New apartments to fill the need for housing in Ellendale

(ABC 6 NEWS) – There is a need for about 55 units of single-family housing in Ellendale and now there is a possibility for new apartments to be built in the small community.

The Steele Heights Apartment Homes will be 20 units of market-rate housing at the southwest corner of Highway 30 and 6th St. S. in Ellendale.

"We are really trying to fit that need for the city again nice quality new construction home and we haven’t had any of that in Ellendale for a while," President of Stadheim Properties and Red Line Development Group, Darrin Stadheim.

The project started in 2017. So far, the city has received a redevelopment grant through DEED for $162,500.

"What that allows us to do is improve the lots. Bring the services that are not currently there as far as electric water and sewer and septic and removed the blighted structures that are there," Stadheim said.

To finish the project, the city requested $491,000 through the Minnesota Workforce Housing Program. Last year, the city applied for the funds but was rejected.

They will find out if they will receive the money this year around the first week of March.

"The available funds is $4 million and 23 municipalities put in applications. I do have to purchase that real estate in the event that funding doesn’t go through, but we will go to plan b and we will keep it housing," Stadheim said.

The housing would most likely become condos or townhomes if the funding does not go through.

Recently, the city held a public meeting on the Steele Heights Apartment Homes. They addressed some misinformation about the apartments.

Stadheim shared that some people were worried about the housing being for low income or section 8, but he said these are not income-restricted and are market rate.

If construction starts soon, they hope to finish the apartments by November.