Study to inspect housing needs

The availability of quality housing is essential for the growth of a community. But the types of housing that are needed vary from city to city, and public perception isn’t always reality.

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors last week agreed to join four communities and a private utility in helping fund a study that will examine countywide housing needs.

The housing needs assessment will be done by East Central Intergovernmental Association of Dubuque with coordination by the Jackson County Economic Alliance.

The study will cost $12,000. The City of Maquoketa and Black Hills Energy each has pledged $3,000.

Other contributors are the City of Bellevue, $2,500; Jackson county, $2,000; the City of Preston, $1,000 and the City of Miles, $500.

"It’s obviously needed," said Supervisor Jack Willey.

The study resulted after David Heiar, director of the Jackson County Economic Alliance, discussed doing a study with the economic alliance board after finding that only Bellevue had done a recent study of housing needs.

"This is something that’s been tossed around for six to eight months in various parts of the county," Heiar told the supervisors last month.

"If we want to position our county to grow, particularly in population we’re going to need to make sure we have the housing stock needed in the county to accommodate that type of growth," he said. (full article…)

BY DOUGLAS MELVOLD, Maquoketa Sentinel Press, March 11, 2015. DMELVOLD@MSPRESS.NET

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