Mulberry Neighborhood Revitalization Program

Location
Muscatine, Iowa,  2nd Congressional District 

Summary
The Muscatine Comprehensive Neighborhood Revitalization Grant is a much-needed program targeting the Mulberry neighborhood in Muscatine, Iowa. There are roughly 2,842 people residing in the area that will be touched by some aspect of this project.  

The neighborhood has had very little public or private investment since the mid-1900s. As a result, many of the structures, residential and commercial, are in poor condition and the neighborhood suffers higher than average crime rates due to disenfranchisement.  

There is a low rate of homeownership in the area. The average age of a home is 1900 and almost 20% are considered to be in substandard condition. 74% of the residents are low to moderate income and a high percentage of the residents are children. 

Benefits & Innovation
This is a pilot program which allows a community to revitalize a neighborhood funding several inter-related but distinct, eligible CDBG activities. The neighborhood must meet the LMI National Objective. There is a minimum requirement of 3 activities and the area has a maximum threshold of 200 households.  

The benchmarks for this project are to rehabilitate 30 homes owned by low-to-moderate income families (90 Persons Served), demolish 5 homes that have been on the City’s list of nuisance properties and rebuild new housing opportunities for affordable housing (15 Persons Served), conduct façade improvements on 5 commercial buildings (7 Persons Served), create a pocket park, increase Wi-Fi and upgrade the local infrastructure (528 Persons Served/Activity).

Partners

• City of Muscatine
• Muscatine County
• Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine
• Muscatine Center for Social Action

Funding