LOOGOOTEE — The Martin County Alliance for Economic Growth is calling on residents to share their perspectives on residential development by completing an online affordable housing survey.
The community input initiative comes in response to data from the 2023 Indiana Uplands Regional Housing Study, conducted by Regional Opportunity Initiatives. The study revealed a significant gap between local building activity and long-term housing requirements in Martin County.
According to regional estimates, Martin County needs to construct approximately 17 new housing units per year to accommodate future population and workforce expansion. However, recent residential development in the county has averaged only three new units annually. To support projected growth, the study estimates that Martin County will require a total of 214 additional housing units—encompassing both single-family owner-occupied homes and rental properties—by 2035.
Local economic leaders are actively working to address the shortfall through community-level initiatives. Earlier this year, the Martin County Redevelopment Commission partnered with the Uplands Regional Land Bank to target blighted, vacant properties for residential infill development, transforming neglected parcels into viable workforce housing.
Through the current survey, Alliance officials hope to gather resident feedback on what affordable and attainable housing means to the local community, helping guide future municipal planning, grant applications, and private development projects.
County residents can access and complete the survey directly on the Martin County Alliance for Economic Growth Facebook page.
