City of Loogootee is Awarded a Grant for Community Development

MCCF awarded a $100,000 Vision Grant to the City of Loogootee for community development and infrastructure. The Indiana Uplands Regional Housing Study and the Martin County Quality of Place and Workforce Attraction Plan both identified a need for midsized housing in the area. Loogootee is located near Crane Naval Base, the third largest naval installation in the United States. This proximity to Crane has created a need for housing that continues to become more urgent. Over the years, many employees of Crane Naval Base or a contractor that supports Crane have looked at living in Loogootee but have chosen to live elsewhere due to the unavailability of midsized housing.

 The city was recently approached by private developers interested in expanding an existing housing development with an additional 40 homes on 30 acres. The homes will be approximately 2,000 square feet in size and be priced between $250,000 to $350,000. Before these houses can be built, infrastructure consisting of water, wastewater, stormwater, and roadway development will need to be installed by the city. Most of the funding for the infrastructure will come from private developers; the remainder of the funding will be provided by City American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding, City funds, and the MCCF grant.