The primary goal is to generate and elevate a positive perception of the Evansville Region. The Regional Marketing Strategy will create a unified branding campaign that tells our best story of our differentiating assets and how their connectivity positions us advantageously in the global economy. It will highlight our logistics strengths, location, cost of living, talent pipeline, etc. It will use apps and similar digital technology to deliver personalized “stories” to priority audiences; college students, rural collar communities, people seeking a “smaller urban choice for work-life balance. The plan will create a regional events database and ensure that each event incorporates “our story". By deliberate attention to repeatable logos, media references (earned media) and merchandise offerings at all events we can build our visual image as well as delivering our value proposition to decision-makers. A digitally-enabled marketing program will attract and retain the diverse array of young talent is essential to the community’s vision. READI funds will be used to create content (videos, photos, blogs, social media ads, website), purchase equipment and software, and advertising. The expected start to date will be 10/03/2022 to 12/2024.

The proposed project is a 144-unit workforce housing apartment complex located in Princeton, Indiana. Less than 2 miles from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, this complex is ideally located to serve as a catalyst for population growth by providing quality, affordable apartments near a major employer. Toyota is in the process of a significant capital investment in an expansion that requires an additional 1,300 jobs. These apartments will aid Toyota in their recruiting efforts because of their attractive design and quality amenities. The complex will be home to a mix of unit sizes with energy efficient upgrades throughout and some containing home offices, garages, and additional storage units. The complex will have an onsite pool, dog park, and multi-use clubhouse. The planned start date for construction is 10/03/2022 or as soon as READI funds are awarded and disbursed. The READI funds will used on site and infrastructure work. We anticipate the apartment complex to be completed in December 2024. This project is supported by the Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union and JWK Management Group.

The YMCA of Southwestern Indiana is creating a first class, 56,600 sq ft, full facility YMCA in Gibson County for all residents. The facility will not only aim to address health disparities and help residents live healthier lives but will enhance quality of place and make Gibson an even more desirable place to live. The facility will include a fitness facility with free weights, cardio and sectorized equipment, a gym, a competition pool, a teaching kitchen for nutrition education, exercise studios, a community room, partner space, and a youth wing containing a STEM Lab, and youth and teen rec areas. The new YMCA will join a well-established network as the third branch of the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana. Toyota has committed $1 million dollars as the naming donor of the new Y. Other contributors to the project are local employers such as, Vuteq, Toyota Bushuko, ETFCU, Springs Valley Bank, Rode Construction, the Mayor's Office, ect. Improving the amount of people who are engaged in physical activity from the current 40 % will help in improving the overall health index for the county. The anticipated start day will be 10/3/2022 to an anticipated completion dated 04/08/2024.

The Warrick County Sports Center (WCSC) is designed to be an approx. 110,000 square foot multipurpose athletic facility featuring eight full-size hardcourts (16 youth basketball or volleyball courts) for competition and recreational basketball, volleyball, pickleball and other hardcourt uses. WCSC can be converted to event space to host local, regional and national events/conferences with open spaces of 70,000-80,000 sq. ft . Included are a wellness center, locker rooms, administrative offices, leasable flex space, athletic training, and restaurant/concession space. READI will fund site excavation, road access, engineering, and land acquisition.  

Facilities like the Warrick County Sports Center have hosted national sports tournaments, conferences and other events that attract thousands of visitors each year. These visitors occupy local hotels, eat in local restaurants, and make purchases in local stores. This project is ideally situated to benefit current regional residents, future residents, and visitors. The project is expected to start in May 2024 and be completed by March 2026.

READI dollars will be utilize to further plan a significant urban area within the City of Evansville. American Structurepoint will use Vision2Action process to focus this plan on short-term achievable goals that create long-range success. The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership seeks to assist the Jacobsville neighborhood in evaluating potential significant business expansions in conjunction with building neighborhood integration and beautification of the surrounding community. As businesses grow in the neighborhood and look for solutions to modify and expand their facilities, developing guidelines and ways to guide these expansions’ impacts will be critical. While new economic output is excellent for the local economy, increases in the number of employees in the neighborhood, new building footprints, and products manufactured on the site will impact the surrounding neighborhood. This study will evaluate the potential impacts of expanding local businesses, including land area, design, utility, road network, traffic, and parking demand impacts. This 6 to 9 month plan will provide implementation strategies that empower the community to plan proactively.

