Housing project to include a pair of triplexes

Contributed photo
County Commissioners and the Otter Tail County Housing and Redevelopment Authority held a groundbreaking ceremony for new senior housing to be built in Dalton. The county HRA has plans for three other communities if it can garner the grant funding for the three projects in Vergas, New York Mills and Ottertail.

By Robert Williams

Editor

After much collaboration and planning, the North Fields of Dalton senior housing project is becoming a reality. The project is located on the north end of Dalton, just west of County Highway 35 on Court Street. The official groundbreaking was held by the Otter Tail County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) on Friday, July 26, and construction is underway. The project will bring $1.6 million of housing investment into Dalton.

Once completed in the winter of 2025, the project will provide six senior rental housing units to help address the housing shortages in the area. Two triplexes will provide one- and two-bedroom, 1 ¼ bathroom, single-level units. Additional amenities will include in-unit washers/dryers, dishwashers, and lawn care and snow removal is included. The units will be owned and operated by the Otter Tail County HRA.

The Vergas (HRA) has future plans to hopefully bring a similar development to the Sunny Acres subdivision where Otter Tail County owns two lots with plans for two triplexes also.

The last meeting with the county came in November of 2023 via Zoom with Otter Tail County (OTC) Housing and Redevelopment Authority Board Executive Director Barbara Dacy, OTC Community Development Director Amy Baldwin, OTC HRA Property Manager and Housing Supervisor Tanya Westra, along with Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA) Community and Business Development Specialist Jordan Grossman.

The county HRA is planning to develop senior housing in New York Mills, Ottertail and Vergas, with the aid of a grant application for funding. The county applied last summer for Housing Infrastructure bonds for two sets of triplexes in all three aforementioned communities. 

“Affordable rental senior housing is a priority of the county and there certainly is significant demand up here,” said Dacy. “We are trying to create a long-term, reliable supply of affordable senior housing.”

The proposal consisted of four 1-bedroom units and a pair of two-bedroom units in the two triplexes.

The Vergas project is currently on hold after not receiving funds, due to a 70 percent increase in grant applications from 2022 to this year. There was a total request of $440 million with only $197 million earmarked for senior housing projects, according to Dacy.

“We did not score high enough compared to those who did, however, we learned a lot,” said Dacy. “We met with Minnesota Housing staff and they suggested a number of things to us. In general, they wanted to see more information on the engagement with seniors in each of the communities.”

Otter Tail County HRA Board Chair Wayne Johnson congratulated the partners involved in the Dalton project. 

“I want to thank all our partners for their commitment to the project including Otter Tail County, Otter Tail County HRA, City of Dalton, Northstar System Built, Novelty Homes, Leitch Excavating, and Ohren Electric,” he said. “It’s amazing what can happen when we have collaboration and cooperation.”

Dalton City Clerk, Tanya Bakken, expressed her excitement for the project. 

“We are looking forward to this new housing in Dalton. The last time we had residential construction was quite some time ago, so this is a big deal,” said Bakken. 

In the recently platted North Fields of Dalton, there are a total of nine residential lots, so the city is looking for buyers to purchase the remaining lots and develop additional housing in the community.

“Communities across our county are experiencing housing shortages, and building affordable senior housing to meet resident needs is even more challenging. This project brings quality housing to Dalton so residents can remain here and continue to enjoy this community,” said Otter Tail County Board Chair Kurt Mortenson.

For more information on the senior housing units in Dalton, please contact the Otter Tail County HRA at (218) 998-8730. 

For more information about the additional residential lots available, please contact the City of Dalton at (218) 589-8732.  

To learn more about Otter Tail County’s housing resources and The Big Build housing growth and investment initiative, visit www.bigbuildotc.com.