ALEXANDRIA — The City of Alexandria recently received funding to move forward with a large-scale senior housing and grocery store project in the heart of downtown.
The project is now waiting on a grocery store to agree to take over the old Cox Supermarket location before it can take the next step of planning. The plan, which was submitted by the city and Milestone Venture, will feature seniors living above a grocery store. The store will be open to the public and will bring another grocery option to downtown Alexandria.
A Harvest Market is presently the only grocery store downtown.
Warren Brown, Alexandria's economic development director, said this is a project that is unique to Indiana and perhaps the country.
"I know for a fact this is the only project like this in Indiana," Brown said. "Using this type of funding for this kind of project, I don't think it's been done before."
It might seem odd to put senior housing above a grocery store but recent trends show companies are getting more creative in where they are putting senior living, especially as more of the baby boomer population retires and becomes unable to live independently.
Adding affordable housing along with the grocery store also allowed the city to receive the tax certificate affordable housing certificate from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Brown said IHCDA has approved as much as $7.4 million for the project.
Brown said he thinks putting an affordable senior housing community in downtown Alexandria will bring more traffic downtown and will be a first step to a "vibrant downtown."
Other communities are trying to do the same thing with senior housing. Anderson recently opened up affordable, apartment-style living communities for seniors above the Anderson YMCA.
The bonus for the community is it keeps older residents in the downtown area, thus keeping their dollars in local stores and restaurants. The semi-independent living also allows for senior citizens to continue to lead active lives, which improves the overall health of the community.
Alexandria officials are hoping that manifests itself in their city as well. Mayor Jack Woods called the project a "big deal" for the city.
Brown said a market study for the proposed grocery store is currently underway and the city is in discussions with four different grocery store companies. He said construction could begin as early as January.