City, developer awarded $500,000 Upper Story Housing grant

GRUNDY CENTER – Soon enough, a new life will be breathed into an old building along Grundy Center’s Main Street.
 
After a lengthy application process and months of waiting, the City of Grundy Center found out earlier this month that they were awarded a $500,000 grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, which will fund a unique Upper Story Housing project to bring four new apartments to downtown Grundy Center.
 
Back in February, the Grundy Center City Council chose a developer to lead the project: Grundy Center native Matt Bockes, who currently works as a project superintendent for an Ankeny-based construction company.
 
Bockes and his wife Tara agreed to purchase the former Frederick Furniture building, located at 703 G Avenue, and renovate the upper story to add apartments. In addition to the $500,000 grant from the state, the couple will also invest $80,000 of their own money into the project, and the City will award them a $20,000 BIG Grant – bringing a total investment of $600,000 into the building and the project.
 
Bockes says he’s looking forward to getting started on the project as soon as he can.
 
“Both my wife and I were very excited when we found out we had got the grant,” Bockes said. “It’s a great feeling. We’ve still got to wait for a few things to happen with the state before we can get in there and get to work, but we’re excited to move forward and get things done.”
 
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