TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– The Vigo County Council heard details on a proposed $5 million housing project during a lengthy meeting on Tuesday.
Thrive West Central, who are leading the project, had a representative on hand to provide more information on the plan, which was first unveiled in February. He discussed the timeline– which, pending approval, would see work start to build more units sometime between now and March of 2024. He also touched on exactly how the funds will be used– with about $3.8 million going towards “housing market implementation.”
Vigo County Council Member Marie Theisz said she was excited to hear about the diversity of housing types they are aiming to bring to the community.
“It takes into account all different types of housing, and income levels,” she said. “What I really liked about it too, is it looked at the potential of first home buyers that maybe have difficulty getting into that next step of having a first-time home.”
County commissioner Mark Clinkenbeard said housing is a glaring need as the county tries to increase development.
“You talk to any realtor, any young person or person that wants to move in, there’s not anything to buy,” he said. “With all the new jobs we have coming it’s imperative we have them living here, and have them paying property taxes here as opposed to living in Plainfield or wherever and driving over, which is what some of them are doing.”
Theisz said she hopes to develop a committee alongside the city to help guide the project once approved. She said they will appoint community members with a wide variety of backgrounds to participate.
“The city and county are putting a significant investment into it, and our goal is to have a committee that will be able to work together as we move forward with people from a variety of spots in the community,” she said.
The project is being funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, which was established by the federal government during the pandemic. Other ARPA projects were discussed on Tuesday– a new facility for the county, improvements for local trails and an “innovation grove” for Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology– which total a combined amount around $2,250,000. All of these projects will be voted on next Tuesday.
