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Falls City council approves application to build house at 1612 Fulton using rural workforce fund
Summary
The City authorized a loan application to the Southeast Nebraska Affordable Housing Council to construct a house at 1612 Fulton Street using the Rural Workforce Housing Fund; the housing board recommended option 3 and the council voted 6-0 to proceed.
The City of Falls City Council authorized staff to submit a loan application to the Southeast Nebraska Affordable Housing Council to construct a house at 1612 Fulton Street using the Rural Workforce Housing Fund.
The approval follows a housing board recommendation to pursue “option 3,” which favors a larger, four-bedroom, two-bath design bid by SEND Contracting. The council voted unanimously to move forward after the board and staff presented cost comparisons and program rules.
The city and Land Bank plan to use a mix of the city’s rural workforce housing allocation — the city contributed $200,000 to match funds — and Land Bank equity to underwrite construction. The housing board presented bids: SEND Contracting quoted about $318,000 to build a finished four-bedroom, two-bath house; several local contractors submitted higher bids (roughly $357,000). For an unfinished-basement two-bedroom design, SEND’s bid was about $283,000. The Rural Workforce Housing program requires any new house be sold at $325,000 or less.
Housing board members emphasized using local subcontractors where practical, but said final contractor selection balanced price and the need to keep the finished sale price at or below the program cap so proceeds can be returned to the fund for future projects. Lucas (housing board member) told the council that SEND Contracting will open subcontracting opportunities to local firms and that the land bank targeted the neighborhood between Ninth Street and 20th Street to encourage interior-city revitalization.
Councilmembers asked about sale pricing and cost-overrun risk; staff and the board clarified that the application establishes an estimated project cost and that final contract terms and any change orders would be handled through the construction contract and program requirements. A council member moved to accept the recommendation of the housing board to pursue option 3; the motion was seconded and carried 6-0.
If the council’s application is approved by CNAC (the review/approval body for the program), sale proceeds would be returned to the Rural Workforce Housing Fund to finance future builds or rehabs in the target area.
The action is intended as the first of multiple planned projects, with the land bank and housing board continuing to identify target properties for similar development.
