Grant money could add two apartments to Williamsburg’s square

WILLIAMSBURG — Laura Sauser, with Iowa County Community Development, and Tracey Achenbach with East Central Iowa Council of Governments, asked the Williamsburg City Council last month to apply for a Community Development Block Grant Upper Story Conversion Grant for a local business owner.

The owner of the Casa Taquila building has a vacant second floor space he could turn into apartments if he had help financing the project, Sauser said.

The grant will only fund spaces that have been vacant for at least five years, said Sauser, and the space at 515 Court St. qualifies.

“It would not cost the city anything, said Achenbach, though the paperwork would take some of the city clerk’s time.

“I will provide all the paperwork,” Auchenbach said.

The property owner needs the city to apply for the grant because only local governments can apply. The city council will have to conduct a public hearing before applying for the grant.

If given the grant, the city would reimburse the property owner for expenses, Achenbach said.

The grant requires no local match.

“It would create two rental units in your community,” said Auchenbach.

The property owner would create two one-bedroom apartments in the 1,300 square foot upper floor. The apartments must be rented to low- or moderate-income individuals for the first three years in order to qualify for the grant.

A single person would have to make less than $52,850 to rent a unit, Auchenbach said.

The cost of construction would be about $226,000. That may not include engineering fees, said Auchenbach.

Sauser said they’d probably ask for a grant of $110,000, or about half.

Most of the upper floors on the Williamsburg square are occupied, said Sauser. “I only know of two others that are vacant,” she said, and the other property owners showed no interest in the grant.

City Manager Aaron Sandersfeld said he’d heard from a resident who was concerned about parking if more tenants live on the square.

The grant is a three-year grant, said Auchenbach. “It’s a very competitive program.”