PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WTHR) - Greenwood city leaders are still waiting to find out if Amazon will build a new warehouse along Allen Avenue. It's an investment that could bring 1,200 jobs to the area that pay $15 an hour.
It's an opportunity many communities would love to land, but it does come with its own challenges, as Plainfield leaders know.
Plainfield has 50 percent of all warehouse jobs in central Indiana. The employers include Amazon, Walmart and Foxconn.
The sprawling industrial complex on the east side of town is the economic engine that now drives Plainfield.
Town Council President Robin Brangard said, "I've never seen it where residential, industrial and commercial (development) are growing at the same time. And the town government is growing to keep up."
He said thanks to the explosion in warehouses, Plainfield now has 45-million-square-feet under roof, which has become a "job generator," for Plainfield and beyond.
Consider this...Brangard said roughly 34,000 people live in Plainfield, while 18,000 travel there nearly every day for jobs that pay $13 an hour and up.
"If we want to grow the town and give amenities and keep taxes low, we need big businesses to help offset the cost of that," he said, noting that Plainfield has used tax abatements and TIF districts to draw those businesses.
The challenge is filling those jobs.
Help wanted signs are everywhere. Brangard there are to 2,000 openings on any given day.
He said workers not only come from the surrounding counties, but some commute from away as Illinois. Still, there's a labor shortage.
One issue? The need for affordable housing options, of which he said, "they can't build fast enough."
Another issue? Transportation. Plainfield doesn't have public transportation. IndyGo stops at the Marion-Hendricks county line.
Tanya Gilbert, who lives in Indianapolis, said she loves her warehouse job in Plainfield.
"It's a good job. I'm making decent money. Yeah, it's good," she said.
But she said getting to work can take two-and-a-half hours. She takes IndyGo to the the Bridgeport stop at the county line. Then she boards a "connector," or shuttle bus, to the industrial area. Plainfield began the service about five years ago after creating an economic improvement district to pay for it.
Gilbert said, "it's transportation that's the problem. We got to catch three buses to (get to work) and get up early in the morning, but there are opportunities here, a lot of jobs."
Brangard hopes to see a transit referendum on the ballot next fall. It it passes, it would extend IndyGo service into Plainfield.
"It's very important for businesses to get people out here to work, but we also want a transit system throughout town," he said.
And there are other changes afoot, including plans to redevelop a portion of downtown.
Brangard said developers have already optioned to buy several properties off Main Street for mixed-use development - residential and retail with a parking garage.
There are also plans for a larger town hall and performing arts center.
Tabatha Starr, who's owned the Real Food Shoppe on Main Street for three years, said "We're being affected by change. We're having to move our business."
She said that's OK. She's also moving into a larger space, but adds it could be hard for others because "there are limited places to go for small business owners in Plainfield."
She said she gets it. Plainfield is growing rapidly.
"I will be talking to customers about the things that bring them here and it's the amenities," she said. "Plainfield has a nice aquatic center (for one) and that's been helped by the industrial district."
Starr said while she likes the jobs and tax revenue Amazon and the other big employers bring, she just wants to make sure that a good portion of old Plainfield is preserved and remains the center of community.