JACKSON -- City officials and builders are poised to break ground today for Ashley Estates, a 24-unit apartment building to be located at 314 First St. in Jackson, across from City Hall.
"Jackson has a unique situation. They have a very large need of market rate rentals and housing in general," said Scott Goltz, president of One Companies, Inc. "We felt it was a pretty good opportunity, so we started working on it, and over the years, we have finally come to a point where we're starting to work there."
One Companies, based out of the Metro area, has built more than 40 24-unit apartment buildings in various locations throughout the Midwest
Ashley Estates has been in the works since 2005, when the City of Jackson first contacted One Companies, a consulting and building firm that often follows up on cities' housing studies.
The project was given the Tax Increment Financing designation by the city to ensure that the building would meet its budget requirements.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ashley Estates will be a market rate rental apartment building, with most units costing between $700 and $950 a month. Three units will have one bedroom and one bathroom; eight units will have two bedrooms and one bathroom; nine units will have two bedrooms and two bathrooms; three units will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms; and one unit will be a one bedroom, one bathroom handicapped unit.
"We've got a great variety," Goltz said.
Ashley Estates will also have an elevator, even though buildings of fewer than four floors are not required to have elevators. Goltz hopes the elevator, high security, energy efficiency and the laundry rooms on each floor will make the building more attractive to senior citizens as well as the general public.
Another major amenity of the new building will be its location. The City of Jackson is building a park between the Des Moines River and the location of Ashley Estates, so the building will have a view of the park and the river. It is also a very short distance to downtown Jackson, with its restaurants, shops and the Historic State Theatre.
"Our goal is to get everything from young families to seniors looking for some maintenance-free living and the downtown aspect," Goltz said. "We know that we'll have some short-term renters from AgCo or from Swift or wherever it may be that'll be coming in and staying."
Goltz hopes the building will be complete by February 2010.
"We've been doing this for quite a while, and we know everything that's going to be done on it. We've had plenty of time to prepare," Goltz said.
One Companies Inc. is also involved with Sunset View, Jackson's housing development. The second phase of Sunset View has space for 24 units of twin homes and 24 single-family homes. Infrastructure is being put in and One Companies may begin building homes as early as October.
ADVERTISEMENT
For more information about Ashley Estates, call (507) 625-5573. For information on Sunset View, call (877) 230-3356.
