil-a coming to town.

Mayor Roberson says citizen complaints regarding law enforcement are down 50 percent from last year, adding that officers are receiving more training.

Now, the city is planning to buy the old chase building on Franklin to centralize law enforcement response.

“Our police, fire, and 911 teams will finally have the modern efficient working space they deserve," said Roberson.

The mayor says the city is still working on securing an outdoor concert space.