Over 120 community members came together on Monday, December 20th, to discuss the housing situation in Ottumwa. Charlie Cowell, Urban Planner with RDG Planning and Design, presented the recently completed Ottumwa Housing Study results to kick off the workshops. The full results of the study can be
found here. In addition to sharing study results, RDG Cowell shared five strategies that could help curb Ottumwa’s housing supply issues:
- Ramp up a non-profit developer to purchase, rehabilitate and sell run-down homes or build medium-density infill homes
- Provide incentives for medium density infill development
- Develop a gap-financing funding consortium to support developers
- Create a community neighborhood campaigns for targeted redevelopment efforts
- Focus on workforce development through OHS and IHCC programs focused on construction and trades programs necessary to build new homes in the community
After hearing study results and possible solutions, community members worked together to brainstorm additional ideas to help solve the community housing issue. Results and ideas presented at the workshop were collected and will be
reviewed by the Ottumwa Housing Committee to determine the next steps in moving forward.
Local news coverage of the event can be found by clicking the links below:
The Legacy Foundation funded the Ottumwa 2021 Housing Study. Read the full study here.
