Governor Eric Holcomb is confident transit-oriented development will pay off for Northwest Indiana in the long-run. "If I were to envision or imagine what it would be like in 10 years, the sky really is the limit," Holcomb said during Monday's Northwest Indiana Business and Industry Hall of Fame luncheon hosted by the Times and In Business.
During a conversation with Lee Enterprises News Director Marc Chase, the governor said the key to the Region's success will be unity. "There's no other part of our state that really has the total package in their grasp or in reach," Holcomb added.
The governor also touted the state's Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, telling reporters after the event that the program is providing a big boost to housing development in the state. "This is one of the biggest areas that we really need to concentrate as a state is to have housing available. And so we did a number of things, but READI — nothing more significant than another round."
He noted that Northwest Indiana is also using READI to help invest in athletic facilities and outdoor recreation. "So often, it's the outdoor amenities, the cultural attractions, that are pulling people into communities where they want to live," Holcomb added, "and so it really is exciting to see all those critical pieces of the puzzle being addressed in a partnership approach."
Holcomb acknowledges that some of the bills he recently signed into law — like a gender-affirming care ban — could make some families opt against moving to Indiana. But, given recent numbers, he doesn't think that's likely.
"Indiana, in terms of our capital investment, in terms of our population, in terms of our employment — we're all north of the national average on all three of those fronts. And that means we have the strongest momentum, and that's what I seek to continue," he said.
During the even, Holcomb said he'd run for a third term, if he wasn't term-limited. "The amount of good that you can do on a day-in-day-out basis is enormous, and so, I will miss that," Holcomb told Chase. "However, having said that, I know what the constitution says, and I happen to agree with it."
Holcomb said he doesn't know what he'll do next, after leaving the governor's office.