Developers of proposed senior-housing complex seek to land tax credits

Jackson developers Double Diamond Construction LLC are trying again to secure a tax credit from the Missouri Housing Development Commission that would help them build a senior housing complex in Jackson.

City officials supported the idea when developers submitted a similar plan last year and indicated they would do so again this year.

Jackson’s board of aldermen is expected to pass a formal resolution of support for the project during its meeting next week.

“It’s a highly competitive process,” said Chad Hartle of Double Diamond, adding statewide, about 10 to 15 senior housing developments are selected by the Missouri Housing Development Commission.

If his project is selected, Hartle said the tax credits would amount to about $550,000.

The project would entail a mid-rise building with an elevator on Walton Drive.

The facility would contain 45 two-bedroom apartments and common spaces for residents. Each unit would be 865 square feet, with monthly rent tentatively scheduled at $481.

The structure, Hartle said, would provide more security than single-story options seniors typically have for housing.

Last year’s proposal was for a multiple-building, single-story facility, but positive feedback from Double Diamond’s recent construction in Crystal City and Jennings, Missouri, prodded the decision to go with a mid-rise building.

The property where the building would stand shares a border with the Jackson Wal-Mart, which Hartle said would be a boon to residents and hopefully would promote more development on Walton Drive.

The new proposal includes service partnerships with SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence and the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging that Hartle called “extremely exciting.”

“This year, I’ve made some changes, and we’re hopeful it will be approved this time,” he told the board of aldermen. “[SADI’s] whole goal is to keep seniors out of nursing homes, so this would allow seniors to stay independent. ... This partnership is a significant change that gives us lots more horsepower with the MHDC.”

Hartle said Jackson is one of a small number of communities across the state where the older-adult

population has grown relative to the rest of the population.

The proposed facility, he said, would be fulfilling a need in Jackson that will become more pronounced in the future.

“There hasn’t been any new senior housing built in Jackson since 2003,” he said. “We’re just trying to keep up.”

The earliest the project could break ground would probably be August 2017, Hartle said, and the total cost is expected to be about $6 million.

Submissions for Missouri Housing Development Commission consideration are due the first week of September, and Hartle said the recipients likely would be announced in December.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627