Business View Magazine | October 2020

278 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020 for the development of fiber throughout their cooperative territory. Fiber optic lines are being installed, and there will be a hybrid, over-the-air and direct line access to that fiber accessibility. Another company, Watch Communications, has recently received federal credits to do a build- out in the southern areas of the County to get broadband accessibility to that section. And efforts are continuing to increase broadband capabilities throughout the County. Wells County continues to focus efforts on increasing accessibility to attainable housing products. Like most communities, single- family housing inventory is low; therefore, the communities in Wells County are having focused conversations with developers to fill that housing gap. “We do have a new single- family housing development going in just north of Bluffton in the smaller town of Ossian,” says Gerber. “And another we’re getting close on there. We’re also working on single-family opportunities in the Town of Markle, and we are seeing an uptick in new house builds throughout the county and in the urban areas of Ossian and Bluffton. We want to keep housing concentrated as much as possible so that our agricultural industry isn’t affected.” In July, ground was broken for a 180-unit, market-rate housing apartment complex in Bluffton. A recent update on the project indicates that all 10 buildings will likely be completed in 2021. “That’s one- and two-bedroom apartments,” says Mayor Whicker. “And we’re pretty excited about that project. Probably, the biggest challenge is the affordable housing piece we are missing. We have the upscale houses but affordable housing continues to be an issue. The other area we’ve invested in to help accommodate seniors is the Lilac Lane development in the south side of Bluffton. They have a pretty significant waiting list for senior apartments and, hopefully, they can move forward after the pandemic subsides. With those senior homes and the skilled nursing facilities, we’re blessed to have very high quality senior care in this community. Bluffton Regional