Following several years of steady population loss, local leaders in Tipton County, IN were looking to capitalize on growth in the greater Indianapolis market to the south and expectations for job creation in Kokomo to the north. Despite these opportunities, local leaders were struggling to attract a national developer to create housing in the area.

A closer look at the region’s economics and housing supply showed considerable demand for more housing, however. While subdivisions of large, single-family new builds were not finding much success in the market, smaller single-family units, age-restricted housing, duplexes, and triplexes were selling and renting faster than local developers could build them. The county needed new housing that was more in line with the needs of the community: to attract new residents from the surrounding areas and to provide affordable living options for the existing workforce and aging-in-place residents. 

Recommendations in the report include efforts to support and bolster local builder and developer networks and to look for redevelopment opportunities on existing publicly owned land.