Daviess Co. approves agreement with USTF to develop county-owned property at WestGate@Crane

September 8, 2025

Odon, Ind. – Daviess County leaders recently signed a real estate agreement that will authorize the Uplands Science and Technology Foundation to lead real estate development and negotiations on county-owned land near the WestGate Technology Park. 

The agreement was signed by the Daviess County Commissioners Aug. 26 and also approved by the Daviess County Redevelopment Commission. The Daviess County Economic Development Foundation is also included in the agreement. 

Bryant Niehoff, CEO of USTF, said the purpose of the agreement is to streamline the development process, both for private sector partners and the county.

“With property that is owned by public entities, there are a lot of steps that need to be taken,” he said. “This process can be especially layered with several jurisdictions coming together at WestGate@Crane, and this agreement helps simplify that.”

Daviess is one of three counties that own land in the area that is now WestGate@Crane. Niehoff said having a real estate agreement with the public entities was included in the WestGate@Crane Master Plan Development, which was created to “develop a roadmap for governance and project implementation at WestGate.”

In the four years since USTF was established to lead the park’s long-term strategy and growth, development at WestGate has accelerated at a rapid pace.

Last month, Amentum broke ground on its new Radiation Combined Environment Test Facility, a partnership with Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane that will play a critical role in advancing microelectronics efficacy for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Kratos Defense & Security Systems is building a $50 million facility to support hypersonics launch programs. According to information from Kratos, the facility is expected to reach operational readiness by the end of 2026 and will create more than 100  jobs with an average annual wage exceeding $80,000.

Going forward, Niehoff said the agreement will be beneficial for Daviess County and potential site developers. 

“It doesn’t change what the county receives from the sale of the property,” Niehoff said. “This agreement puts USTF in the operational capacity to work directly with the end user while building in the separation that the county needs.”