MUSCATINE, Iowa — Muscatine is one step closer to starting a project that could give a facelift to many homes.
It's part of a large neighborhood revitalization effort in Muscatine.
"I would love to see it," resident Kimberly Kerr said. "I would love to see something."
The city has plans to fix up rundown homes, upgrade internet and improve street lighting in the Mulberry neighborhood with the help of a grant.
"This house has about three different textures to it over here," Kerr said. "It's not a good eyesore. I'm out here all the time day and night smoking, and it's scary sometimes."
"Our city is committed to making Muscatine even better than what it has been," Muscatine Mayor Brad Bark said.
Sidewalk improvements, tree landscaping and adding public benches would be included in the project.
"If there's houses that are dilapidated, meaning nobody's going to live in there, there's holes in the roof and there's not really a chance for that house, because we love preserving the history here in Muscatine," Bark said.
Bark said most of the homes are rented out. The efforts would push to get more home buyers in hopes of better upkeep on the property. Bark said 79% of homes are renters and 21% include homeowners. Roughly 33% of children are within the neighborhood.
"If you're living in this area, you're going to be able to walk down and get your groceries, go downtown, grab a bite to eat," Bark said. "Walkability is huge, absolutely huge for the vibrancy of Muscatine."
According to Bark, 176 houses are under review for the plans. The project also calls for a new apartment building in the neighborhood.
"Some of these houses need remodeling, upgrade the windows," resident Antwan Coffey said.
This is slated to cover Mulberry Avenue to Orange Street between 6th and 7th streets. The entire project would cost around $20 million. Most of the money would come from the state grant and several community funds. It would take at least three years to complete. The grant must first be approved by the state before moving forward.