WARSAW — With a successful crowdfunding campaign, the City of Warsaw could soon turn an empty alley into a downtown destination. The campaign, sponsored by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and offered through the crowdfunding platform developed by Patronicity would create a new vibrant space in Kosciusko County.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by May 5, the Warsaw alley will win a matching grant from IHCDA’s CreatINg Places program.

Click here for more information about the project and to donate.

“We are excited to support Warsaw on this creative, placemaking project,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, board chair for IHCDA. “This type of place-based community revitalization is exactly what is needed to create an Indiana with a quality of life for all Hoosiers to live in the communities of their choice.”

The project idea came from input from the community about the need for an inviting cultural space in the downtown area. Thanks to that input, the city plans to add public art, bike parking, outdoor seating, public wifi, greenspace and other design elements to enhance the alleyway to create a public space Warsaw can be proud of.

“Warsaw is a city on the rise,” said Rob Parker, President and CEO of the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce. “However, there are few places for the public to gather and mingle in public spaces in the downtown. The Alley Project will address this specific need as well as incorporate bicycle parking that will create an environment that is conducive for people to participate in active transportation, a fast growing trend in our community. We believe this project will create a vibrancy to the downtown that will benefit everyone in our community.”

CreatINg Places employs a donation and reward-based method of crowdfunding called “crowdgranting”. In crowdgranting, citizens actively support projects and activities through web-based donations which, if the fundraising goal is reached within a set time, are matched by a sponsor.

The CreatINg Places program is available to projects located in Indiana communities or neighborhoods which contain a traditional downtown or traditional neighborhood commercial node.