The city council in a northwest Iowa town with about 3300 residents has approved the final plat and an urban renewal plan for a housing development that’s expected to add over 120 lots in Milford when completed.
Developer Doug Holzrichter said the project is now ready to move into the construction phase. “We hope to begin construction I’m going to say within a month,” Holzrichter said, “get most of the instructure work done this year and finish up paving next spring and hopefully we’ll be selling lots real soon.”
The Harvest Hills development is near the new Okoboji Elementary School in Milford and plans include a mix of single-family homes, townhouses, duplexes and other multi-family units. Holzrichter’s family has owned the land since the mid-1960s. He said the groundwork for the housing project was laid years ago when the City of Milford extended water and sewer to the area. “Then after that the school approached us and we sold some land to the school and from there is made a lot of sense to just go ahead and create a residential development adjacent to the school,” Holzrichter said.
The average Iowa home was built in 1955, making the state’s housing supply eighth oldest in the country. A recent report from the Common Sense Institute found the demand for housing is outpacing supply and by the end of this year, the Iowa market will be short 16,000 homes. However, the group’s report shows if the pace of new construction continues, Iowa’s housing shortage could be eliminated by the end of 2028.
(Reporting by Anthony Gonzalez, KICD, Spencer)