Scotland has a population of roughly 100 people as more could soon be included with the development of new homes. PHOTO BY NATHAN PACE
After a dozen years, development at the I-69 interchange with US-231 is about to be sent into overdrive. The Scotland Meadows property, which sits within the boundaries of the WestGate at Crane Technology Park, is expected to be closed by the end of this month with the goal of adding housing units to the area. A total of 12 acres is being purchased of the 37 available acres.
It was a journey for the Greene County Economic Development Corp. to get the sale.
“Economic development is a process,” Brianne Jerrels, Executive Director at GCEDC said. “This is the perfect project to illustrate how long economic development can really take.”
Scotland Meadows was certified as a “shovel ready” site through the office of community and rural affairs. As I-69 kept being built towards Indy in the following years, it was believed that the property would be bought for commercial use. It wasn’t until 2019, when the WestGate Master Plan was being reviewed, that Scotland Meadows was considered for residential use in the form of workforce housing.
Jerrels spoke at the Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce meeting to detail the process of finally getting a fit for the property.
“We have come so close multiple times, so close that we have even received plans from developers interested in the site.” Jerrels said.
Fewer than five serious inquiries have been made since 2010 when the property was certified as shovel ready.
GCEDC heard two presentations in March for the site with one being the only suitor to make a bid.
“Since we were not getting a lot of traction from the defense contractors, let’s look at multi-family housing,” Jerrels said. “One of the things we’ve talked about with the hotel is that they really need a restaurant nearby. There’s a saying ‘retail follows rooftops.’”
Fast food restaurants have passed on the interchange as they wanted locations where people live as opposed to where people work. Adding housing might open up the Scotland area to restaurants.
“It’s a big deal,” Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce President Matt Montgomery said. “I will say that this is something we need quite a bit of to the area. It adds to the tax base. It adds to attracting new talent. It also adds to retaining talent.”
More kids would likely be added for Bloomfield and North Daviess schools. Scotland, Indiana had a population of 98 people in the 2020 census and would likely see an uptick. The interchange could end up serving as a halfway point between Evansville and Indianapolis.
Tom Wininger is the developer purchasing the site after nearly a year of communication with GCEDC. The Scotland Meadows was chosen for his next project over sites in other counties.
“We had to reassure Tom Wininger about half a dozen times that Greene County did not have any zoning. After years of working with Monroe County, he found it hard to believe that Greene County didn’t have any restrictions for development,” Jerrels said.
Wininger expects construction to begin once the closing is finalized.
© Copyright 2024 Greene County Daily World.