progress COMMUNITY PART 1: C
Dave Ruble photo for the Press Finishing touches are being made to the nine-unit executive-style Sherman Creek Townhomes on the west side of Charles City. Multiple projects answer Charles City’s call for more housing, more variety
By Dave Ruble Special to the Press
force Housing Tax Credits. It also means Charles City also quali fi es for an additional $1 million in affordable housing credits for a second project down the line. Andrews said the program “will give de- velopers in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids incentive to do projects in other parts of the state.” Projects that have been in the works are also targeting various income levels, An- drews said, including professional, work- force and affordable housing. SHERMAN CREEK For the professional, fi nishing touches are being put on the Sherman Creek Town- homes project on the west side of town. The nine-unit executive-style townhouse development was developed by the Paul Rottinghaus family’s Carlinda Limited Partnership. “We’re doing this for the good of the community, said David Rottinghaus, who is part of the Carlinda partnership along with his father, Paul Rottinghaus, and sis- ters, Carolyn Debo and Lindsay Larson. While fences and fi nal landscaping will depend on the weather this spring, one unit is furnished for showing and appliances are being installed, according to Paul Rot- tinghaus. The units are roughly 2,600 square feet with four bedrooms and 3½ baths on three levels and offer high end amenities including double garages for young pro- fessionals moving into Charles City. “We’re hoping to attract not only pro- fessionals, but families, to have enough space for their children,” David Rotting- haus said, adding that Carlinda used local contractors in the construction. “We hope this project will trigger more entrepreneurial drive in the local com- munity to make their own investment in
The need for more housing in Charles City at all income levels has been well documented by the city and others. And while the city has bene fi ted from expansions at Cambrex, Zoetis and other businesses, the question of where those employees will live and whether that will be in the community has been an on-going concern. Charles City’s population has dropped about 3,000 from its record high of 10,309 in 1950, but family sizes are smaller, and the existing stock of homes was not meet- ing the need, according to City Adminis- trator Steve Diers. “We asked city employers why their workers were living elsewhere, and they said they couldn’t fi nd the housing they were looking for,” he said. “The need is everywhere, every city,” said Charles City Mayor Dean Andrews, co-chair of the city’s housing committee. “We have had some success.” While several projects have been in the works, the designation of Charles City as an Iowa Thriving Community has given a boost to the city’s efforts. The grant program by the Iowa Finance Authority and Iowa Economic Develop- ment Authority is designed to encourage housing development. In the fall of 2023, Charles City was announced as among the fi rst 11 Iowa cities to earn the designation. While the application for the designa- tion was a joint effort between the city of Charles City and Charles City Area Devel- opment Corp., many area groups and busi- nesses, from NIACC to NIACOG, con- tributed to the application process through sharing resources, technical help or letters of support. The CCADC has already committed to give $572,400 in land toward an apartment complex project and the city has commit- ted to $375,000 in infrastructure expenses, but the “thriving communities” designation will sweeten the deal further by qualifying the project for up to $1 million in Work-
Dave Ruble photo for the Press Custom cabinets and a large island are featured in the Sherman Creek Townhomes.
Charles City,” he said. BLOOMFIELD ACRES
housing development project for more than a year, and the pieces are falling into place. The city acquired property for the proj- ect in a trade deal with the Floyd County
Medical Center that vacated part of 13th Street by the Medical Center and gave that property to the FCMC. HOUSING , turn to page C2
The city has been working with Kading Properties/Bloom fi eld Acres on a major
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