Charles City continues work on new housing opportunities

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Housing was again a topic of discussion this week, at the Charles City Area Development Corp.’s monthly meeting.

Charles City Administrator Steve Diers gave an update on the Iowa Thriving Community Program and the HousingIowa Conference that he, Mayor Dean Andrews and others from Charles City attended recently.

He said they made a lot of connections and talked to people about different aspects of housing, including with a group of developers who build single-family homes.

One of the things they learned is that the workforce housing tax credits and low income tax credits can be used anywhere in the community – they are not site specific, Diers said.

The city’s Housing Task Force has talked about a piece of land in the Southwest Development Park that the CCADC has agreed to donate for a potential apartment complex, and the city has also talked about potentially renovating the closed Cedar Health care center for apartments, or demolishing it and putting a new project there.

“But it could be other areas as well,” Diers said.

“I think options are almost unlimited and we just need to further those discussions. We made some connections. We’ve been working with IFA (Iowa Finance Authority) staff down there on some different ideas, so I guess things are in the works,” Diers said, although he added, “we don’t have a developer coming tomorrow.”

Mayor Andrews said property that the Floyd County Medical Center owns west of the hospital could be a great place for a single family home development, with room for as many as 24 houses in that area.

It would be right across 11th Street from other residential property, “so it would be an ideal place to have another development,” Andrews said.

The medical center isn’t currently looking to expand in that direction, he said, so “we’re also talking with the hospital.”

Also at the CCADC meeting Wednesday morning:

• CCADC Executive Director Tim Fox reported that a recent training and workforce development seminar put on by North Iowa Area Community College “was excellent,” including information on the state’s Industrial New Jobs Training Program, Iowa Jobs Training Program and Workforce Training and Economic Development program.
Participating companies were Cambrex, Valero, ZIPS, Comp Systems and Pure Prairie Poultry.

“NIACC can design virtually any training programs that you need,” Fox said. “We just need to get our businesses to avail themselves of those opportunities.”

• The board approved a $20,625 60-month low interest business loan for Aces Bar and Grill in Rockford, to pay for air-conditioning and fire suppression equipment and $5,000 for working capital.
“They’re actually in business already and doing quite well,” Fox said. “The community loves their pizza.”

• Fox reminded everyone the group’s Business Plan Competition deadline is 4:30 p.m. Oct. 16, with a $5,500 first place prize and a $2,500 second-place prize. Residents of Floyd County or Nashua who are seeking to start a business or enter a new phase of an existing business are eligible.
Interested persons should contact Fox at the CCADC office, 401 N. Main St., Charles City, telephone 641-228-3020 ext. 13, or by email to tfox@charlescityia.com. He will provide the list of required business plan components as well as mutually formulate an action plan.