Charles City housing task force attends state-wide conference

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Charles City representatives spent last week networking with potential developers to encourage new housing developments for the community.

Last month, Charles City was designated by the Iowa Finance Authority and Iowa Economic Development Authority as a “Thriving Community,” qualifying the city for a newly established grant program that offers significant tax credits for housing development projects.

To take advantage of their new status, Mayor Dean Andrews, Housing Task Force co-chair Emily Garden, Housing Director Katie Nolte, Marking & Tourism Director Ginger Williams, and City Administrator Steve Diers spent time last week in Cedar Rapids at the annual HousingIowa Conference.

“I thought it went really well,” said Andrews. “We talked to a lot of people about our projects.”

Hosted by the Iowa Finance Authority, the conference was an opportunity for the city representatives to network with developers that may be interested in taking on a new project. With fall approaching, current development projects are wrapping up and developers will soon start looking new projects to start next year. By making these contacts, the housing committee hopes to attract the attention of a developer that aligns with the city’s goals.

“The beauty of the networking time is that we were really able to share why Charles City is unique,” said Garden.

One advantage Charles City has is that there is already a site planned for development. The Charles City Area Development Corp. has committed a plot of land that they hope can be used to build an apartment complex. With the CCADC willing to donate the land and up to a million dollars in tax credits available for workforce housing, it is hoped that the project will be attractive to potential developers.

The housing conference also served as a way to meet with people from other communities to compare notes on how they are dealing with their own housing shortages. From establishing revolving loan programs to getting local banks and employers involved, communities are trying many different ways to encourage development, the Charles City group said.

“We’re all having similar struggles with housing,” said Diers.

The conference also provided the task force with connections to the USDA and other state and federal agencies, providing information about other resources available to address housing needs, such as grant funding for homeowners in the community to do renovations on their properties.

“We have options for all of the things that we’re talking about,” said Garden. “We have great support options for things that we weren’t necessarily aware of.”

With the conference over, the task force will be meeting this week to discuss the next steps in preparing the city to court an eventual developer along with the best ways to share information about grant programs with the community.

In the meantime, the conference served to emphasize how housing is foundational to the success of a community and the importance of being proactive in developing and maintaining housing stock.

“It was a good reminder over and over again that this is not a temporary project,” said Garden. “This is going to have lasting effects on our community.”