GRAND ISLAND – Ground was broken Wednesday morning, June 5, on a housing subdivision in northeast Grand Island.
The location is southwest of the intersection of Capital Avenue and St. Paul Road.
Mary Berlie, president of the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corp., said that Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Funds will be used to build 15 new homes, eight of which will be reserved for residents at or below 120 percent Area Median Income (AMI) for 10 years.
The name of the subdivision is Hoppe Development’s Orchard Subdivision. The address where the groundbreaking ceremony occurred was 1631 Apple St.
“Housing is more than a structure,” Berlie said. Grand Island is experiencing remarkable growth, she said. “This is the first time Grand Island has been able to access these funds.”
Mayor Roger Steele said, “Grand Island has a wonderful problem. We have incredible growth.”
He applauded efforts of the Grand Island City Council to change zoning to make affordable housing possible.
“We are a prospering city,” Steele said.
Developer Fred Hoppe of Lincoln said that 15 units will be built, including nine affordable housing units and six units at market price.
Hoppe noted that his family had a background in Grand Island. The family used to own lumberyard and cement businesses in Grand Island.
“We go back a long way,” he said.
Kelly Gewecke is Central Field Service Representative for the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.
“I really am excited for Grand Island,” she said. “We’ve got to get workforce to our communities.”
She said that the total grant amount for the $3.4 million project was $845,000. Nebraska Department of Economic Development received 70 applications for the grant, of which 23 applications were funded.
Nick Bergin is Development Director for the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons. He noted that across the street from the new development, two five-plexes had been built, of which Hoppe was also the developer. The project was funded in part from a $1 million grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s Pandemic Relief Housing Grant.
“Those units will be specifically for new immigrants,” he said.