The Lennox Area Development Corporation (LADC) has reopened the online application for their Home Improvement Incentive, a program aimed at helping residents make upgrades to their property. Eligible recipients may be reimbursed for up to 25% of their total project costs—capped at $10,000—to help pay for exterior improvements. Members of the LADC say they’re motivated to reopen the application due to the program’s early success.
“The Home Improvement Incentive was launched last March with a $75,000 allocation” said LADC president Sharese Ihnen. “We were amazed by the community’s response. We received seventeen applications between when we started and when we stopped accepting applications in the fall. Participating residents have invested over $165,000 in their homes so far.”
The LADC placed a pause on applications to ensure that there was enough funding in the program to reimburse the initial applicants. Now that the first wave of projects are close to completion, Ihnen says the organization is ready to help more homeowners.
“$40,000 of program funds have already been spent or committed to ongoing exterior improvement projects,” she said. “Our goal is to have all remaining funds committed to projects by the end of this second round of applications. We want to get this money out the door and making a difference in the community.”
According to Ryan Solberg, the LADC’s economic development specialist, the Home Improvement Incentive was created as a way to make sure that Lennox’s older neighborhoods remain vibrant.
“Lennox has seen tremendous investment in new housing, especially in the Countryside Addition. However, we want to make sure that there’s investment in our current housing stock. With rising labor and building material prices, existing homes are what younger, working families can afford to purchase. We want to make sure that these neighborhoods remain attractive, comfortable, and healthy places to live, both for current residents and for people moving here in the future.”
Owners of properties identified by the City of Lennox as being out of code will have priority for available funds. If you have any questions about your eligibility, you can reach out to the LADC’s economic development specialist, Ryan Solberg, via email at ryans@siouxmetro.com or by calling him at (605) 630-2050.
“If you’re thinking of doing any project, large or small, we encourage you to apply,” said Solberg. “Even if it’s something like putting in more energy efficient windows or a fresh coat of paint, we want to help.”