Low-income apartments planned for south side

Site preparations are underway for a multimillion dollar low-income housing project in Cape Girardeau.

Liberty Apartments will be built in the 1100 block of Walnut Street east of West End Boulevard. The development will consist of 40 single-story, two-bedroom apartments in seven buildings (six six-unit buildings and one four-unit structure) plus a single-story community center. Building permits for the project, listing a total development cost of $4.565 million, were filed last week with the Cape Girardeau Development Services office.

"We got the final approval (for the project) in October from the Missouri Housing Development Commission," said Melissa Stickel, executive director of the Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri, formerly the Community Caring Council. "That really kicked off the whole process" of finalizing construction plans, securing project financing and so forth.

Groundbreaking for the apartment development took place earlier this week. The project is scheduled for completion in April 2020.

"We, the Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri, will officially be the owners of the property and co-developers of the project along with RCH development and the Cape Area Community Housing Development Corporation," Stickel said.

Community Counseling Center is also involved in the project and will provide supportive services for 10 of the apartment units. The remaining 30 units will be income based, Stickel said.

Cape Area Community Housing Development Corporation is an outgrowth of the Cape Area Housing Committee, which was established almost 20 years ago and was comprised of representatives from city government, the business community, social service providers and other interested citizens.

Double Diamond Construction & Development of Crystal City, Missouri, is the project's general contractor. RCH Development of Jackson will manage the apartment complex. RCH has managed affordable housing projects since 1987 and oversees similar apartment developments in several communities.

Each 865-square-foot apartment will include living, dining and kitchen areas, two bedrooms, a bathroom and laundry facilities. The apartments are expected to rent for around $475 or $500 per month, Stickel said. She added each unit will be as energy efficient as possible. "We're getting 'green certified' so it will definitely be energy efficient and will allow us to make the rent as affordable as possible," she said.

The development's community center will feature an open area for large gatherings, a "learning center" and an exercise area, according to the project's plans.

Project financing is being provided by the Missouri Housing Development Commission, the Raymond James Tax Credit Fund and Banterra Bank.

jwolz@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630