WINDOM — The city of Windom accepted a grant last week from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to demolish the former Cemstone plant for a proposed residential housing development.
This is the third time Windom has applied for the DEED grant, said Windom Economic Development Director Drew Hage. Grant dollars totaling $424,905 would support razing the former concrete factory to make room for housing.
The 10-acre quarry would be turned into prairie, thanks to grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The remainder of the 34-acre property is proposed to include 11 lake lots, 13 prairie lots, two duplexes, six cottage lots and one multi-family lot of 25-30 units.
"The demand for housing in Windom is high right now," said Hage, noting that HyLife Foods, Toro and other local businesses are hiring new employees, and those workers need places to live.
The site is a great location for housing, he said, because it's near the Windom Recreation Area, Tegels Park and the community center — at the corner of Cottonwood Lake Drive and Cottonwood County 13. It's inside a tax increment financing district that includes a planned 45-unit apartment complex. The TIF district would completely support construction of the housing project.
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"The goal is not to use any general fund dollars," Hage said.
Now that the grant funds have been accepted, the next steps are for an EDA committee to work with Cemstone to finalize a timeline and find developers. Hage plans for work on the project to begin next year.