LEBANON — The LEAP District, which stands for Limitless Exploration Advanced Pace, is no stranger to controversy.
A water pipeline proposed to run from Lafayette to Boone County had many people in Tippecanoe County concerned about what the future holds for their community. These concerns lead the Indiana Finance Authority to take over a water study.
Despite the controversy, Eli Lilly is still investing in the 9,000-acre district.
On Wednesday, they announced they are investing $4.5 billion to build a research facility. They say the expansion will establish the Lilly Medicine Foundry.
PREVIOUS | Eli Lilly announces $4.5 billion investment in Lebanon LEAP district facility (wrtv.com)
The facility will be a new center for drug development and advanced manufacturing and will allow Lilly to develop and efficiently manufacture a wide range of molecular therapies, including small molecules, biologics, and nucleic acid therapies. It will also create 400 new jobs.
WATCH | Proposed water pipeline prompts concern
"It will enable us to address drug shortages and enhance the overall drug manufacturing process by discovering new ways to improve the efficiency, the quality, and the environmental impact of medicine production itself,” Daniel Skovronsky, the chief scientific and medical officer of Eli Lilly, said.
However, residents of Lebanon are concerned about how fast the site is developing. They don’t have a problem with Eli Lily, but how the IEDC has handled communication with people who live near the site.
“We are not anti-development,” Brian Daggy, with the Boone County Preservation Group, said. “We recognize the jobs and good things that this will bring. But they have not done enough planning and they certainly shouldn't let a state quasi-governmental agency lead this."
Daggy has lived in Boone County for about three years. He and his wife moved to the county and their current home to retire.
He lives just over the line of another property that was purchased as a part of the project. That property was annexed into the city as well. He says that the property has now sat vacant for months with no communication from the IEDC on how the property behind him will be used, or how his property could be impacted in the future.
"For the longest time, we weren't told what was going on,” Daggy said. “The community as a whole didn't know what was going on, the county commissioners didn't know what was going on."
He, along with other residents, created the Boone County Preservation Group. Their goal is to have more transparency from the IEDC.
Many are not sure if they should invest in their properties or not, mainly because they don’t know if the LEAP District will expand more in the future.
"What do you do now if you want to add improvements to the home,” questioned Daggy. “Do you do that not knowing what's going to happen? That's certainly a concern for the local people here."
Daggy would like to see the next governor and legislature look into it and release the entire plan to the public.
As for the water issue, city officials in Lebanon feel they have a solution. They agreed with Citizens Energy to sufficiently supply water to the district and the city as it grows — an agreement some political action groups have a concern over.
To read more about Eli Lilly’s investments in the district, click here.
