Western Iowa Answers Urgent Call for Housing by Repurposing Historic School Building
December 2, 2024
When the demand for housing in western Iowa spiked as current and new residents began fulfilling an abundance of job opportunities in healthcare, management and manufacturing, Western Iowa Advantage (WIAD) realized their communities had a problem: despite the vibrant economy, approximately 700 jobs remained unfilled due to a lack of available housing units.
“The most common drawback for potential candidates was lack of housing,” says Rod Jensen, plant manager for Global Precision Parts in Audubon. “We could hire ten people today if there were homes for them to move into. Without housing, we have already had two people decline job offers.”
A Creative Vision Unfolds
Pressure has been put on the region’s existing housing stock, which averages fewer than ten properties per county on the market —a trend that has persisted for years. As a result, homes sell at lightning speed, often within hours of hitting the market.
With a lack of housing to accommodate the growing industry, Sac County Economic and Tourism Development began exploring the idea of repurposing vacant buildings and empty lots into an array of housing units to satisfy its residents.
“Housing has become a major need for our county,” says Brandy Wilson, executive director of Sac Economic & Tourism Development. According to a 2020 Housing Needs Assessment, that need was dire. “Eight hundred sixteen units were recommended… and that was if we had no growth and no change, and one hundred eighty of those were recommended to be rentals.”
Around this time, our school district consolidated four buildings into two, leaving two buildings vacant. One of them was the historic Sac County Middle School in Sac City. A behemoth at 61,000 sq. feet., multiple community groups immediately went into action. Sac Development Corporation applied for a Rural Innovations Grant in the Spring of 2022, which was used for a School Building Feasibility Study. “Sac County Economic & Tourism Development, the City of Sac City, the school board for East Sac County Schools and the Sac Development Corporation worked together to find a sustainable, long-term solution for the building,” says Wilson.
Enter Ryan Huegerich, CEO of Huegerich Construction, Inc (HCI). Having grown up in nearby Carroll, he was familiar with the area and caught wind of the opportunity to re-develop the middle school into housing. He was immediately impressed by the joint effort to turn the proposed project into a reality. “The steps and processes were easy, simple, and it was a collaborative effort to find the path of least resistance to get it done,” he says.
A Mix of Old and New
When fully completed in the summer and fall of 2025, the Middle School Project—formally known as Sac and Fox in honor of the Native American tribes who occupied the area— will include 25-30 one, two and three bedroom apartments with upscale amenities like quartz countertops, high-quality cabinetry, and preservation of the custom hardwood flooring. “We also want to retain the original character of the school, so we’re keeping the wide hallways and even the lockers,” says Huegerich. “It’s a mix of old and new.”
Plans also include construction of three fourplexes and three fiveplexes on the 2.2 acre lot on the south side of the school. Taking advantage of the state’s array of financial incentives available to builders, HCI applied for and was awarded Workforce Housing Tax Credits for the single-family units and Redevelopment Tax Credits for the apartments. Tax Increment Financing was also utilized to help this project come to fruition.
The art-deco middle school auditorium, which seats 516, will also be repurposed as a performing arts center for community usage.
“You just don’t see those projects in little towns very often,” says Wilson. “We have a great quality of life in our community. That’s one of the reasons we’re growing.”
Additional housing opportunities include the completion of 13 lots for single-family homes in Sac City and ten lots for single-family homes in Wall Lake.
“It’s a small fraction of the units we need, but we’re starting to get there,” says Wilson.
