MORGAN COUNTY — Morgan County is on the verge of a consequential moment in its nearly 200-year history.
A new federal interstate is actively under construction, which will cut the travel time from Martinsville to downtown Indianapolis to about 30 minutes.
And as more and more people look to locate to Central Indiana, the county’s population is expected to surge in coming years.
One major issue, however, is the lack of available housing for those potential future residents to rent or purchase.
In recent weeks, however, officials in the county’s two largest communities have cleared some hurdles for future housing developments.
On May 18, the Mooresville Town Council approved two rezone requests for one housing addition on east Hadley Road and another near the intersection of East County Line and Ferguson roads.
Combined, the two housing additions could bring nearly 270 new homes to the Mooresville area.
These two approvals came despite unfavorable recommendations to the council from the Mooresville Plan Commission.
For the Hadley Road subdivision, the estimated price range for the new homes are between $225,000 and $350,000. In the Ferguson Road subdivision, houses would start at about $300,000.
Mooresville Town Council President Tom Warthen said that the cost for homes in these two projects are about where the town wants to attract new residents.
“I think the price point where these homes are that we rezoned for, I think they’re fantastic,” Warthen said. “I think that is a great area to be at.”
In Warthen’s opinion, getting more housing to the Mooresville area will only help.
“More housing is not detrimental to the community,” Warthen said.
In the southern portion of Morgan County, the Martinsville Plan Commission on Tuesday approved an amendment for the Indian Creek Village PUD-E zoning, which will bring the minimum lot width to 40 feet in the new potions of the subdivision.
Under the plan, there will be about 200 new homes added to the Indian Creek Village on the city’s southeast side, with starting prices expected at about $185,000.
Martinsville Mayor Kenny Costin said that the new homes will be a benefit for the city.
“I think it is a great framework for us to start from,” Costin said.
These homes, Costin believes, will be starter homes for young families.
He said that his vision for Martinsville is to have several types of housing options so that residents can move up in their home purchases in or near the city.
“So that we can keep people and families here,” Costin said. “So, if they get a starter home, they get some equity in it. They can get out and move to another home. We need to have that inventory here for them, so they don’t look and say, ‘Let’s go to Monroe County or let’s go to Mooresville.’”
Morgan County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Mike Dellinger echoed Costin’s comments that the county needs a variety of housing options.
“We need housing at all price points,” Dellinger said, “to help people land here and anchor here and help us grow this community.”
These various price points include options from apartment complexes to the higher end homes.
Some benefits to getting new houses into Morgan County — and therefore, more residents — is the potential for economic growth that could follow.
Dellinger noted that developing human capital will bring more businesses to the area.
“Companies want to be where the workers are,” Dellinger said. “They want to locate where they know they can constantly find a workforce from which to choose.”
Costin believes getting more residents into Martinsville would be a benefit for the area’s businesses.
“If we can get families in here, that will help our merchants downtown, our restaurants, it will help our merchants out at Grand Valley (and) it will help out our school.”
Dellinger believes that getting young families will help Morgan County for decades to come.
“When we create capacity in Morgan County, good things happen with it,” Dellinger said.
One benefit to municipal governments to having more residents, especially in Morgan County, is the potential for increased revenue from income taxes.
According to Warthen, the town of Mooresville’s budget is about $9 million — of which roughly $3.4 million is raised through property taxes.
“The rest of it are paid by income tax, use tax and sales tax,” Warthen noted.
Back in 2020, Morgan County had an income tax rate of 0.0272, according to the Indiana Department of Revenue.
That is one of the highest in the state of Indiana.
County income taxes are based on where an individual lives, not where they work.
So, if someone lives in Morgan County but works in Marion County, a portion of that individuals income taxes would go to Morgan County.
Despite what the future holds for Morgan County, Warthen believes that the people who call the area "home" will be what attracts more residents.
“The quality of the community, the quality of the people here, really makes us sell homes and not houses,” Warthen said. “The brick and mortar is the house and the family inside is the home. It is going to be a great community no matter what we do.”
Contact Reporter-Times reporter Lance Gideon at lgideon@reporter-times.com or765-342-1543. Follow him on Twitter: @LanceOGideon.
