The Mount Vernon City Council approved an agreement with Community Housing Initiative or $395,000 to build a 30-unit low to moderate income housing development along Glenn Street in Mount Vernon.
The city, as part of the agreement, is also responsible for constructing the roads and connections of utilities to the Cottonwood Trail Apartments. That road will extend from the current Glenn Street S.E. and eventually connect to Business 30 in an area southwest of Saint John’s the Baptist Catholic Church.
Earlier in the meeting, the council also approved rezoning property in the Stoner Plaza 10th Addition from general commercial to mixed use corridor.
City administrator Chris Nosbisch said the city has been working on this low to moderate income housing addition for four years, and this rezoning and work with a developer is closer to making that a reality.
“It has been a long time coming,” agreed city council member Scott Rose.
Nosbisch said this project has moved forward because of tax incentives available to CHI Housing.
When originally proposed, the building would have allowed up to 45 units, but the state’s evaluation of the needs in Mount Vernon determined 30 was the maximum needed for a senior housing project of this sort.
“It’s not that the housing isn’t needed in this area, it’s more because our population relocates to Iowa City, Cedar Rapids or other locations because we don’t have this type of housing available here,” Nosbisch said.
Ahlers and Cooney will work with CHI on a completed project. The city’s agreement for infrastructure to be put in place was needed for the project to progress, and construction is slated to occur beginning this spring on the housing complex.
The LMI housing initiative was something the Mount Vernon Housing Commission recognized as a need for the community and gave their advice several years ago on developing a plan.
The project is also one of the first to be completed in the Business 30 bypass development zone since that overlay district was created.