“We need housing, and we need it everywhere.” Those words were spoken by Manitowoc Community Development Director Adam Tegen during a visit to WOMT’s Be My Guest on Tuesday.
He says the city completed a city assessment study last fall that one section of the market is “getting squeezed.”
“… because there’s a lack on the low-end and the high-end, it’s putting a lot of pressure on the middle of the market. We’re trying to target those two ends of the spectrum, trying to find ways to get affordable senior housing units into the community.”
He offered one possibility, “Whether it’s local seniors that are moving into those units which then frees up new single-family homes or existing single-family homes for other families to move into …”
The city has also launched what is being called the downtown residential grant.
“That is intended to be city-matching funds up to $50,000 to help rehabilitate downtown residential units. If you have a two-story unit downtown, a commercial downstairs and nothing upstairs, that grant would help remove barriers to help make that upstairs viable for residential again.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Justin Nickels says they’ve agreed, in principle, with Mike Howe Builders of Manitowoc to build 34 single family homes off Reed Avenue near the city zoo.
“It would be a private development, so private roads, condo association-type setup. The need is there for that type of housing. That would me market-rate housing as well.” Mayor Nickels added that it is a “… beautiful area, and really would take huge advantage of that space where the old Memorial Hospital was.”
Adam Tegen added that their primary goal is trying to attract as many housing developers as possible. He is also optimistic about adding more housing in the River Point District, formerly the CN Peninsula.
