VINCENNES — On one street in Vincennes, high school seniors recently finished framing, wiring and finishing their first three-bedroom house. A few blocks away, the first 24 units of a $35 million apartment complex are being readied for mid-June move-ins. Twenty miles up the road in Bicknell, the city has been selling vacant lots for as little as $1,000–and watching more than 20 new homes rise in their place.
Knox County, by almost any measure, is in the middle of a housing surge. The new housing comes just in time to help accommodate new resident growth through the MakeMyMove initiative and other attraction programs.
“The county is now engaged in several different types of housing development, which is key to successful population growth and talent attraction,” said Chris Pfaff, CEO of Knox County Indiana Economic Development (KCIED). The activity spans market-rate apartments renovated historic homes, new single-family construction and even classroom-built starter homes—much of it tracing its origins to a unified study commissioned a few years ago.
A $35 million flagship
The largest project, Bierhaus Flats, will offer 240 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments at market rate, all well-under construction. The first 24 units will be ready for tenants in mid-June, said Phil Reinbrecht, president of Simplified Developments, the firm behind the build.
“From new market rate apartments to renovated homes and new construction, we’re seeing a new expansion trend in housing availability,” said Tim Smith, who serves on the Vincennes Redevelopment Commission.
Bierhaus is the most visible piece of the surge, but it is far from the only one. The Redevelopment Commission is also working to finalize Firehouse Flats, a proposed downtown housing project Smith expects to break ground later this year. Like Bierhaus, it will be market rate, and Smith said the plans include arrangements for adequate parking–a longstanding critical amenity for downtown projects.
Students with hammers
Some of the most novel new construction in Vincennes is happening with a teacher and a class roster.
A hands-on construction program led by Vincennes University staff member Aaron Kitzman just delivered its first finished home, a three-bedroom on Buckridge Drive built by seniors and juniors from Lincoln High School in Vincennes. A second house, in an expanded version of the program, is already being planned for the next school year that will involve students from all three county schools.
“We are gaining new homes and a vital workforce at the same time,” Pfaff said. The program addresses two needs at once: it adds housing stock, and it trains the skilled tradespeople the region will need to keep building.
The Vincennes Redevelopment Commission is helping fuel that pipeline. “The Redevelopment Commission owns several vacant lots in Vincennes,” Smith said. “We will work with a local developer to build a home on one of those lots, sell it, and then reinvest funds back into the project.” The commission is also working to renovate older homes in the historic districts.
“We want people to live downtown and help preserve the unique historic culture of Vincennes,” Smith said.
Bicknell’s $1,000 lots
Twenty miles north, the city of Bicknell has built a housing model of its own–one that has surprised even the man running it.
The city acquires aging properties, clears the sites, and sells the cleaned-up lots to qualified developers. The first round, Mayor Thomas Estabrook said, was essentially a giveaway to jumpstart interest in construction. After that initial success, the city kept buying property and began selling the lots for $1,000 to $2,500 each. To manage the work, Bicknell created the Bicknell Bulldog Development Corporation. The model has produced more than 20 new homes–and triggered additional, independent construction in town.
“When I was elected Mayor I never thought I would become engaged in the real estate business,” Estabrook said. “But it has worked well in these unique situations.”
He added that Bicknell will keep pursuing housing opportunities and the infrastructure funding to support them, which includes new streetscapes, sidewalks, and utilities to match the new homes.
“The word is getting out,” Estabrook said. “This is changing how Bicknell looks and feels, especially in generating buyer interest.”
Pfaff pointed to Bicknell as a rural development model worth watching. “The city’s innovations in creating new affordable housing for young families and professionals are especially notable in today’s market,” he said.
The study that started it
For all the construction signs now visible across the county, local officials trace the wave back to a single document: a formal housing study KCIED commissioned together with community leaders a few years ago.
“KCIED led an effort to conduct research and demonstrate the need and market for new housing,” Smith said. “After that was done and the study demonstrated a market need, KCIED and others deliberately went to all local developers and outlined the market opportunity in detail.”
Previous to the study, the first developer to dig in was the team behind the RiverView apartments project, which built 44 affordable homes and apartments.
“RiverView basically got things going,” Smith said. “We saw improvements in downtown, and now we have momentum growing in an exciting way.”
That momentum is what builders are now watching. With Bierhaus Flats opening to renters and Firehouse Flats on deck, Reinbrecht said the next opportunity is likely to be new single-family homes.
“The market, the opportunity, and the need is there,” he said. “There are a lot of good things going on in this region.”
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About Knox County Indiana Economic Development (KCIED)
Established in 1981, Knox County Indiana Economic Development’s leadership and vision have created an atmosphere of cooperation. We are dedicated to maintaining and improving the quality of life for the citizens of Knox County by developing the overall economy of the county. KCIED has a supportive board that is actively involved in the recruitment, expansion, and retention of businesses. In addition to a strong partnership with the City of Vincennes and Knox County government, Knox County Indiana Economic Development has more than 100 private members that help fund the economic development efforts. For more information, please visit https://knoxcountyindiana.com/