RICHMOND, Ind. — It's been almost a year since a massive warehouse fire in Richmond, Indiana, caused black smoke to fill the skies for days.
The EPA started cleanup there in November. But as the city moves forward with that process, it's also working to revitalize the city itself to attract new people.
Richmond is a city with roughly 36,000 people that sits on the eastern edge of Indiana near the Ohio border.
"There's no greater community to live in," said Roxie Deer.
It's a community with a small-town feel, diverse population and rich history. Now, the city is looking to expand and compete with bigger cities.
"People are going to feel a difference downtown. It's not just going to look different, it's going to feel different," said Dakota Collins, director of community relations for Earlham College in Richmond.
The project is called "Revitalize Richmond." City leaders have set a goal to improve the once thriving downtown area to become more attractive to potential residents – like graduates of Earlham College.
"Downtown Richmond has been struggling for awhile, but a lot of dedicated people have been working on its revitalization for a long time," Collins said.
This revitalization has three main focus points: improved transit options, more outdoor activities and more places to live downtown.
"It will be 150 units of market-rate housing that will be something new that we don't have here. We currently have a 1% vacancy rate for apartments here in the community," said Beth Fields, director of strategic initiatives for Richmond.
Fields said the city is working with local nonprofits to restore old historical storefronts and businesses downtown into apartments.
"We remodeled the second and third floors into beautiful living spaces and there will be space downstairs for entrepreneurs to move in," said Roxie Deer with Richmond Neighborhood Restoration.
The Lilly Endowment Foundation recently awarded Earlham College a $25 million grant to help revitalize the city.
"That's where they want to live and if they're going to come back home, if they're going to build a life here, they want to be able to live downtown, have the amenities nearby, and that's what we're trying to provide," Collins said.
Nick Arbogast is working to transform an old storefront he recently purchased into a new ax throwing entertainment spot.
"We got I-70 right here, but not a lot of people stop here. They're either going to Indianapolis or Dayton, so we kind of want to be one of those spots," Arbogast said. "Stop here, check us out, we'll show you a good time."
It's a city working towards becoming the new destination spot here in the Hoosier state.
"We have synergy here and we really have organizations collaborating and working together for the greater good. We have a shared vision that we're trying to achieve and we're all working towards that shared vision," Fields said.
Richmond is also getting $83 million in matching funds from community partners that will go towards the revitalization project.