By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw

WARSAW — Union Station Lofts, transformed from the old Gatke property, is starting to fill up with its first tenants.

In just a matter of weeks, the apartments are now more than 45 percent occupied, according to Shelby Bowen, who is a partner of Bowen Capital, the developer.

[caption id="attachment_133108" align="alignright" width="400"] Union Station Lofts are at 501 S. McKinley St., in Warsaw. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

The 80 units include a view of Winona Lake from the fourth floor and a variety of amenities, including numerous large gathering spaces.

Rents range from about $1,200 for an efficiency to more than $2,000 for a two-bedroom unit. 

Floor plans are spacious, and the modern designs are highlighted with plenty of natural light from the many windows.

Union Station is the latest apartment project supported by the city as it works to meet the demand for housing amid a growing industrial base. 

Bowen said they're already starting to benefit from the arrival of Slate Auto, which plans to hire 2,000 people by the end of the year for its new electric pickup truck manufacturing facility on the west side of Warsaw.

Bowen was asked if Slate has become a factor.

“Slate's had an impact, they sure have,” Bowen said.

“We've had both people who have already been hired by Slate, and we've got prospects who have been interviewed and essentially are saying, ‘Hey, if I get the job, I want to rent a unit here.' ”

“I would say that's becoming even more frequent as each week goes by.

Community leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting Thursday afternoon.

Several people touted the development's accomplishments before the ribbon-cutting.

Peggy Simmons, CEO of Kosciusko County Economic Development, talked about how economic development efforts come together.

“Every successful community eventually learns the same lesson. If you want jobs, you need talent. If you want talent, you need housing. And if you want a thriving future, you must be willing to invest before the need becomes a crisis, and that's exactly what's happened here,” Simon said.

Former mayor Joe Thallemer made the addition of new housing a top priority during his administration.

“Housing is number one,” Thallemer told those who gathered for the ribbon cutting. 

The attraction of a quality workforce doesn't happen without housing, and the city has supported a variety of housing projects, Thallemer said.

“We're talking beautiful market-rate housing like this, single-family homes, senior housing, affordable housing. We've all worked very hard to meet the needs of our community. This is a crown jewel,” Thallemer said. 

“This building speaks for itself – hearing that it's 45 percent leased up at this point tells everyone here that this was the right thing to do,” Thallemer said.

The grand opening is another milestone for the city in its efforts to revitalize two abandoned properties.

Along with Gatke, the other is the old Arnolt property to the east on Durbinn Street, which opened two years ago after being developed into a 60-unit development known as the 2525 Apartments.

Jeremy Skinner, Director of Community and Economic Development for the city, was asked about those two long-term goals.

“Both had their own environmental issues, worked through both of them, whether it was Gatke or Arnolt. And then the end goal is to do the same thing with the Warsaw Chemical Properties. So that's kind of the next step for us,” Skinner said.

Bowen also said they are close to announcing the name of a restaurant and brewery that will occupy commercial space in the development.

Below are News Now Warsaw photos by Dan Spalding of the event.

[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="133104,133103,133105"]

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