Reynolds visits Elkader for look at housing revitalization project
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds stands outside The Brim coffee shop with Danielle and Caleb Shea, owners of Shea Properties, which was awarded $270,000 as part of Reynolds’ $20 million investment in Downtown Housing Revitalization projects.
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
Main Street Elkader (MSE) continues to produce results in its efforts to promote Elkader. Those latest efforts include being awarded a downtown housing grant as part of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ $20 million investment in Downtown Housing Revitalization projects. Reynolds visited the community on May 19, to get a first hand look at what the award will fund locally.
The focus on housing, according to Reynolds, is because “an adequate housing supply is the linchpin to attracting and retaining a healthy and flourishing workforce…The investments announced will not only provide 466 Iowans the opportunity to live near where they work, but they will breathe new life into dozens of underutilized facilities in our communities.”
Elkader’s winning project was the Shea property at 118 W. Bridge Street, owned by Danielle and Caleb Shea. According to the numbers, it was one of 61 projects out of 94 total applicants selected for the grant award in the amount of $270,000, which will come from the Downtown Housing Grant.
But before this stage in the process could be achieved, there was an “extensive local application process,” MSE Director Samantha Baumgartner said.
That process included two in-person presentation phases with the MSE selection board and an approval phase with the city council. In total, there were six local applications that sought approval, but it was this application and project that was selected due to what Baumgartner explained as its “vast green sustainable elements, multiple local partnerships, dedication to following appropriate preservation practices and the building owner’s desire to be a catalyst to ignite a downtown upper level housing movement that would help Elkader meet our housing needs while prioritizing preservation for our most valuable asset, our historic downtown buildings.”
What that means in real terms is a rehabilitation of the upper level of the building, which has been vacant for about nine years and has since deteriorated to the point of needing repairs. The project design is expected to include four, one-bedroom apartments with open floor concepts, while prioritizing historical preservation when possible. As for the “green features” that sold the project during the application phase, they include bike racks, motion detection lighting, LED systems and surface water management through exterior landscaping, as well as replacing the structure behind the building with a green space patio.
Additional benefits include relieving some of the city’s housing challenges due to geographic and limited options for expansion. In fact, MSE has inventoried downtown buildings and found that 62 percent of the upper level housing units are vacant or simply being used for storage due to the extensive nature of repairs necessary to revive them into quality living spaces. This highlights the importance of an Elkader project being awarded the grant because there is a need for revitalization efforts that could ease the housing burden.
Furthermore, there is an economic benefit associated with the renovation of housing units within walking distance of Main Street, downtown shops, restaurants and entertainment options. In information provided by Baumgartner, according to the 2019 Iowa State Retail Analysis, the annual retail spending per capita in Elkader was $12,574. If each new tenant spends the estimated $12,574 per year locally, this project would generate an additional $50,296 annually into the downtown economy while growing tax revenue.
As for the governor’s visit, while rain opened up during the brief walking tour, spirits were not dampened. Reynolds ventured to several locations, including Pedretti’s Bakery, the Elkader Opera House, The Brim and, of course, the Shea property, to get a first-hand glimpse of the impact the investment initiative and the project itself will have on the community.
Reynolds viewed the design renderings for the Shea property, which showcased the “after” images once the project is completed.
The visit also highlighted MSE’s other ventures and rehabilitation projects, discussing with the governor things like Art in the Park, the history of the Keystone Bridge and placemaking efforts like metal banners, flowers and Art in the Alley.
