Boone County Seeks Affordable Housing Solutions Amid Growing Demand

Boone County is addressing one of its most pressing challenges: the need for more housing. By 2030, there will need to be 10,000 additional housing units to meet the demand in Boone County, according to a recent study.

"Boone County is in a place of growth where we've never been before," said Jessica Schwarz with Boone EDC. Her organization partnered with Helix 33 to educate local elected officials and community leaders about what options are out there.

Helix 33, an Indy-based leader in innovative modular housing, approached this challenge in a different way by building custom units within their manufacturing facility in Indianapolis.

"What we discovered with Helix 33 is that they build out your custom unit and the entire unit is built within their manufacturing facility," Schwarz said. "You take a project that could be an 18 to 24-month project and you shorten that down to 90,120,150 days."

COREY KUTZ, Lebanon Redevelopment Commission: We're looking for diversity in housing. Whether that be first-time home buyers, we're looking at duplex, town home-type idea, or even a traditional apartment — meeting people where they're at in their journey.

While nothing has been finalized in terms of a partnership with Helix 33, Boone EDC is open to exploring additional options for the region.