News that new Worthington housing is in the works is good, but it will be better once this project -- and hopefully, others like it -- becomes finalized.
Wednesday's Daily Globe included an article noting current discussion of the construction of six new apartment complexes consisting of six units apiece. The units, which would include a combination of both two- and three-bedroom apartments, still need a definitive site, and funding partners are still being sought.
So far the city of Worthington, as well as the Worthington Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership (SWMHP) are all on board, and Wells Fargo has also pitched in $10,000 toward the effort. With Brad Chapulis, the city's director of community and economic development, estimating the project's cost at roughly $3.7 million including land and construction, much-needed living space clearly won't come cheaply.
It needs to come, however.
The HRA, according to director Rosie Rogers, has waiting lists of 384 people for subsidized housing and 146 people for low-rent housing (those numbers simply reflect heads of household). Other waiting lists compiled by SWMHP indicate a clear apartment shortage in Worthington.
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If this community is going to continue to grow and flourish, its residents -- to put it quite simply -- need more places to live. Projects like these should be a high priority.
