ATLANTIC, IOWA – Affordable housing in southwest Iowa recently got a boost from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. A grant administered by Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) will provide $300,000 to renovate and add four upper-story housing units in the City of Atlantic.

The project will include a complete interior overhaul of the second level of the building at 300 Chestnut Street in Atlantic. The renovation will add four new one and two-bedroom rental units in the heart of downtown. The Whitney Development Corporation of Atlantic owns the building. The group, which has completed other projects such as the Whitney Hotel restoration, was formed in 2018 for the purpose of funding community development projects in Atlantic and Cass County.

Other communities approved for SWIPCO grants include:

• $200,000 to renovate and update two upper-story housing units in the City of Clarinda. The Downtown Housing Grant is funded with State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The project will include a complete interior overhaul of the second story space at 115 E Main Street, and will provide two of the only quality, updated rental units near the city center. Transforming this underutilized space into residential units will help to highlight the potential for improved quality of affordable living in downtown Clarinda.
• (SWIPCO) will provide $200,000 to renovate and add two upper-story housing units in the City of Glenwood.  The project will include a complete interior overhaul of the second and third stories of the historic Hinchman Building on the Glenwood city square. The renovation will include two fully furnished two-bedroom, two-bath residential units. Major components of the project will include bringing electrical and plumbing services up to code as well as installing high efficiency HVAC and updated duct work.
• (SWIPCO) will provide $100,000 to renovate and update two upper-story housing units in the City of Stanton. The project will include an interior overhaul of unfinished second story space in the property at 312 Broad Avenue, along with exterior improvements such as brick tuckpointing, the addition of concrete parking stalls, and deck construction to add outdoor living space.
• (SWIPCO) will provide $178,984 to renovate and add two upper-story housing units in the City of Logan. The project will include a complete interior overhaul of the second level of the building at 307 E 7^th Street in Logan. Boarded windows will be reopened, and a new stairwell built to provide a secure, main street entrance to the residential units. In addition to two more one-bedroom, one-bath housing units, the renovation brings new economic activity in town. While the upper story has been vacant for many years, the building’s main level will soon house an expansion of Logan Flours, an existing local bakery. The project’s total cost is estimated to be just under $240,000 with $60,000 in private dollars in addition to the Downtown Housing Grant. The grant is funded with State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

SWIPCO routinely provides grant writing and administration services to its member communities in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby Counties and has brought over $100 million in grants to the region in the last two years alone.