The Nursing Program Expansion supports intentional growth of the University of Southern Indiana’s highly regarded nursing programs. USI currently turns away hundreds of highly qualified applicants due to accreditation restrictions. The initiative will allow USI to expand the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program by 120 students along with expansion in other health profession programs. READI funds will be used for salaries and benefits of the clinical faculty to support the nursing program.  

The Evansville metro area alone has over 450 openings for Registered Nurses. This program will allow USI to better serve as a partner to the Evansville Region’s Regional Development Plan. Expansion of USI’s nursing program is a priority for not just USI but also for our entire region. Throughout the period of expansion USI will continue to graduate and produce qualified nurses to enter the regional workforce. USI has made more proactive partnerships with private healthcare providers in the area to better leverage private dollars. This input and participation from private healthcare providers is vital to ensuring continued success of the program. Support for clinical faculty will be provided by Deaconess Health System, Ascension St. Vincent, Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, and Good Samaritan Hospital. Anticipated start date will be 01/09/2023 to anticipated completion date of 05/09/2026.

AP Development LLC has proposed converting the Karges Furniture Factory into approximately 150 workforce housing apartments. The currently abandoned factory consists of three buildings built between 1890 and 1915 with wood post materials typically found in buildings of this vintage will be featured prominently as décor for the new living units. Hardwood floors will be salvaged and refinished. Original masonry will be exposed, repurposed, and reused where appropriate. The large window openings that once brought natural light to the factory floor will be filled in with period-appropriate but energy-efficient windows. A fixture in the neighborhood for 100+ years this renovation will restore and in fact enhance the vibrancy they once added. The project will be developed in accordance with National Green Building and National Park Standards in order to utilize Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits. Karges Lofts is the reimagining of an entire city block within the City of Evansville that will provide needed housing near West Franklin Street, including connectivity to the Evansville Trail System. Karges Lofts is located less than two miles from Deaconess Midtown Hospital, Berry Plastics, and Heritage Petroleum allowing residents to walk to work rather than relying on transportation. This project will fund needed infrastructure upgrades to set the stage for the redevelopment of the building. Approximate timeline of the project is April 2023 – December 2024.

A comprehensive Evansville Region Riverfront master plan and implementation strategy are needed to set the stage for a large-scale riverfront transformation. Local leaders have been collaborating on next steps to bring unprecedented investment to the riverfront in Downtown Evansville, but before the actual work can begin, we need a detailed and phased riverfront plan that incorporates work from a nationally recognized landscape architect, urban designer, civil engineering, and transportation expert. As regional goals were identified, the need to expand the lens to our other downtown riverfronts became clear. Funding for a comprehensive riverfront plan and activation is needed – centered on Downtown Evansville, while also considering our regional downtown riverfronts, as well as the unprecedented Ohio River Bridge Crossing. Simultaneously, the City of Evansville and private donors are bringing matching dollars to activate underutilized riverfront spaces. These spaces are incremental in nature and will serve to continue the momentum of riverfront development, while we build a strategy for larger long-term investment. The project is expected to start in December 2022 and be completed by December 2023.

This project encompasses the development of a dog park facility within Woodmere Park, located on the east side of the City of Evansville. The Woodmere Dog Park Project is a quality-of-place project and is purposed to enhance and increase social connectivity, assist in the retention and acquisition of professional talent to our area and provide overall health and well-being benefits to community members and visitors. The dog park will be an amenity in the heart of Evansville and located in the center of several other quality-of-place projects, such as the future Greenway East Trail segments. This project is an amenity along the trail but will also be an integral part of the trail system.  The Dog Park is 3 acres of land with the goal of providing a safe and convivial opportunity for a free-range activity for dogs and their owners. An ancillary goal is providing an open, airy, attractive space for animal rescue and shelter organizations to hold events too. The project is expected to begin in December 2022 and be completed by December 2023. READI funds will be used for fencing, synthetic turf, irrigation, and the entrance canopy. The City of Evansville and Friends of Woodmere Dog Park Inc are partners in the project.

