Overview

There is significant potential for residential development in Putnam County. However, infrastructure is not in place to support new housing in most areas of the county. The project seeks to help identify priority sites for development and evaluate infrastructure conditions and needs. Areas of focus would include urban/downtown housing to support DePauw University and housing for families in/around Greencastle. While there has been significant investment to support housing in rural areas such as Heritage Lake, there are few developable sites in and around the county’s cities and towns that have infrastructure. A plan is needed to quantify the housing demand in the county and develop a strategy for making infrastructure investments to support the needed housing. This project will be completed in coordination with the City of Greencastle and Putnam County. The study will quantify current demand for urban and rural housing in Putnam County, evaluate developable sites where water and sewer infrastructure are currently available, and identify sites and areas to expand water and sewer service to facilitate development. READI funds will be used to develop a comprehensive plan with a key goal to address the increasing demand for housing options in the county without overdevelopment of rural areas. Putnam County is nearing completion of an update to its Comprehensive Plan. A. The last housing study was completed in 2017. The project will begin in July 2023, and end in December 2024.