Otter Tail County Community Development Agency Awards Nearly $53,000 to Three Communities

OTTER TAIL COUNTY (KDLM) – The Otter Tail County Community Development Agency (CDA) recently awarded nearly $53,000 to three communities advancing local redevelopment and housing projects in their communities.

The communities of Dalton, Battle Lake, and New York Mills are the first to receive funding awards in 2021. The goals of the Community Growth Partnership Grant Program, funded by the CDA, are to increase the tax base and improve the quality of life by supporting activities in the areas of affordable housing, redevelopment of under-utilized areas, and commercial rehabilitation.

The City of Dalton is working with the Otter Tail County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) on the redevelopment of a manufactured home park into new housing options for the community. The partners are exploring options for single-family and senior housing. The last single-family home in the city of Dalton was built in the 1980s, so this project is a meaningful one for the community. Grant funds awarded from the CDA in the amount of $2,966 and matched by the HRA and the City will be used to survey the property and prepare it for the next stages of the project.

The City of Battle Lake continues to advance the redevelopment of the Hatchery Row District directly west of the city’s main downtown. The project has been an important and exciting undertaking for several years and will bring a mixture of housing, commercial space, and mixed-use space to the thriving downtown community. Grant funds of $25,000 will be used to contribute to the next stage of redevelopment which is site clean-up and demolition of the existing buildings for the developer to begin construction early this summer. The City was also awarded $174,900 from the competitive Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Redevelopment Grant Program and $99,000 from the USDA Rural Business Development Grant Program to help with the project.

The City of New York Mills is working with the CDA and the local Economic Development Authority (EDA) on housing development in their Country View Addition on the northeast corner of the city. The low inventory of housing in the city has made it challenging to welcome newcomers and meet the housing needs of existing residents. With 17 lots available in the Country View Addition, grant funds in the amount of $25,000 will be matched by the City to establish a down payment assistance program. With down payment assistance and tax increment financing (TIF) assistance for eligible homeowners, the City is hoping to attract current and new residents or builders to purchase the lots and build new single-family homes.

CDA Board Member and Economic Development Director for the City of Battle Lake Val Martin said, “I think I speak for all of these communities when I say we’re so grateful to the CDA for their support of these community development projects. It makes a big difference to our small communities to have the county invest and contribute on a local level.” These projects are important for the continued development of each community and the CDA plans to continue building partnerships with the communities around the county.

The Community Growth Partnership Grant Program is open to applications until available funds are committed. Since the program was established in 2019, a total of $213,000 in awards have been made to support 11 projects throughout the county.