It was found that most of the housing then in existence was built prior to 1960, according to Vickie Reeck, the city’s community and economic development director.

It was also found that no market rate rental housing had been constructed within the previous decade, she said, All the apartments that had been built were reserved for low to moderate income residents, especially senior citizens.

Reeck said city leaders set out to do something to expand the available housing options..

“Housing is definitely a component of economic development,” she said Monday at a Lunch and Learn session conducted by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance at Friendship Haven.

The first step was a significant property tax abatement program, which made the first $75,000 of a home’s value tax exempt for five years.

Then in 2016, the city government and the Fort Dodge Betterment Foundation bought part of the former Theiss farm along Williams Drive specifically for housing development. The city then spent $2.6 million to build a new section of 24th Avenue North between Williams Drive and North 15th Street.

Reeck said 28 new single family homes and 34 bi-attached homes have been built there in the neighborhood called Williams Bend.

Other projects, such as the Phillips Luxury Apartments and District 29, followed.

The result, Reeck said, was that 403 new housing units were built between 2017 and 2022.

She provided an update on upcoming housing projects in the city.

She said construction will start this spring on the Second Avenue Brickstones, which will consist of 32 townhomes along Second Avenue South between Ninth and 10th streets. She said it is a $5.5 million project.

District 29, located at 29th Street and Dodger drive, initially consisted of a 93-unit apartment building and a townhouse complex consisting of five five-plexes. A second phase of development which will begin this spring will add 118 apartments.

She said the long-delayed conversion of the former Fair Oaks Middle School into apartments is set to begin in 2024. She said the school building on Fifth Avenue South will contain 64 apartments.

According to Reeck, proposed Lazy Tree housing development by the Fort Dodge Country Club would add 13 single family homes and 12 bi-attached homes. However, building there will require spending about $2 million on infrastructure, including water mains and sewers.