The Dubuque City Council on Sept. 2 approved letters of support for three downtown redevelopment projects applying to the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s grayfield tax credit program. Economic development staff said the projects together propose nearly 200 new rental units and roughly $51.5 million in private investment.Photo: Staff described the projects as grayfield redevelopment—reusing underutilized parking lots and former mill sites—and said letters of support confirm the city’s view that the properties meet the state definition of grayfield and that redevelopment benefits the community.Nut graf: The state program offers tax credits to encourage redevelopment of abandoned or underused commercial properties; local letters of support help applicants document community benefit and eligibility and do not commit city funding.Body: Jill Connors, economic development director, outlined the three projects requesting city letters of support. The Fifth & Main project would redevelop a long-used surface parking lot into a mixed-use building with at least 80 rental units and about 8,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space at an estimated investment of $24,000,000; the site is adjacent to the University of Dubuque’s future John and Alice Butler School of Osteopathic Medicine. The Jackson Street project (2801 Jackson) would convert a mostly-abandoned former mill and accessory buildings into about 126 rental units at an estimated $25,000,000 investment; Connors described the site as a redevelopment candidate after years of limited use. The Iowa Street project (1236–1248 Iowa Street) would create 13 apartments and restore a mixed-use building next to City Hall at about $2,500,000 of investment; staff said the developer is eligible for rehabilitation grant programs. Connors said eligible grayfield tax credits are up to 12% of qualifying project costs (15% if green building standards are met), subject to a $1.5 million per-project cap and a statewide $15 million annual cap; applications were due to the state by Sept. 1. The council voted 7-0 to approve the letters of support. Ending: Letters will accompany the developers’ state applications; the city’s action affirms eligibility and community support but does not commit local funding.