$2.1 million for Extreme Dream Project in Davenport; It is dedicated to the development of empty houses

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – The Extreme Dream Project designed to rehabilitate vacant and abandoned homes along the Gaines Street corridor in Davenport. $2.1 million has been allocated to the program to assist with repairs.

TV6 had the opportunity to visit one of the vacant and abandoned houses on Warren Street. From the holes in the walls to the chipped and boarded up windows, this home meets the Extreme to Ty Dream Project criteria.

According to Extreme Dream’s website, the homes must be vacant for at least six months and have severe code violations that make them uninhabitable.

Applications are now open for those who may be interested in purchasing the property, but according to Suzanne Knutsen, economic development manager for the city of Davenport, rehabbing any home is more than just giving it away.

“We review all their requests and make sure all the basic mechanics are addressed,” Knutsen said. “If there are fundamental issues, will it be addressed structurally, will it be addressed.”

Driving homeowners to the Gaines Street corridor and revitalizing it is a priority for the project, according to Alderman 3, Marion Meginnis.

“I mean, if we build a few houses on the same block, say, maybe there are other houses that sell higher composts, more people will be interested in the area, when you do a project like this, people will see the work. “And even if they don’t own or finance it, they can decide to do something in their house.”

In total, each home can receive up to $100,000 in funding from the city, meaning each home can have about $200,000 reinvested in them by the end of the day.

“I mean $200,000, a lot of these homes have a long way to go to get there,” Knutsen said. “But there are a lot of them who will take $200,000 and turn it into a wonderful new home for someone.”

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