First housing development in WestGate@Crane Technology Park to open
Greene County development to feature new concept of “Housing that Works,” Smithville to provide high-speed gigabit fiber connectivity and Smart Home” technology for the rural development.
WESTGATE@CRANE Technology Park – Wininger Construction, a third-generation builder from the greater Bloomington area, will preview Westcott, Greene County’s newest paired lifestyle homes neighborhood on Friday, October 21 here. The new development will offer buyers three types of townhome and paired-style home plans. All homes in the Westcott development will have state-of-the-art options for inclusion of Smithville Smart Home technology.
The Westcott development is being built in a shovel-ready certified area in the Greene County section of the WestGate@Crane Technology Park, located near the $2 billion Naval Surface Warfare Center at Crane (NSWC) and the high-tech Battery Innovation Center (BIC).
“We have designed and built many large housing developments in the greater Bloomington area, but the Westcott stands out as a singular venture,” said Tom Wininger, CEO of Wininger Construction. “This development was created and designed to serve the unique professional workforce associated with the technology companies
who service NSWC Crane and the region, and to also be affordable to young people who desire to own a home.”
The new neighborhood development is located with convenient access to highways I-69, 231, and 45 which connects future residents to Bloomington, Bedford, and other population centers in the region.
Home prices for the all-new Wescott development will range from $230,000-$300,000. “By designing specifically for first-time buyers, we were able to create homes that are affordable, but fulfill the needs of technology and related professionals in the area’s workforce,” said Wininger.
To satisfy homeowners who desire high-tech amenities such as high-speed fiber broadband and Smart Home features, Smithville will offer a full complement of Smart Home options to new residents.
“Smithville has been an active and strategic partner of the WestGate tech park since its inception,” said Cullen McCarty, Executive Vice President of Smithville. “We’re pleased to partner with Tom Wininger to produce this new generation of ‘housing that works’ that also provides a full spectrum of quality-of-life enhancements brought by fiber-connected home opportunities.”
“The Westcott neighborhood is uniquely important to Greene County, the WestGate tech park and the region,” said Brianne Jerrels, Executive Director of the Greene County Economic Development Corporation. “It is the first housing development to be built in the tech park, and its ‘housing that works’ brand reflects its unique attributes that will serve the area’s workforce.” She added: “With Wininger and Smithville it is great to see two long-time family-owned Hoosier businesses partnering together to help advance the region with new opportunities.”
Jerrels noted that given the success of the $100 million WestGate@Crane Technology Park, recent emphasis on development grew to include new housing to attract and retain the professional workforce required for high-tech growth in the region.
“These new Westcott paired homes include the attributes that a professional technology workforce needs and desires, including the capacity of high-speed broadband that allows professionals to work remotely,” said John Mensch, President of the WestGate Authority and the Greene County Redevelopment Commission. “Wininger Construction has done an excellent job in matching the unique needs of our workforce market with a strategic and attractive solution.”
“With the WestGate@Crane Technology Park growing together with its relationship with Purdue@WestGate and NSWC Crane, new housing with built-in high-speed fiber connectivity is vitally important to support the critical workforce associated with these opportunities,” said Jeff Quyle, President and CEO of Radius Indiana. “This new venture in Greene County matches well with what was found to be needed in the recent housing and workforce studies.”
Jerrels said that the new development helps ramp up potential interest in amenities expansion in the region. “With the pandemic issues behind us, interest has picked up for expanded retail and restaurants in the region,” she explained. “We already have critical infrastructure like healthcare and fire safety in the region, so the region is becoming even more attractive.”
The connected home dimension adds an extra degree of quality of life that is attractive to young professionals, according to Paul Quick, Smithville President. “Many people today want to have the connected home options that high-speed internet enables, including smart home control and security, as well as the capacity to securely work from home when necessary,” he said.
“Many people and organizations have come together to support the Westcott development and we at Wininger are personally grateful for the outpouring of encouragement and help,” said Wininger. “We’re looking forward to truly building ’housing that works.’”
The Friday, October 21 public open house will take place from noon to 8 p.m. and will feature tours of the new homes, as well as special partner presentations, food trucks, refreshments, and entertainment.
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About Wininger Construction
Founded a century ago, Wininger Construction today represents a successful third generation builder and construction company. Wininger has developed and built many iconic and well-known residential neighborhoods in Bloomington, Monroe County, and elsewhere in southern Indiana. With its recognized commitment to the highest quality work, Wininger has built a reputation as one of the most respected and trusted builders in the region. For more information, please visit https://winingerconstruction.com/ and https://westcott-living.com/
About Smithville
Nationally recognized for more than a decade as a Top 100 Broadband Company, privately owned Smithville is Indiana’s largest independent telecom company with more than 200 employees. As a fifth-generation, family-owned business, Smithville has been committed to delivering fast and reliable connectivity and legendary service to its customers for over a century, celebrating its 100th year of operations in 2022. The company is well-known as an industry leader and community supporter for rural Indiana. In addition to its residential services, Smithville provides commercial fiber-based connectivity for businesses, university campuses, biotechnology companies, healthcare providers, government offices, residential centers, communities, and other entities, including the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park and the Purdue Research Park. The company currently serves about 23,000 businesses and residences in southern and central Indiana. For more information, please visit www.smithville.com.
About Greene County Economic Development
The Greene County Economic Development Corporation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for Greene County residents by fostering an environment that will create and retain jobs, increase the tax base and promote economic growth. GCEDC is committed to work cooperatively with residents, community leaders, and businesses to best serve the county’s needs, to position the county competitively for the retention, expansion and attraction of jobs and investments, to assist companies in the county to find the best location for their needs, to enhance awareness of our county’s assets, and to support local towns through development programs to help entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing businesses to succeed and grow in our county. For more information, please visit https://www.insidegreenecounty.com/
About the WestGate@Crane Technology Park
Now grown to a $100 million state-certified technology park with shared resources in Daviess, Greene and Martin counties, WestGate@Crane Technology Park serves the $2 billion NSWC Crane facility as well as several defense contractors and technology companies. The park has been home to Purdue@WestGate since 2017, a partnership with the Purdue Research Foundation that has established the WestGate Technology Hub, For more information, please visit https://westgatecrane.com/.
Media inquiries: Michael Snyder, MEK