320 E Main St.

The 303, 305, 315, and 320 E. Main St. properties are currently participating in an upper-story housing pilot project through the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s (IEDA) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Ottumwa is one of three communities that was chosen to participate in this pilot program to determine if upper-story rehab will become a regular part of IEDA’s menu of CDBG programs. Each of these buildings will have apartments in formerly vacant and dilapidated upper-story spaces: 303 and 305 each will have one 3-bedroom unit, 315 will have one 2-bedroom unit, and 320 will have two 1-bedroom units.

In 2013, the City of Ottumwa was awarded a CDBG for façade improvements for many of the buildings on the 300-Block of E. Main St. Three of these properties [303, 305, and 320] were participants in that program. The 303 property received a new storefront, upper-story masonry repair, and a stucco treatment on the side; 305 received new storefront frames and glass, upper-story windows and masonry repair. The 320 property received an entire new façade. Were it not for the intervention of this CDBG façade grant and finding a critically deteriorated lentil beam, structural engineers believe that the upper-story brick face would have fallen into the street!

Since that façade program, 320 has been completely renovated inside and out and now hosts Manpower on the main level and will soon have the two apartments upstairs. The short-term goal for each of 303, 305, and 315 [and also 317] is to clean out and stabilize the main levels so that they, too, may be rehabilitated and turned back into shops, offices, or restaurants. The storefront of 315 will also be completed shortly after this project wraps up. When this CDBG pilot project is complete, 20 new apartments will have been completed in the 300-Block of E. Main St. since 2010!

Note: The Alliant Hometown Rewards Committee for Ottumwa has provided funds to this project as well to install higher-efficiency electric water heating units in each of the pilot project apartments. These heat pump water heaters are two to three times more efficient than standard electric water heaters.