MASON CITY – A ground-breaking ceremony was held today in Mason City for the new downtown housing complex.
According to Councilman Paul Adams, “Talon Development, along with various partners from the area, broke ground on their housing complex this morning in downtown Mason City. This will add 113 quality apartment units and 20 townhouses to our city and help fill an immense need for market rate housing in the area.”
Construction is expected to start soon at the location just south of Southbridge Mall, in the lower parking lot and grass field. The development is said to be a spin-off of the hallowed Renaissance Project and will receive an incentive of a 10 year/100% tax abatement. Just to the north of this soon-to-be construction zone, the new multi-use indoor arena is rising from inside the former JC Penney box. Allegedly, a hotel could be under construction to the east in the mall parking lot. Simultaneously, south of the Mall by a couple blocks, 6th Street SW is being overhauled and a sporting goods store is opening up with a re-habbed building. Other smaller yet noticeable improvements to this long-neglected wilderness adjacent to downtown are taking shape.
DAMN GUY’S! how isnt this town a war zone with all the tolerance and mutual respect flying around this comment section? Anyway I think no matter what we have argued about or called eachother in the past we can agree on this. ALL mason city contsruction workers and equipment should be put on the task of building those qwik trips. nothing else is even important right now. especially not over priced apartments. if youd pay $500 plus a month for an apt……. youre a retard.
I am surprised they are going through with this project. They will fit 113 apartments, along with parking, and 22 townhouses (with garages) on a 1.3 acre site.
In comparison, the Manor downtown is 93 apartments, and with a garage and parking lot, it is 1.05 acres and is 8 stories tall.
Now, let’s see what this complex will overlook. The south loop, an abandoned/rotting hotel, derelict buildings now being used as a used car lot and junk collection. And yes, lots of weeds.
I will jump right on that!
Now then, let us look at demographics. Mason City has 36% of total housing as rental, far above Rochester/Austin, MN and the Iowa average, yet below the Nationwide total. The median rent in Mason City is $650/month, far lower than the Nationwide, Iowa, and Rochester/Austin, MN.
This new development boasts rents starting at $540/month, and topping off at $1,400. The average is far above the median for Mason City. Yet, the CEO of the developer Talon said “another driver of Boote’s excitement was the prospect of lowering rents across town”. Really?
But before that, Boote said: “Besides the similarities between Mason City and Sioux Falls…”. Again, that comment threw me back and put my gut in a knot.
Let’s see, Sioux Falls has a population of 174,350, and is growing. Mason City is 27,458, and is shrinking. Median income for Sioux Falls is $56,867, Mason City is $46,582. Median gross rent in Sioux Falls is $794. Median gross rent in Mason City is as stated above, $650. So, can he tell us exactly what the similarities are between the two cities?
There is a connection here between the two cities. The apartment complex developer is from Sioux Falls, and so is the woman who runs Mason City. The idea about statues came from…..Sioux Falls.
Finally, along with this pipe dream, let us review the words of our Mayor on January 2nd, 2019.
“There is no reason Mason City can’t have a river walk that rivals San Antonio. Affordable mid range housing should be part of the mix in the river walk area.”
Yes Mr. Mayor, there is one major reason we can’t have a river walk that rivals San Antonio. The investment in San Antonio’s river walk area exceeds $1.2 billion dollars. Where is Mason City going to find that kind of investment?
And, lets be accurate, it is Willow Creek, not a river. Consult with the US Army Corps of Engineers to authenticate that.
The last part of this comment will look at the reality of things in Mason City. Our Mayor said, affordable mid-range housing. Exactly who will be able to afford it? Look around you Mr. Mayor. Take a good look.
Those who could afford those apartments, do not invest in rent, they invest in owning their own home.
In order to afford those rents, you would need to earn far above the median income level for Mason City. Right now, according to the demographics I see, people in that income bracket do not rent.
So again, who will rent those apartments?
Great information!! I’ve said for the past decade that the elected officials in Mason City are brain dead self-serving Robin Anderson finger-puppets.
The stock of rental housing in Mason City is ANCIENT. I’m surprised a developer hasn’t noticed the average age of a rental unit in this town much earlier.