This project takes a vacant building and transforms it into student housing and classroom space in a key four block area in the Evansville Medical District Campus. This campus is home to the Stone Family Center and the center continues to be an emerging leader in child and adolescent psychiatry. Funds will be used for partial demolition of the currently vacant building and to support the work of a parking garage that will benefit the residents and students in the building. This will allow more students to live close to school, and allow for the attraction and retention of top talent in the area to live and work in downtown Evansville. This project will start in October of 2023 and is planned to be completed in October of 2025. This project is funded largely with private funding through the developer with a bank loan. The City of Evansville made a TIF pledge and has awarded an Utility Upgrade Reimbursement to fund this project.

The Promenade master development is a mixed-use project that includes everything from a Costco and Aldi to restaurants at a variety of price points and shopping.  CRG Residential LLC is looking to add residential, multi-family units that will be walkable to restaurants, grocery, and entertainment and appeal to the workforce located nearby at the hospital or other local businesses. READI funds will be used for infrastructure costs, specifically sewer, water, and roads. The project is estimated to start in December 2022 and be completed by December 2024.

Completion of this project will yield 220 new multifamily rental units to be placed in service. This will be beneficial to employers to attract and retain talent to Southwest Indiana.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the stark need that urban centers have to provide outdoor gathering and communal spaces. The 2016 Downtown Evansville Master Plan specifically called on the redevelopment of this park as the centerpoint of our downtown and it’s location right on Main Street. The park located at 4th & Main streets will be approximately 22,000 sq ft/ a quarter of a city block that currently sits empty with fencing around the space due to dangerous sinking that was happening on the site. It will be transformed into a highly active park that can be used year-round for community-wide events, like the summer Farmers Market, and will serve our entire region as an attractive green space. Activation of the space will be managed by the Downtown Evansville Economic Improvement District. They already effectively host 100 events per year, so this newly developed park will be a catalyst to draw thousands of residents and tourists alike, greatly adding to the Evansville region’s quality of place and community pride. Planning, designs, and excavation will occur during 2023, construction begins Q1 2024, with a planned park opening in Q4 2025.  READI funds will be applied to sewer, concrete and electrical. 
https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2021/05/12/centerpoint-energy-square-downtown-evansville-indiana/5057384001/

The IU School of Medicine Evansville (IUSM-E) is addressing crisis‐level shortages in child mental health services and workforce needs. Born out of community assessments and regional input, the Mary O’Daniel Stone and Bill Stone Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry creates a world‐class center bringing clinical, educational and research leaders to the region. This project represents the 2nd phase in becoming a nationally known pediatric behavioral health hub. Crucial to its success is the hiring of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, social workers, and other paraprofessionals. Start‐up funding to assist clinical hiring is critical to ensuring children can access evidence‐based mental health screening and diagnosis, with emphasis on under‐resourced populations. READI funding will be used for clinical development. The Center includes creating a first‐of‐its‐kind national data analytics platform. This psychiatry data asset is led by IUSM-E and a network of 10,000 community‐based specialists and physicians. The real-world data platform will serve as a “living lab” providing experts the means to accelerate the discovery, research, and creation of innovative care solutions. The platform will enable our region to become a national leader in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric data analytics and build an AI-powered behavioral healthcare research & innovation ecosystem to fuel the growth of state‐wide entrepreneurial ventures. The project is expected to end in 2026.

Mount Vernon has recently announced a company's $100 million investment in Mount Vernon, that will bring 200 jobs to the area in future years. Housing in Mount Vernon is already needed, and this exciting announcement only increases the need. The Centerpoint Energy office on the riverfront in Downtown Mount Vernon is being vacated in 2024. The Downtown CDC will gain site control in 2024 and prepare the land for future housing.
In 2025 we will demolish the existing building, work with the other property owners involved in this project to assemble a larger piece of land, and issue an RFP to interested housing developers – using the land as an incentive to build future housing in Mount Vernon. READI funds will be used to purchase the property, including pre-purchasing costs (admin, environmental, and due diligence costs, demolition of the existing building, and utilities.
 
