A community revitalization plan adopted by the Indianola Board of Aldermen on Monday night is one of the first steps required to bring about the construction of at least eight new homes and the rehabilitation of 67 other homes in the Indianola community.
Mayor Steve Rosenthal said, “The revitalization plan is for the City of Indianola, not just specific to this.”
Rosenthal said the document was needed to complete the application and called it “real progressive, but very broad.” He said it didn’t contain specifics. “Other than they’re trying to make affordable housing so we can promote economic development here in Indianola,” he said.
South Delta Regional Housing Authority currently owns the houses and vacant lots, which are located in the Southgate Subdivision.
“They’re going to gut’em down to the studs, rewire them, put new central air and heat (and) new flooring. What they did there at Eastgate in Cleveland, they’re going to do here in Indianola,” Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal compared the finished product to the Sunflower Estates Subdivision and said that he and Chris Collins of Collins Development Company have been working on the project since June of 2019.
“We thought we had it worked out, but the numbers did not crunch back then, but now with some of the updated CARES funding this project will float,” Rosenthal said.
He said they began discussing it after he toured the completed Eastgate Subdivision project in Cleveland and stated that it would be a sort of model for the Southgate community.
“There are two parts to the project. First, the rehab of 67 homes in Southgate and the building of eight additional homes and a community center similar to what the Bethune Center was originally,” Rosenthal added.
He said the second phase is to build 20-plus new homes on the vacant lots that South Delta currently owns, then upon the completion of both project areas they will be managed similarly to how Sunflower Estates is managed. “The adopted plan will become part of our completed comprehensive plan,” Rosenthal said.
In a letter submitted to the E-T by Rosenthal from Collins, Collins wrote that his company and SDRHA are proceeding with closing on a four percent bond transaction for the project. “South Delta will be procuring project based vouchers to support the renovations. The renovations will be in excess of ten million dollars. We expect to close this transaction early summer and begin work,” the letter stated.
The letter further states that SDRHA and Collins are also submitting a nine percent tax credit allocation to MS Home Corp. to construct 20 or so new homes on some of the empty lots SDRHA owns in the Southgate neighborhood. “If we are successful in getting the nine percent award, this project would also be constructed concurrently with the four percent transaction,” stated Collins.
Collins said being able to win the allocation would help complete the neighborhood and help clean up the blight of the empty lots that have slabs on them.
According to Collins’ letter, “In order to help the nine percent application score higher, and make it more competitive, a community needs a Revitalization Plan.”
The revitalization plan adopted on Monday night stated in part that the city desires to create a plan to increase the housing opportunities, particularly for low and moderate income individuals and families through the use of strategic neighborhood planning and economic development initiatives.
It reemphasized the city’s commitment to prevent or correct slum and blighted conditions and stressed the need for the development of affordable and workforce housing while pledging to promote and assist developers’ and constituents’ access to various programs designed around that concept.
Alderman Sam Brock asked if the project would address any of the flooding issues in that area and Rosenthal told the city leaders that the project would not address any infrastructure problems, but would include corrective grading of and sloping of the properties to make sure that there's proper drainage.
Alderman Marvin Elder asked about the relocation process for the families who are living in the homes that are being remodeled and Alderman Ruben Woods, who is employed by South Delta, shared that in the Cleveland project they started with the vacant homes first and once those homes were completed they moved the families into those and then renovated their homes.
He said they worked on approximately 10 homes at a time and noted that it is a fast-paced project and could be completed in about a year's time from the start.
In other business,
The Indianola Tourism Commission and the local and private tax act was brought up again because Brock still desired further clarification on the sunset clause.
He wanted to be reassured that the city leaders would still receive the required audit reports. No changes were made.
The current commission members were identified and commission member Malika Polk-Lee was queried on the status of each.
A copy of the 2019 audit report from the tourism commission was also reportedly presented with the assurance that the 2020 report will be submitted as soon as it is available.
Based on a previous request and discussion, the leaders also approve an ordinance change requiring anyone who solicits funds within the city limits to acquire a cost-free permit so that the city officials will always be aware of who is soliciting donations on the streets.
After returning from a closed executive session to discuss personnel issues, the members voted unanimously to hire a person for the public works department and terminate the employment of a Hough-Dement animal shelter employee.
