A project that is ongoing on the downtown square in Jefferson continues with another venture.

The Centennial at 100 East State Street has had the main floor restaurant open since July but now the all-female group, Why Not Us, is looking to finish the upper story apartments. President Peg Raney says the exterior windows and painting are close to being completed and they are applying for a Community Development Block Grant through the Iowa Economic Development Authority upper story housing conversion project. Raney says the grant will help to complete the interior renovations to the two one-bedroom apartments.

Raney describes her level of confidence in receiving the grant, considering a similar grant was awarded for The Public House at 123 North Chestnut Street.

“Well I would think we have been pretty successful at grant writing. Hopefully our story, along with the other things going on in Jefferson for upper story housing makes the grant review committee pretty confident that this is going to happen and be another model for other rural communities.” 

Raney notes the City of Jefferson would be the applicant and Region XII Council of Governments is the administrator. As part of the grant process, the Jefferson City Council set the public hearing for October 25th at 5:30pm for the two apartments that would be at a minimum of 51% of the units to be rented to low-to-moderate income tenants.