WagonWorks Apartments officially open
Friday, Huntingburg celebrated the completion of its final Stellar Community project, the WagonWorks Apartments. It also happened to be the sixth anniversary of the day the city was named a Stellar Community by then Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann.
“On that day we were overjoyed about that designation,” Mayor Denny Spinner said during the celebration. “One of the cornerstones of the Stellar Strategic Investment Plan was the desire to bring a variety of housing to Huntingburg to meet the needs of our workforce. Through the Stellar designation, the City of Huntingburg was partnered with the Indiana Housing and Community Development of Develop a project that will bring high quality, affordable apartments to our city.”
Huntingburg teamed up with Indianapolis-based developer Paragus. With assistance from Tri-Cap and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, the project was awarded tax-credit funding from the state as a Stellar Communities project.
WagonWorks had its challenges coming to fruition. After meeting with Paragus in Indianapolis to discuss the vision for the community and the need for housing, the company originally began looking at developing housing across the street from the City Hall in the WTH building. After meeting some community push back, the company reconsidered and went back to the drawing board. When the Wagon Works factory property became an option, they decided to move forward on a larger complex.
Then, as construction progressed, they found the soil to be of such poor quality that they had to redesign the foundations for the buildings. The $6 million estimate cost was pushed to nearly $8 million.
Then Covid-19 hit and Paragus ran into supply issues for finishing the buildings. At Friday’s ceremony, some exterior walls were still waiting for the delivery of vinyl siding.
Despite all the setbacks, the WagonWorks Apartments are open and already have residents. During Friday’s celebration, Gloria “Jeanie” Huff, the first resident at WagonWorks, cut the ribbon for the new complex.
Huff moved in from her home about four blocks away. She has lived in Huntingburg for about 60 years in a three-story house and the apartment she moved into provides her just the space she needs.
“I think the new part was a big thing for me,” Huff said.
She added she’s enjoying the dishwasher her apartment came with. “I’ve never had a dishwasher,” Huff said before adding that the electric stove is a little harder to get used to.
“I burn my pancakes,” the 79-year-old joked. “But I’ll get used to it.”
As a bonus, she is also a short walking distance from her church, St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Huff also worked at the Wagon Works facility as a finish inspector for OFS. She thinks it is neat that she worked there all those years ago and now she is living there.
The WagonWorks complex is located at 419 N. Washington Street. The 56-unit complex features apartments ranging in price from $350 a month for a small studio to $599 for a two-bedroom unit. The apartment community is designed for individuals entering the workforce for the first time and is, therefore, income-restricted, meaning there is a maximum income a person or family can have to qualify to live there. Those income amounts are adjusted annually. For example, to qualify for a two-bedroom apartment in 2020, a family of four’s income cannot exceed $46,740 annually.
Applications are being accepted for apartments. For information, call 812-684-9800 or visit wagon-works.weebly.com/.
“The Stellar designation made it happen for Huntingburg,” Mayor Spinner said. “But the partnerships within our community really brought this all together.”
