Pre-home construction has begun on the Towers subdivision project in Crawford County, thrusting the plan first announced July 2025 into action.
“We’ve got dirt moving,” executive director of the Crawford County Economic Development Corporation, Jesse Belcher, said.
The 57 houses ranging in size from 1,500-1,800 square feet located near Interstate 64 will be sold approximately $80,000 below market value and will come fully equipped with appliances.
“These homes are going to be pretty much turnkey ready to go,” Belcher, said.
Utilities installation has not started yet, but four to five homes are expected to be ready to move in by the end of 2026. As a requirement of the READI 2.0 financial assistance, 30 homes must be completed by the end of 2028, including all site preparation.
READI 2.0 funding has provided $1.85 million dedicated to all construction, while about $8.26 million has been publicly and privately matched by investors. Some of those donors include Crawford County Economic Development Corporation, Crawford County Redevelopment Commission, Community Foundation of Crawford and Jasper Engines and Transmissions.
Those funds will pay for site excavation, water and wastewater infrastructure, storm water drainage and roads in the subdivision.
All home construction will be paid for by Cook Group, the parent corporation of French Lick Resort, with the first home expected to begin August 2026. What the Cook Group pays for in material and labor on each home is what the home will sell for.
The total for a single home is estimated to be between $190,000-200,000, but with gas prices rising and material costs fluctuating, it’s uncertain what the final sum will be for buyers.
Homes’ design will vary to prevent the exact same house repeating one after another. They will all be three-bed, two-bath with an attached two-car garage. Homes will come with basic furniture, Amish-made cabinets and be either one or two stories tall. Legal structures will be put in place to ensure the homes retain their value.
The intention behind the development is to attract new or retain existing workforce in the community in addition to slowing the “brain-drain.”
“We’re hoping that more of our young people who go off to college or get certified into trade can purchase homes in the subdivision,” Belcher said, “and be able to stay here in Crawford County instead of leaving.”
This housing development is not the first of its kind. Similar projects have already been completed by Cook Group in French Lick, Spencer and West Baden. The demand for those homes was so high, a lottery system was used to determine who could purchase the houses. Belcher expects that the same will happen in Crawford County.
“This has worked; it does work,” Belcher said. “It’s working right now in French Lick.”
By the end of 2028, there should be 30 new families in Crawford County dining, shopping, paying property taxes, volunteering in the community and sending their kids to the school district.
“In the long term,” Belcher said, “it’s going to be a huge benefit for the county.”