More on proposed housing study

Yahoo

19-04-2025

GREENSBURG – 'We want to take a proactive approach,' Economic Development Corporation of Greensburg/Decatur County Director Bryan Robbins recently said regarding an upcoming housing study that's schedule to get underway in May and be completed by September, 'to try to to attract more builders, more developers, to add to the market and hopefully bring more people to our community.'
The local EDC is partnering with the Greensburg City Council, Decatur County Commissioners, Greensburg Mayor's Office, Greensburg Redevelopment Commission and Decatur County Redevelopment Commission on a $40,000 housing study.
The study will cover Greensburg and Decatur County and is being conducted by Thomas P. Miller and Associates, an Indianapolis-based consulting firm.
A local housing study was conducted in 2019, according to Robbins, but it only covered Greensburg, not all of Decatur County. Robbins said he is not aware of any housing studies conducted in Greensburg or Decatur County prior to 2019, adding that it's possible there were prior studies but 'if there was one, I couldn't find it and [the EDC] was not part of it.'
Robbins elaborated on the need to conduct a countywide study, noting that the 2008 recession impacted the housing market nationwide and 'when it did rebound, we found that the assumption was there were more opportunities around larger metro areas.'
Robbins noted that Decatur County wasn't getting the population growth it could, 'not because we were lacking jobs – we have plenty of jobs here – we just didn't have the places for people to live,' or the capacity to build and meet the demand due to a lack of developers. 'It's not just Greensburg or Decatur County,' Robbins emphasized, 'it's across the Midwest, particularly rural areas, that are focusing on housing. The last 10 years or so, we've had jobs available, our unemployment rate has been significantly low, historically, because we didn't have the labor force to meet existing needs. We were trying to drill down why that is' and ultimately determining that one issue is housing.
While a study was conducted in 2019, Robbins described that effort as 'meager,' explaining, 'we kind of got what we paid for,' as it had a smaller budget than the $40,000 allotted for the upcoming study. 'We wanted a more robust study,' this time, Robbins said.
The EDC selected Thomas P. Miller and Associates after contacting multiple firms, explaining what the budget was and what they wanted from this study.
The objective of the study is to assess the current housing mix and the affordability in Decatur County, then explore population and housing trends at the local, state and regional level to determine demand, existing needs, and how to meet them.
The study will review how fast homes sell, what price they're sold at, and other housing-related data such as age trends and whether Decatur County's average age is trending older or younger.
Once the study is complete, Robbins explained, that gives the EDC data to use when working with developers, managing goals and meeting the community's needs.
This study is timely, according to Robbins, because 'we're doing this at the same time' Greensburg is working on its comprehensive plan. 'If there is a need for housing, we want to make sure we can incorporate that, in some way, into the comprehensive plan,' he said.
The study's methodology will go beyond looking at data and statistics; focus groups will be assembled comprised of Realtors, builders and others who have observations about the housing market.
Robbins also shared that surveys involving the general public may also be conducted as part of the study.
'I want to ask that people participate in those surveys,' he said. 'Keep an eye out for those' on the EDC, City of Greensburg or Decatur County social media platforms.
Surveys of the public will most likely be conducted online, but Robbins said they will try to have hard copies available, too.
'We encourage people to take part in those and give us feedback. We hope it's going to be a strong report, one we can use for the next four to five years,' he concluded.