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State and city officials on Tuesday celebrated the first housing complex completed with state tax credits in the wake of the Joplin tornado.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder was the guest speaker at an open house for the new Delaware Duplex Community, which will provide affordable housing for 20 families on a site where a grouping of duplexes stood before the May 2011 tornado.
As lieutenant governor, Kinder heads the Missouri Housing Development Commission, which provided tax credit financing for the $3.8 million project, located on Delaware and Maryland avenues just south of 20th street.
Kevin Parker, developer, said help from the state allows rents to be set at rates for residents who need affordable housing in the wake of the tornado. The first units are being rented, and there is “a substantial waiting list,” he said.
Parker said much of the rental property destroyed by the tornado was older homes, with rents reflecting the age of the building and markets at the time. He recalled that after the tornado, his office was “swamped with calls” from people needing affordable housing. He said much of the rental property he owned was damaged or destroyed.
“You can rebuild what was lost, but that involves higher costs and higher rents,” he said. “The challenge is to develop rentals that would be affordable for working families, and that’s where the state comes in. The MHDC brought the solution to the table.”
Kinder said the state was excited to be involved in the project as part of Joplin’s recovery.
“The only way Joplin will fully recover is for working families to be able to move back,” he said.
He noted that the developer used concrete slabs and other infrastructure left from the previous housing. That, combined with state tax credits, allows the properties to be offered for $425 per month, when costs would be in the range of $895 to $925 without state involvement.
The gathering attracted representatives of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon-cutting, along with Joplin city officials and most members of Joplin’s legislative delegation. State Rep. Bill White, R-Joplin, who represents the district where the duplexes are located, praised the quality of construction. He said he wrote a letter in support of the project after the developer responded to his questions about whether the properties would be affordable to heat, cool and maintain.
“We need a lot of affordable housing,” White said. “If the rent is affordable but your electric bill is $300 a month, that’s not affordable. Thanks for doing it right.”
The celebration also attracted the first renters in the complex, Tiffany and Andrew Seavy, and their young son. The couple lived with family when they moved to Joplin last July from Maine, where Andrew Seavy had served eight years with the Coast Guard. Now, he is attending Missouri Southern State University on the GI Bill, he said.
Duplexes
THE 1,450-SQUARE-FOOT DUPLEXES have three bedrooms, and two and a half bathrooms. Each has a garage and a storm shelter.
May 2011 Joplin tornado
State, local officials celebrate completion of duplex housing development
- May 2011 Joplin tornado
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Storms cause damage throughout the Four States
Four-State Area residents hunkered down twice Monday to ride out tornadoes and powerful spring storms, then went to work cleaning up. The worst damage from Monday night’s storm was being reported in Ottawa County, Okla., near Wyandotte. That followed a report of an EF-1 tornado early Monday morning near Carthage.
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SLIDESHOW: One year later, One day of unity, updated
Photos from a day of events commemorating the May 22, 2011 tornado anniversary
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Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.
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FACES OF RECOVERY: 176,869 volunteers help put Joplin together again
They initially came in droves, pouring into Joplin by the thousands during the months following the May 2011 tornado to clear debris, clean up damaged homes and businesses and distribute donations of food, water, clothing and other necessities.
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Therapy dogs
Any question that Louie was bred to put people as ease is put to rest when the golden retriever trots over to where a visitor sits and puts his head on their knee, the dog’s eyes filled with a gentle affection.
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Nova Kluseman and Jeanne Morrow
Nova Kluseman has staked her claim on Wednesdays at the Mercy medical office clinics where she volunteers. The staff at Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri will know it’s Thursday when they see Jeanne Morrow walk through the door.
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Greentree Community Church
Every two months, Joplin plays host to some now-familiar faces. They’re members of Greentree Community Church in St. Louis, and they have “adopted” the city as one of their mission projects since the tornado.
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Virginia Laas
Virginia Laas isn’t an accountant or bookkeeper by trade. But when the tornado caused significant damage to Joplin Schools, and subsequently spurred a massive landslide of donations to the district, Laas voluntarily stepped into those roles to fill a need that administrators were too busy to handle.
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Rebecca Williams
Two years after the tornado, Rebecca Williams remains committed to helping people around the world keep up with the progress that has been made in Joplin.
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Community Outreach Team
While it didn’t yet have a formal name, the seeds of Freeman Health System’s Community Outreach Team were planted in the hours following the tornado.
- More May 2011 Joplin tornado Headlines
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