Hey now, Davenport is an All-Star.
Today in Cedar Rapids, the city of Davenport will be honored as a 2023 All-Star Community by the Iowa League of Cities for The Davenport DREAM Project.
The city will be recognized at an Awards Banquet at the League’s Annual Conference & Exhibit Thursday, Sept. 21. The All-Star Community Award is the most prestigious honor given by the League to cities, according to a release from the city of Davenport.
Entries are judged by a panel of former city officials and others familiar with municipal government. Judges determine winners based on innovative efforts in areas such as urban renewal, development, preservation, collaborative efforts or quality of life improvements.
Davenport was among three of Iowa’s 940 cities to earn such recognition. The Davenport DREAM Project is a neighborhood restoration program that hopes to inspire a renewed interest in the unique architecture and character found in Davenport’s heritage neighborhoods.
In 2019, the City Council worked with staff to create the Davenport DREAM Project to help revitalize the community’s core neighborhoods and improve housing opportunities. The city has used a combination of local and federal funding to support the efforts, which initially offered participants purchasing a home in a Davenport DREAM Project neighborhood a forgivable loan, forgiven over five years, of up to $20,000 to be applied toward improvements to the home.
Round five of the Davenport DREAM Project just recently closed with over 120 applications received for current homeowners. Each round, the city funds approximately 35 projects. In total, 222 properties have received the award and 195 homes have seen an impact from a DREAM Project investment.
Due to the success and high interest, related programs were created. DREAM Plus, was established and launched in 2022, using $2 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The city provided up to $40,000 for exterior repairs as well as $10,000 for interior renovations.
The expanded program also includes support for repairing rental properties. The Commercial DREAM program helped to rehabilitate the façade of seven local businesses. Furthermore, the Extreme DREAM Project is an extension of the Davenport DREAM Project which aims to rehabilitate vacant and abandoned homes into owner-occupied residences along the Gaines Street corridor.
The Extreme DREAM Project offers a dollar-for-dollar match up to $100,000 for qualifying expenses. In total, approximately $8 million has been invested in Davenport’s core neighborhoods through these programs. This year’s other All-Star Community Award winners are Northwood and Clear Lake.
“We know that the restoration of one home leads to the rebuilding and engagement of an entire community,” the city DREAM Project website says.
Extreme DREAM is an extension of the Davenport DREAM Project that is designed to rehab vacant and abandoned homes into owner occupied residences in the Gaines Street corridor. The Extreme DREAM Project offers a dollar for dollar match up to $100,000 for qualifying expenses.
In order for a property to qualify as eligible for an application to Extreme DREAM the home must meet the following two qualifications:
- vacant for at least six months
- have severe code violations
Following renovations, the home must either be owner-occupied or sold to an owner-occupant.
For more information, visit the city website HERE.
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