Not everyone in this town is dirt poor and preferences within demographics are changing. Young folks are much more interested in renting than you give credit for and they want to live in modern housing units which are near amenities.
I hafta communicate with you braindead demos in the snowflake language of IQ thatI just learned upone gurgitation from Higher Schooling – 12th ogrado -so stick that in your high hat language professor at Obama’s higher school of learning HAVAAARD witch he attended 1 day per week to get his smokie dokies.
PS – The greyhounder will not pickup you up in mason sity -BUT it will sure as hecko DROP YOU OFF!
Schickel is a Rino – he will flop anyway for financial gain or votes as most all politicians – especially the rat pack called liberal progressive chamber of commerce or what ever that means.
Maybe that B29 at the airopoto can schuffle them to the new mercy employee hotel ? What a bunch of liberal garbaggeo – You know it’s low income hosing – quit knee jerking the working class of Mason ! By the way I did use spell check – democrap spell checko!
” What a bunch of liberal garbaggeo”…”– democrap spell checko!”
You’re such a numbnuts and an idiot.
Mayor Bill Schickel is a Republican as are most of the city council and Robin Anderson of the CoC is as well.
And Steve Boote,President at Eagle Construction Inc. CEO at Talon LLC is a member Republican Governors Association.
Try pulling your head out of your ass for a change…dumbass.
Well it is pretty close to the greyhounder so the majority of the new residents from chitown and troit will not have to walk far. Say it can’t happen. Most of these tried low income housing units life span is about 10 years (government subsidized) and then the dozer rolls in. If you ever drove past the ones they constructed outside chitown a few decades ago and watched them slowly deteriorate to slums you have the knowledge that this could happen here. Well we will see when the TIF money has expired.
Uh, no Greyhound bus in Mason City but the Jefferson bus line stops at the Mason City/Clear Lake Airport……That is quite a walk from downtown though.
Well. just to play devils advocate here. I used to work many many years ago with a guy who’s hometown was chicago. he worked at cargill. he used to brag extensively about using jefferson lines to get his drugs from his “cuz” in another state and bring them here. if jefferson runs to chitown i gotta say i bet he rode it here so continuing to use it for his own personal enterprise probably just felt right. in any case. that guy would have been able to afford your “high end” housing based on his cargill income drug profit as well as his wifes pay check. he was still ghetto as shit. just saying. lots of times people seem to catagorize these criminals wrongly like they sell poison not to make a bunch of money to afford things they wouldnt normally be able to. if some random kid from chicago with a 5th grade education (he was f’n dumb) can figure it out then the rest of them probably do too.
i doubt they have to walk. half the black people in this town are from chicago. kinda miss the detroit ones they seemed calmer, better under educated.
You are wrong again, it’s my understanding that these are not “low income” units, but high end housing for people that actually have a job, like people that work at Mercy.
…I just don’t know, but wasn’t this area under 10 feet of water not that long ago and isn’t listed as a flood plain…just askin’?
No.
No. This area is not a in a flood plain.
what is not that long ago? 2008? was there another flood in 2012… dont get out much do ya? The parking lot has a grass stretch and a fence on the north side, if you ran and hopped the fence you got about a thirty foot fall into a stream barely deep enough to sustain some carp. oddly there is a dam just east of that location but i guess it doesnt work? or they just dont want the water to move faster or be deeper than stagnance can handle.
I seriously only look at this website anymore to make myself feel better about myself- every comment is non negative I’m convinced if I gave you a $100 bill people would bitch because it was wrinkled. Between the bots constantly posting political comments in the whiners den and every negative response I see to every article I question the ability of our species to continue. For the sake of humanity people please just stop having kids and move to either Missouri or Florida.
Exactly! This is the home of the NIT Pickers. Everyday, all day, they come here and take a steaming Duce. And the editor loves it since it earns him “clicks”
“And the editor loves it since it earns him “clicks””
Be careful how you speak of the the owner of the renowned NIT World Headqurters (courtesy of MC taxpayers).
There are scores of people working at NIT…oh wait, it’s just a one man dog & pony show.
