WS - C - Letter of Support from City- Pace Downtown Housing Grant - Draft

Dear {NAME}, The City of Tiffin fully supports the downtown housing program application submitted in collaboration with PACE Property Management and encourages the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s favorable review. Support for the revitalization of downtown housing is vital to the lifeblood of small communities across the state of Iowa. This project will provide and additional 24 units and approximately 10,000 square feet of commercial space. Currently, Tiffin’s historic downtown core has only one vacant historic commercial building and no other commercial structures. The downtown currently is composed of the City’s Fire Station and single-family residential homes. In 2019, Tiffin commissioned Martin Gardner Architecture (MGA) to create a “Downtown Redevelopment Plan,” which has been included for reference in the Downtown Housing Grant application. The plan aims to re-create a downtown commercial core for the city, which entails creating a full city-block park surrounded by mixed-use infill development to create a vibrant, pedestrian friendly, downtown business and housing district that pays respect to historic Iowa town squares. To help facilitate this, Tiffin incorporated thoughtful design to connect to the Johnson County bike trails to invite cyclists to explore our downtown district. Currently, we do not have good housing options that are part of a multi-modal mixed-use district. As Tiffin continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the state, there will be a continued need for quality workforce housing, which this project will help address. The Mayor, Steven Berner, approached the PACE team about the grant opportunity and asked if they would be interested in partnering to develop their three lots. The City of Tiffin has designated several of the parcels around this downtown revitalization area as slum and blight as part of an Urban Renewal Ordinance. This project will serve as a catalyst project for further development in this designated area by constructing the first mixed-use building in downtown that brings commercial activity, additional residential units, and more vitality back to Tiffin’s Main Street. TIF money is available in this district, and the City Council is supportive of awarding a tax rebate of $$$$$$ over XX years at XX%. Preparing to support this district for the highest and best use projects, Tiffin has begun major infrastructure improvements of $$$$$$ that include curb and gutter, sidewalk and streetscape improvements. Through these means and others, we support and incentivize this type of project within the downtown revitalization area. We are also providing developers with parking reductions in this area to encourage the development of a walkable mixed-use downtown commercial core by allowing commercial uses to be utilize on-street parking and accommodating residential uses through one parking stall per bedroom on-site. The developer, PACE, represented by the Faselt family, has been thoughtful in their approach to this project by hiring the architectural firm MGA to align this project with the City’s vision for a walkable mixed-use downtown core as detailed in the “Downtown Redevelopment Plan.” PACE has demonstrated dedication and commitment to our community; being current residents and contributing members to our town. They’ve invested in and developed other multi-family projects in Tiffin and manage properties throughout Johnson, Linn, Muscatine & Washington counties.