Editorial: Places to live, done right

Talk about it

Today, we congratulate a Worthington mother and her son while thanking those who made their dream possible.

As reported in a front-page story, Delma Gonzales and her 16-year-old son, Billy Rey Vallejo, are now the owners of a home on Worthington’s Castlewood Drive. That ownership has been made possible through efforts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership.

It’s pleasing to see people like Gonzales and her son have the opportunity to have their own home, particularly because of the needs of Billy Rey. The same is true in Luverne, where the same USDA/SWHMP combination has helped Elissa Jahn, who has Down Syndrome, become a homeowner, too.

The story of these beneficiaries have absolutely nothing to do with an article on a proposed housing project that appeared in Tuesday’s Daily Globe, but the two are still worthy of comparison.

At Monday’s Worthington City Council meeting, a public hearing on tax abatement for a 72-unit residential development was scheduled for June 22. The company proposing the project is asking for an abatement of 80 percent of its share of real estate taxes for 15 years or $250,000, whichever occurs first.

While we’re pleased to see interest in building in Worthington, we don’t necessarily believe it should come at such a detriment to our collective tax burden. Mayor Alan Oberloh is right to smell a bit of a ruse here with prospective rents.

It’s no secret, of course, that housing is needed here. But we like stories like today’s more than Tuesday’s.

Tags: opinion, editorials, worthington, housing, swmhp