A partnership between the City of Manning and a West Des Moines company is promising something many rural communities have been struggling to provide: new residential construction. Earlier this summer, Manning and Origin Homes announced they would be working together to leverage the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Home Loan Program to help families from a variety of income levels build a new house. City Administrator Dawn Meyer says Manning has significant opportunities for growth but needs more homes to make it a reality.
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Meyer says they have great local contractors willing to build homes, but schedules and profit margins are tight. In many cases, somebody wanting to build in or around Manning can struggle to find somebody to complete the work, so it was somewhat of a surprise when Origin Homes approached the city wanting to build.
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Matt Daniels, the director of operations for Origin Homes, says they are a business and would not pursue the Manning project so aggressively if they did not see a tremendous opportunity for everybody involved.
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He adds their agreement with Manning includes at least five homes that would be considered “workforce housing,” but they are hoping to build around a dozen homes or more over the next two to three years. Daniels says they will work with clients of all income levels to ensure they get the best deal available.
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Depending on their success in Manning, Daniels suggested Origin Homes would be interested in pursuing similar projects in other west-central Iowa communities in the future. For more information about the Manning and Origin Homes partnership, contact Dawn Meyer at Manning City Hall at 712-655-2176.