New Allen Alliance
In September 2018, East Allen’s Rural Revival Regional Development Plan was submitted to the State. This plan outlines a bold vision to improve quality of place in all seven of East Allen’s Communities. Proposed projects will help connect people to places within the rural areas: think downtowns, parks, trails and housing developments, in addition to capitalizing on the industrial growth opportunities of the region’s transportation assets. 
The region’s vision is to grow population by enhancing the livability of rural areas, which will attract and retain a talented workforce that benefits all of Allen County and Northeast Indiana. The proposed portfolio outlines a total of $64 million in projects to be implemented from 2019 – 2022. Over $17 million in projects that are being proposed for support through the Indiana Regional Stellar Communities program (total costs for the list below). The remaining $47 million in projects are considered complementary to the Stellar request.
Indiana Regional Stellar Community designation unlocks access to a set-aside of funds. Amounts set aside by the state for each region includes: $4.5M in Community Development Block Grants, $2M in Federal Transportation funds, $35,000 in Rural Health funds, and up to $800,000 in affordable housing tax credits which can typically finance a $8 - $10M project. Projects currently proposed for Stellar funding include:
- East Allen County Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation
- Healthy Eating Active Living Kitchen Classes
- Grabill Downtown Streetscape Project
- Leo-Cedarville Downtown Streetscape Project
- Monroeville Forest Street Sidewalk Project
- Monroeville Monroe Street Corridor Project
- New Haven Meadowbrook Trail Project
- New Haven Community Center Park Project
- New Haven Kady Gene Cove Senior Housing Project
- Woodburn Sidewalk Improvements Project
- Woodburn Downtown Streetscape Project – Phase 2
These projects are being supported by a number of sources in addition to the cities and towns, such as the Allen County Commissioners, Allen County Council, the Allen County-Fort Wayne Capital Improvement Board, Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council, Brightpoint, local housing developers Keller Development and Niemeyer Builders, the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, and Parkview Health. Each community has local volunteers from their chambers of commerce, Main Street organizations, and local foundations that stand ready to support the success of the effort.
A video about the initiative and a copy of the regional development plan can be accessed on New Allen’s website at www.newallenalliance.net.
