The Harrison County Council Monday night unanimously agreed to continue as a partner with Main Street Corydon and the Town of Corydon on the Stellar Communities Indiana grant application related to the Corydon downtown revitalization plan.

The plan, compiled by Main Street and Corydon, calls for $4 million from the county from 2017 to 2020 ($1 million each year).

It also includes $4 million from the Harrison County Community Foundation, which has been approved contingent upon the county funding and the receipt of the Stellar Communities grant from the state of Indiana, which would release about $6 million from the state, if successful.

The Town of Corydon also plans to provide millions of dollars for the project.

The other major piece to the puzzle is the development services of Luckett & Farley. The Louisville-based architecture, engineer and interior design firm wants to invest heavily in the project ($5 million to $10 million).

Timothy R. Pitcher, Luckett & Farley development president, said Monday night at the meeting they want to invest in the project because it is going to be a success.

"It's just that simple," he said.

Pitcher said there's a movement nationally of folks moving back to small towns.

"You can ride that wave," Pitcher said.

He said older and younger generations are looking to move back into small towns, and the project at the former Keller Manufacturing site will offer a chance to build apartments and brownstone homes attractive to them.

He estimated hundreds of residents could live on the property, which will also include an events center, parking garage, green space/park area, urban walking trails and potentially restaurants and retail.

Pitcher said he fired off a number of questions to Main Street and Corydon representatives before agreeing to become a part of the plan.

"I didn't want to waste their time, and, frankly, I didn't want to waste my time," he said of the questioning, which proved to him the group was serious about what it was trying to accomplish.

"The reason why (he agreed to join in) is what I saw when I came out," Pitcher said. "They had a plan. You have to understand, there's a lot of variables (with a project like this), and the majority of those had been done."

Pitcher mentioned numerous reasons the area is attractive: agri-tourism, parks system, historic Corydon and the region's many caves.

"It's a natural area to want to actually live," he said.

Luckett & Farley, which is already contracted to work on the revitalization of the Conrad building, located along East Chestnut Street, for Main Street, said the county's commitment is integral to the plan, especially when it comes to the state's Stellar Communities grant.

"We're already committed to the level you're being ask to do," he said. "It was not done lightly."

Pitcher said the potential is there for a substantial community change.

"It's a no-brainer," he said.

Councilwoman Sherry Brown asked Catherine Turcotte, Main Street Corydon's executive director, if the folks living near the area have been approached yet to see how they feel about the project.

Turcotte said that will be a part of the upcoming phase.

Council Chair Gary Davis said they'll need to address multiple questions before the final plans and funding will be approved, such as future ownership issues, but the consensus of the council was to move forward with the project at this point.

Councilman Jim Heitkemper said he thought the plan was a slight to the rest of the county.