While Tjarks and Everson stand on opposite sides of the fence for the Lake Mitchell dredging project and plans to address an aging downtown, both share a strong love of the community.
The 12-acre plot includes the site of Salem’s Avantara nursing home, which was destroyed in the May 12, 2022 derecho that produced straight-line winds of over 100 mph in McCook County.
"It tough to get the project to pan out economically because you end up with so much money in for each lot," one economic development official said during a planning district meeting.
At a May 16-17 housing summit in Chamberlain, professionals and experts in the housing and economic development fields came together to share tips and tricks on meeting the state's housing crisis.
The formula requires property owners to make a minimum value of improvements to their homes or buildings within two district boundaries to qualify for the seven-year property tax payment reduction.
“It would simply help with the cost of tearing down these homes,” Mike Bathke said of waiving landfill fees for developers who are tearing down a corroding home to build a new housing unit.
“It’s a landmark moment for all the entities working together to develop a vision for the future. Hopefully, all of the entities will work together in using this," Project leader Eric Ambroson said.
"I’ve got to be real positive because it's going to really help us make our project goal if we get a grant,” said Terry Sabers, the president of Mitchell Area Housing, Inc.
Each of the projects that are being led by local contractors will provide a variety of new homes in the Mitchell area, ranging from twin homes, single-family houses and villas.
The infrastructure funding for the project breathed some life into the Ridge View on Foster development that’s gone quiet since the pandemic hit the area in 2020
