Carla Clark | For The Republic Inherent Commercial, LLC group, with Kevin Johnson, Thrive Alliance, center, and Tiffany Ackerman, HDJ, center, hold shovels full of dirt during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Haw Creek Meadows affordable housing community project in Columbus, Ind., Monday, October 20, 2025.
From The Republic, Columbus, Indiana (LINK TO STORY HERE)
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held Monday for Haw Creek Meadows, a planned 128-unit affordable housing project at 2100 Midway St. The ceremonies were hosted by Thrive Alliance, Gratus Development, the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and the Columbus Redevelopment Commission.
Housing Partnerships, Inc., a non-profit that does business as Thrive Alliance, is planning Hawcreek Meadows, a two-phase, four-story development with a combination of workforce family housing and housing for seniors at the site of the former Columbus Health and Rehabilitation Center.
Phase one involves the construction of 64 workforce family housing units with a child care component and phase two will encompass 64 units for seniors. The project is currently in phase one, with plans for the next phase to come later.
Build time is expected to take 15 to 18 months with leasing getting started in 2026 and reaching 100 percent occupancy in June of 2027.
The prospect of phase one of the project— expected to cost around $20.6 million— was significantly boosted after it received a 9% award of federal low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) from the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA) in November.
The workforce family housing portion will be reserved for those making 30%, 50% and 60% of area median income (AMI), Thrive Alliance officials said, made up of 20, 30 percent AMI units, 13, 50 percent AMI units and 31, 60 percent AMI units.
The child care facility will be open to both residents and non-residents and focused on children up to age 3. Housing Partnerships has a memorandum of understanding in place with Children’s Inc. to provide daycare services at the facility, which is expected to serve up to 58 children and have 10 employees. Hours of operation at the daycare would be 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Other plans for the development include a quarter-mile walking trail, a picnic area, a gazebo and a community garden.