OTTUMWA —
A financial incentive helped the city attract a local development company to revive a downtown building.
After the city received no proposals to redevelop the building at 117 and 119 E. Main St. last year, they banded together with Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation to provide up to $100,000 to reimburse a company's expenditures for a new roof and other improvements on the building.
Parkview Plaza, Inc., directed by the Schwartz family, of Ottumwa, was the only company to submit a proposal. The City Council will discuss the proposal at its meeting tonight.
"We look forward to the fact that the structure can be saved," said Planning and Development Director Dave Shafer. "It's a key structure within the middle of the block. It's a great project and it'll be placed back on the tax rolls."
The city-owned building is a financial liability, Shafer previously said, which the city had at one point considered simply demolishing.
Parkview will accept the property in its "as is" condition and will repair the roof "from weather and animals," as well as improve the first floor to be used as a retail space.
"The roof is a problem," Shafer said. "They also plan on razing or demolishing the rear portion of the building. If you look at it, there's a section that is toward the alley, a little over 100 feet, that they'll demolish because it's structurally so poor from the roof all the way down through."
And if the city is awarded grant funds through the CDBG adaptive re-use application it sent in February, Parkview will also be required to construct four to six apartments on the second and third floors of the building within three years.
ORLF CEO and president Brad Little previously said the city did not receive the initial CDBG adaptive re-use grant last summer in part due to the deteriorating building.
“It was by far, of all the buildings we included in that application, off the chart in terms of cost per square foot to renovate it,” Little previously said. “The building’s in deplorable condition, so it got us thinking about how might we help.
“Once the roofs start leaking, that leads to all kinds of other problems. Over the years the leaking roofs, the lack of doing anything in terms of preventive maintenance, has taken its toll on these buildings so now the problem has become structural. It’s no longer cosmetic-type fixes. It’s structural, and it’s expensive.”
Parkview is most noted for its redevelopment of the Hofmann building, "one of their large, very visible projects they completed as developers," Shafer said.
The council will also receive a report from Little regarding River Hills Community Health Center.
The council will meet at 6:30 p.m. tonight in council chambers at City Hall. The meeting will air live on GO-TV, cable channel 6.
Ottumwa
Financial incentive draws development company to revamp downtown building
- Ottumwa
-
-
Staff eager for swimmers Beach Ottumwa improvements
OTTUMWA — When kids talk about the last weeks of school, one subject that often comes up is The Beach Ottumwa. It'll be ready soon, said employees. On Friday, the maintenance staff was installing the fountain heads that shoot water straight up at the
-
Community gardens gain ground
OTTUMWA -- In just one month, community gardens have begun to sprout north of Ottumwa. So far, the gardens near the Ottumwa Industrial Park feature 12 raised beds, compost and a compost tumbler, a pallet bench, three oversized tires that will contain
-
Severe weather returns to forecast
OTTUMWA — The National Weather Service believes severe weather could return to Iowa this weekend. The storms are expected to arrive late in the weekend and could extend into the next work week. Meteorologist Kurt Kotenberg said Sunday and Monday have
-
Health clinic in Ottumwa joins Mercy Medical
OTTUMWA — Though their future was uncertain, two local health care practices will continue without any interruption in services to patients and will remain at their current locations in Ottumwa. Ottumwa Internal Medicine North and Ottumwa Family Prac
-
Correctional facility will finally open in Ottumwa
OTTUMWA — It won’t be empty anymore. The “new” Ottumwa Residential Treatment Facility, a type of correctional facility, will be open and fully operational next year, reports Iowa Rep. Mary Gaskill. Last year, the building was up, but the Department o
- Remote testimony likely in Ward trial OTTUMWA – Attorneys for former Ottumwa Transit Administration director Pam Ward say they anticipate calling a witness who won't be in the courtroom, and prosecutors say they have no objections. Court documents filed in the case show the defense wants
-
Foundation's gift will change Ottumwa classrooms
OTTUMWA — It would take an investment annually until the year 2020 to get all the computers and training the Ottumwa school district wants. A gift just cut that wait in half. Monday, the Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation announced during a joint pre
-
Savoring sweets to save lives
Evans Middle School student council members dished out ice cream Monday afternoon in an effort to raise funds to place smoke detectors in Wapello County homes.
-
Smoke alarms credited with saving lives
OTTUMWA -- The importance of working smoke detectors was evident after a fire destroyed an Ottumwa family's home on Friday. Four adults and three children were uninjured in a blaze that ruined their home at 621 S. Sheridan Ave. at 5:51 p.m. Friday. Deputy Fire Chief Cory Benge said the house is "pretty much a total loss."
-
Hearsay won't appear in Ward trial, U.S. Attorney says
Despite defense concerns, the U.S. Attorney's office says it doesn't plan on using hearsay testimony in its case against Pam Ward, according to court documents filed Monday.
- More Ottumwa Headlines
-
Staff eager for swimmers Beach Ottumwa improvements
