Urbandale seeks proposals for affordable housing site

Flashback: The city of Urbandale bought the 2-acre site for $1.9 million in September 2024 "for blight remediation purposes."

• One of the hotel's three buildings had been significantly damaged by a fire last year.
• Polk County supervisors agreed to pay up to $500,000 to demolish the buildings.

State of play: In August, the state named Urbandale as one of its "Iowa Thriving Communities." That designation helps bring attention to the project and improve its chances of receiving federal low-income housing credits from the state, says Curtis Brown, Urbandale's assistant city manager.

Details: The city's request for proposal, which seeks bids from developers, requires the project to serve households at or below 60% of the area median income, include two- and three-bedroom units and be affordable for at least 20 years.

Between the lines: In 2023, Waukee did not receive federal low-income housing credits for affordable townhomes, which led to a funding gap in the project for the developer, the Register reports.

• The following year, Habitat for Humanity received state funds to help build the project.

What they're saying: "We want more households that work in Urbandale to be able to live in Urbandale," Brown says.

What's next: Proposals are due Oct. 7.