Investment makes new housing affordable, accessible

A new $1.7 million investment is making housing affordable and accessible in Superior’s North End.

Duffy Development is nearing completion of a third complex on its Rosewood Townhomes on the former site of Ericcson Elementary School. The new building offers 11 single-story units near North Seventh Street between Clough and Weeks avenues.

Ten of the units will have indoor parking, said Terri Miles of the Superior Housing Authority, which will manage the property. She said three of the units will be equipped with roll in shower facilities and all of the units will provide washer and dryer connections for residents of the building.

“It will be a nice property,” Miles said.

John Duffy, president of the Minnetonka, Minn.-based development company building the townhouse complex said the company did a market study and found there was a need for accessible, affordable housing in Superior.

“There was a real need for people who needed one level living or wanted one level living, particularly if they had some kind of accessibility need,” Duffy said. “The site was just perfect for that type of housing.”

After analyzing the market and going through design, Duffy said the company applied for tax credits through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Agency. Because of the need in the area, they were successful in gaining the credits.

Those tax credits require the housing to be available to low- to moderate-income families.

“It is affordable housing so there are income restrictions,” Miles said. “There are rent restrictions too.”

The housing authority manages the Rosewood Townhomes built on the site about 18 years ago. Duffy said Superior has been a good community to work in; since building the first phase of the townhomes, the homes have basically remained full. After meeting with city and housing authority officials, he said there was strong support for the project.

“I still think this is a good, stable community to be in,” Duffy said of Superior. “There are jobs available; there’s good families here, good schools. It’s a good community to invest in.”

Miles said the new homes will meet a need for Superior. She said all of the units will be accessible with three units completely barrier free.

The homes feature one, two and three bedroom homes with ceiling fans, and will be smoke-free, Miles said.

“This is going to be a nice addition on the end of the block where we had vacant space,” Miles said.

The Superior Housing Authority is taking applications for the new single-story townhomes and expects to begin interviewing applicants in the next week or two. Contact Miles at (715) 394-6601 for more information.

Tags: news, superior, construction, seniors