Long neglected wilderness? Yes what an eyesore it is to have some tree’s. maybe some flower’s. shaded places to sit and eat some food. When you could build some useless thing on it and profit from it! hell no nature, you gotta go. stupid as hell. I am not an expert but it seems some wilderness next to the river is a good preventative for erosion and might help the water be less dirty. Not sure on the last part just a thought. the first part though lol. the Iowa way. See a tree flatten it! plant corn or build something over it.
This is the one in the parking lot with roads on three sides and a ankle deep river behind it? I dont think we need market rate housing nearly as much as we need to figure out how to push more local business’s into or getting them to a point where they can afford to pay a real living wage. If you look at the living wage calculator for iowa it claims a single adult only need’s $10.80 an hr What’s $1700 a month when your rent is $400 car payment $200 insurance $150 gas. then you throw in food, personal item’s animal care & food. Gas and electric, water ect. Sure if you dont ever leave town eat barely and dont do anything for entertainment you may have a couple dollar’s to your name here and there…. More low income housing will probably fix it though.
You forgot to add, cell phones, alcohol, cigarettes, all the things you really don’t need, like the pet you can’t afford.
hmm. how are you so well informed? I dont smoke cigarettes and i very rarely drink myself. Also that was just an example. Where do you get off being such a dick head though? Seems like your comment has alot of anger and personal feeling in it for being anonymous to anonymous communication. Maybe you should deal with whatever issues you have in your life and not project onto me, sound good you fuc*ing loser?
And all I was doing was giving an example you dumb f*in looser. All you do is rant on this site because somebody has it better then you, you need to stick to the whiners den you douch. Its nobodies fault but your own that the only job you can hold is at yes way, and Hardy won’t even rent to you. Four negative posts in 30 minutes all crying out for help. Live within your means moron.
you need to seriously take a look at alot of the jobs and their pay rate in this area. I wasnt bitching about people having it better than me or bitching at all. I was just pointing out that this area suffers from stale wage’s. which it does. Not all of those posts are mine….. people just dont like you. I have never been so low as to have to even consider a hardy house lol, youre such a moron with your assumption’s dude.
You sound kinda jealous of the average poor person. If this where more than an example what else do people not really need? what do you have against pet owner’s and why are you so hateful? really im interested in hearing more about how broken and angry you are that other people enjoy companionship as well as the other benefits that come from pet ownership? did someone walk up to you as a child smoking a cigarette drinking a beer introduce you to their puppy then molest you? youre shitty negative douchey response indicates that you have some truama or other deep seated issues that instill a need in you to be an absolute a*shole. you need to fix it or just let the rest of us live without your dark cloud. you seemed to miss the point that this area has stagnant wages the only people moving INTO mason city are scum bags and rent is outrageous for what the town has to offer in any capacity. youre the type of guy that lurks by your windows waiting to yell at neighbor kids arent ya? you need back on yer damn meds.
a pet you cant afford. well some people have snakes that eat once or twice a month or a couple fish. some people have centipedes for pets. other’s lizards or crab’s. you may want to think a little before you say dumb shit. since you know so much should i go take my neighbors dog away? i saw him drinking the other day i think he also smokes cigarettes. should i tell him about his financial misfortune while he’s pulling his harley out of his garage?
Cell phones are becoming a necessity because people no longer rely on land lines. I know of only a handful of my friends who have a landline. None of the younger friends have them.
Yes, and how much of that income that you don’t have, does it take to maintain that cell phone.
Daddy pays the bill for him.
How old are you?
10 year/100% tax abatement. Unbelievable. I wonder what was given away under the table.
It’s a city owned parking lot that pays zero in property taxes now. So any reasonable person should be OK giving a substantial investment like this a 10-year abatement so that the city finally gets some tax revenue on this parcel in year eleven (and in perpetuity after that).
what sporting good store, is it an name brand store why has there been no news in the paper about it or did I just missed the news and what building will it be in, just need more news about it to decide if it is good news or bad news
waynes is moving there
Kodiak Homes is across the street remodeling too.
old Sound World
Dicks Sporting Goods.
Last Chance Survival.
Wayne’s Ski and Sport and Kodiak Custom Homes Builders are both doing major over hauls to buildings there.