Developers looking at MP to build rental housing

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

More rental housing could be coming to Mt. Pleasant in the near future, city officials said during Wednesday evening?s Mt. Pleasant City Council meeting.

?We have been in contact with four firms on multi-million housing developments for Mt. Pleasant,? announced City Administrator Brent Schleisman. ?The state legislature has passed (property) tax abatement programs (up to 10 years and up to 100 percent abatement, with the respective city making the final decision) for housing development.

?There is also more federal money available for these types of projects,? Schleisman continued. ?Hopefully, that will fill a need in the community and so what it is intended to do and that is spur development.?

Schleisman?s comments came after the council passed a motion directing city staff to amend Mt. Pleasant?s urban revitalization program, making it more friendly toward housing developments.

Mayor Steve Brimhall noted that the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance recently conducted a survey on housing needs and availability and followed up the survey with a housing forum.

?We could be a little ahead of the game,? Brimhall noted. ?Wee do need housing and people. If you drive around the city, you see ?help wanted? signs all over so we need workers. This is a big deal.?

Main Street Mt. Pleasant Director Lisa Oetken told the council that cities can apply for two housing development projects, each of which could bring $3 million to the city. ?That?s six million dollars for Mt. Pleasant,? she said.

Iowa Code Chapter 404, according to Oeken, authorizes a city to designate an urban revitalization zone in an area in which there is a predominance of buildings or improvements, which by reason of age, history, architecture of significance should be preserved to productive use.

?Experience has led Main Street Mt. Pleasant staff and board members to believe such an abatement is necessary if some of our largest downtown buildings are to be restored,? she said. ?Matching the revitalization zone?s borders to those of the Main Street district seems to us both the most fair and most targeted approach.?

Henry County recently was approached by a group wishing to purchase county-owned land to build a 30-unit senior citizen apartment complex and 15 senior citizen cottage-style housing. The land is located near Hy-Vee in Mt. Pleasant.

In other business, the city passed a resolution supporting an election for local option sales and service tax. The city, along with the county, is sponsoring the resolution for LOST funds. The current LOST tax expires on Dec. 31, 2015. The city has had the tax for nearly 20 years.

The measure will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot and be effective Jan. 1, 2016. Mt. Pleasant intends to use its portion of the proceeds for capital improvements and there is no sunset clause in the resolution.

?We need it, but some of the small towns need it a lot worse than us,? Brimhall said. ?If they do not get the money, they would have to borrow money which would raise (property) taxes.?

Proceeds from LOST have funded the Mt. Pleasant Aquatic Center, reconstruction of Grand Avenue and Washington Street and sewer improvements.

Jean C. Wiley and Sons was awarded a $54,856 contract to build an new restroom complex at the softball fields at East Lake Park. The new complex will double the current capacity, city staff said. T.D. Carpentry also bid on the project, submitting a figure of $55,000.

Work is set to begin soon with completion by Oct. 31.

In remaining business, Brimhall thanked officials and prisoners at the Iowa Correctional Facility in Mt. Pleasant for restoring 13 park benches removed from Central Park. The benches will be used on the bike tails and at other city parks. He said people from the correctional facility also will be replacing Christmas lights for Midwest Old Threshers.

Council members meet again in regular session Wednesday, Aug. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.