The two other property owners involved have already acquired the adjacent property, cleared the site, and committed to working together to redevelop an entire 3/4 of a block in downtown Mount Vernon. This project will turn a mostly unused office building on the riverfront into a more active use to enhance the economic and community development opportunities in Posey County.

The Children's Museum of Evansville's (cMoe) Strategic Plan will expand the idea of play in the region, with the READI portion of the project focusing on their internal exhibit enhancements, expansion, and new exhibit additions. It offers varied experiences for all end-users who value and/or benefit from cultural and recreational experiences: families, children, schools, youth-serving organizations and more. This overall project fills in several niches of need that serve local residents, while drawing attention to and improving local quality of place. This expansion is a population growth driver that leads to increased corporate investment for economic growth. cMoe’s Plan will add to the community story, and speak to the wants and needs of families that appreciate such enriching communal experiences. The museum will start this project in June of 2023 and will be finished by the end of 2026. 
https://cmoekids.org/

E-REP will conduct both a regional assessment and strategic "roadmap" for our two growth sectors, Advanced Manufacturing and Health and Life Sciences. This project will focus on catalyzing cluster development to facilitate accelerated economic development and growth for our regional employers and their direct supply chain. Cluster Development will take a deep look into both industries and identify how we as a region can build capacity and scale for our most impactful employers. This assessment and "roadmap" will address many of these challenges that the State of Indiana and the IEDC are working to solve with innovative and cutting-edge solutions such as Industry 4.0 technologies, comprehensive supply chain strategy, how to leverage both automation and AI to meet a growing workforce demand, and so much more. This partnership includes procuring Teconomy to assess the region and create this strategic roadmap. The work began in Q1 of 2023 and will have a final product by October 31st, 2023.

The University of Evansville developed a Doctor of Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program that will admit its first cohort of graduate students in the fall of 2023. A key component of the PsyD program is the development of a community-based clinic where PsyD students and faculty provide psychotherapy and psychological testing to clients with mild to moderate mental health problems. As the University did not have space on campus to create a clinic, Talbot Square, immediately across Lincoln Avenue, was purchased by the University. With READI funds: 1) the PsyD program will increase the class of incoming students from 10 to 15, and, after three years, to 20 students; 2) there will be increased opportunities for students at the University to apply what they are learning in class in actual practice; 3) the quality of care delivered at the clinic will be improved by expanding the clinic’s focus to include other allied health care students; and 4) the number of clinical psychologists and physician assistants who ultimately stay and work in the Evansville area upon graduation will increase. The program aims to start in the Fall semester of 2023. https://www.evansville.edu/majors/clinical-psychology/

Warrick Trails is developing a beautiful 2-mile unique hard-surface trail and pedestrian bridge that will enhance Warrick County’s quality of place. This trail will be connected and in addition to much-needed renovations at AMAX Fields, the only publicly used youth sports complex in the area. A memorial trailhead will also be constructed in honor of the late Howard Nevins, who previously served as director of Warrick Trails. The trail wraps along scenic water views and a canopy of trees, and will connect the 400-plus home neighborhood at Victoria Woods to Friedman Park, Vann Park, and the Castle school system – increasing active living, safety and park/trail access. The improvements at AMAX achieve many of the same goals. Nearly 800 kids play at the complex during the year, and local residents have commented on the safety concerns. READI funds would go toward the construction a pedestrian covered bridge, a trailhead memorial, which will include the renovation of the youth sports complex’s multi-use facility, and wetland impact fees. READI will help leverage a grant from the Warrick County’s Economic Development Department, a generous donation by a community partner at Oakland Holdings, and Warrick Trails' own private-philanthropic fundraising. The project is on track to begin in June 2023 with completion by December 2023.

