(Spirit Lake)– Using developments such as Southern Hills as an example, a consultant who recently completed a housing assessment for Spirit Lake says the city can serve as a model to others when it comes to addressing housing needs. Having said that, though, Marty Schuckhert, a Community Planner with RDG, conducted the assessment, funded in part through a grant from Black Hills Energy.
Siting a projected increase in the city’s population of 1.2 percent over the next 10 years, Schuckert says the need to add to the city’s housing stock and to rehabilitate some existing units will continue. And he says based on what’s expected to happen with mortgages in the future, more of a priority will need to be focused on increasing the number of rental units available in the city.
Schuckert says his study also identified an area in central Spirit Lake that would be prime for a high density development between Ithaca and Keokuk Avenues and south of 18th Street, or Highways 9 and 71.
Schuckert added Spirit Lake currently has a very adequate number of lots available that are prime for development, giving it a big advantage over other cities that simply don’t have them.
Schuckert recommended financial institutions in the community form a coalition that would offer financial assistance for various housing programs and that the city adopt a program to assist in rehabilitating older homes. Shuckert estimates roughly a third of the current housing stock in Spirit Lake is over 50 years-old.
