The X-District (Lafayette Entrepreneur and Enterprise District - LEED) is a five-year pilot program approved by the Indiana General Assembly to encourage, develop and support entrepreneurship and small business development starting in 2018 and continuing through 2022. As a startup itself, the X-District will leverage local, regional, and state resources to accelerate innovation and technology that will result in new business entities to grow the economy and lead the way in the 21st century.

The X-District will be developing programs that will diversify Greater Lafayette's and Indiana's economy by focusing on investment and development in high-technology, small business startups and Innovation Driven Enterprises with high-skill, high-wage employees.

The X-District and its methods of programs are to remove barriers, accelerate growth, and enable programs and services to meet these objectives. Where possible, the X-District intends to come alongside existing programs and services, such as those from MatchBOX Coworking Studio and others, as a force multiplier rather than risk competing with or diluting Greater Lafayette area resources.

The X-District also intends to invest, as much as possible, in programs and services that support individual entrepreneurs in new and creative ways not currently available to the general public.

By creating and modeling a safe environment where entrepreneurs and inventors can support one another, embrace higher-than-normal risk together, and ultimately build a community ecosystem, the X-District will produce greater quantitative results in a sustainable way at scale. The organization will be tracking entrepreneurial growth in the broader Greater Lafayette community, even if it’s not obvious how that growth is tied back to the X-District.

The X-District management committee has been appointed by the Mayor of the City of Lafayette and its Common Council along with an Executive Director to lead X-District activities. Together they have formed strategic and important partnerships with MatchBOX Coworking Studio and many others in the public and private sector.

  • X-District Board

    Brian Casserly – Attorney with Gutwein Law specializing in startups and IP

    Brooke Beier – Director of the Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue University

    Mikel Berger – Owner of DelMar Software Development, Chief Technology Officer LEV, and MatchBOX Management Committee Member

    Howard Sypher – Former Department Chair of the Brian Lamb School of Communications, Purdue University

    Lindsay Mason – Owner of French Knot, a purveyor of fine knit wear

    Jason Tennenhouse – Chief Visioneer, MatchBOX Management Committee Member, and Owner of 10 IN HOUSE Strategy & Design

    Staff

    Dennis Carson – Executive Director, X-District

    Emily Carter – Community Curator, MatchBOX

    Amanda Findlay – Operations Manager, MatchBOX

    Jim Olds – X-District Legal Counsel, Attorney with Stuart & Branigin

    What is the X-District Area?

    The X-District is a designated urban area to foster innovation driven enterprises and small business development. The X-District benefits businesses and residents through community and economic revitalization. District businesses can benefit from tax incentives and a favorable climate for business reinvestment. District residents benefit from increased employment opportunities as well as reinvestment. Together, the community benefits from an enhanced quality of life.

    What is the Lafayette Urban Enterprise Association?

    The Lafayette Urban Enterprise Association (LUEA) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit community development corporation with 501 c 3 status, established as the parent organization to the X-District and MatchBOX Coworking Studio. Its mission is: To enhance, revitalize, and encourage the businesses and neighborhoods of the enterprise zone through partnerships, incentives and cooperation.

    The LUEA is managed by a three-member board:
    Tony Roswarski – Mayor, City of Lafayette
    Mike Gibson – President, Mulhaupts, Inc.
    Scott Walker – President & CEO, Greater Lafayette Commerce
    Dennis Carson – Executive Director

About X-District

What is it?
Businesses or individuals who make qualified investments within the X District (see district map) are eligible to receive this tax deduction. The deduction is equal to the total assessed value minus the base year assessed value for the qualified investment. The deduction can be claimed for up to ten (10) years.

Do my investments qualify?
Qualified investments include the following: 1) Purchase of a building 2) Purchase of new manufacturing or production equipment 3) Costs associated with the repair, rehabilitation, or modernization of an existing building and related improvements 4) On-site infrastructure improvements 5) Construction of a new building 6) Costs associated with retooling existing machinery.

Is my investment eligible?
Eligibility is determined by the County Auditor on August 15 of the year in which the application is made. Determinations may be appealed. To claim the deduction, the taxpayer must file a certified application (EZ-2 form/State Form 52501) with the County Auditor before May 15 of the assessment year unless an extension is granted. The deduction also requires the approval of the Lafayette Redevelopment Commission.

Location
A business must have been located in the district or must be a business in Indiana starting operations or moving to the district. Businesses outside the district can qualify by establishing an additional site in the district. A business may relocate and be eligible for district benefits under special circumstances. If the business exists inside and outside of the district, it may not substantially relocate its operations to the district for district benefits. Contact us for details.

Registration
A business must register with the Association of Indiana Enterprise Zones and the X-District to claim benefits. To register, the business must file a registration form (Form EZB-R) by May 31 of each year and pay a participation fee. The participation fee is a percentage of the tax benefits claimed. The participation fee for the X-District is 35% of total district tax savings. The business must also pay a percentage (1%) to the Association of Indiana Enterprise Zones if the district tax benefits claimed exceed $1,000.

X-District (Entrepreneur & Enterprise District) Investment Deduction

Contact us

MatchBOX Coworking Studio
17 South 6th Street, Suite X
Stein Building
Lafayette, IN 47901
765.588.9295
e-mail: info@x-district.org