A 20-acre visionary park and green space in Warrick County. READI funds will be used to construct a pavilion building, picnic and shelter areas, site furnishing and improvements, as well as ensure proper water and sewage systems. This project will be complete in collaboration with the Ohio Township, which is the owner and developer, and has already built a new Township facility, community center and lake on the property. Ohio Township also plans to take out debt, and has secured commitments from the Warrick County Redevelopment Corporation and through County ARPA dollars. The anticipated groundbreaking will be Summer 2023 with a completion date of Summer 2024. Everything has been chosen to be able to challenge children to discover and explore and help to build cognitive, social, physical, and creative skill. Located a mile east of I-69, this park is connected via walking trail to the Warrick Wellness Trail plus shopping, restaurants, hotels, and workplaces. In addition, it’s connected by bike lanes to all Castle schools and thousands of homes.

The Evansville Metropolitan Area has a unique accelerator arriving over the coming 7‐10 years, the Ohio River Crossing I‐69 Bridge, connecting the Bi‐state region with the National I‐69 corridor, and eventually Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. This project not only addresses a solution to long‐term cross‐river mobility, but it plays to the Evansville Region’s strengths of being in the logistical center of the United States. E‐REP will work closely with BridgeLink, business, regional planning partners, state departments, federal agencies, and local governments to create a master plan ensuring that the corridor and the Ohio River Crossing are highly integrated into the Regional Development Plan. The project will start in early Summer of 2023 and plans to be completed by the end of 2023.

Brittlebank Park aims for the construction of two new trails, with improvements to park access, and design work for an inclusive playground to support the improvement and expansion efforts at Brittlebank Park, located nearby the riverfront in Mount Vernon. The nonprofit organization, Avery’s Place (unlimitedplay.org/app/uploads/2018/08/Avery_Place.pdf), has conducted much of the research, due diligence, planning and fundraising for the project, which will create healthy lifestyles for all persons and feature the only inclusive playground in Posey County. 
READI funds will be used for engineering, design, site preparation, construction, and landscaping fees.
This project will be completed in collaboration with the City of Mount Vernon, which has budgeted funds for construction of the trail and worked with an anonymous donor, who generously gifted the City with 43 acres to expand the park for future development. 
The project will begin in the Spring 2023 with anticipated completion of Spring 2025.

Thousands of people in Evansville have collectively shown up to have their voices heard in master plan public input meetings and regional listening sessions – the number one thing our community wants to see improved to make the Evansville region a place they can be proud of is a more activated, exciting Downtown Evansville riverfront. A critical piece of redeveloping the riverfront is owning land, so that there are more vibrant and active real estate opportunities. The READI funds will be spent on schematic design to use publicly owned land to create a transformational riverfront while developing up to three new, high-value parcels. The project is expected to start in May 2024 and be completed in November 2025. The Downtown Evansville CDC was formed in 2018 to take on the downtown's most challenging properties. The Downtown CDC has successfully received funding from both the State and City in the past to accomplish these economic development goals. The pandemic has further exacerbated downtown's real estate challenges, which is why these funds are needed.

At the epicenter of downtown stands a vacant city block. For years, the mostly vacant block visualized the detrimental effect of neglectful out-of-state ownership in Downtown Evansville. More recently, a group of local investors secured the site, imploded a building, and has been working to bring new life to the center of downtown. READI funds will contribute to site cleanup and preparation for new, mixed-use residential living. 160 apartments paired with amenities like a restaurant and underground parking in the heart of the city will bring economic success and shine a light on Evansville as a place to live and work. In Q1 of 2024, work will begin to demo and clear the site. In May of 2024, we expect vertical construction of the site, and the full completion of the site in June of 2026. This will produce 160 apartments, a public park, and bring life to Downtown Evansville. Private funds are from local investors, Indiana based developer CRG Residential via a loan from Old National Bank, and local funds from Evansville Redevelopment Commission in the form of site specific TIF and developer backed bonds.

The Southwest Region, also known as the Evansville Region, is home to the third-largest city in Indiana and a population of 303,535, it serves as a hub for retail, medical, entertainment, and transportation. This region secured the maximum READI 1.0 funds of $50 million.

Region Overview:

Southwest

List of Counties:

Projects in Southwest