Star Lofts Break Ground
IOWA'S FIRST CARBON CERTIFIED BUILDING BREAKS GROUND - STAR LOFTS ON INGERSOLL AVENUE
(L-R): Russ Bitterman - ID8 Architects; Brandon Pratt - The Capital Collective; Debi Durham - Director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Finance Authority; Connie Boesen - Des Moines City Council; John Plaisance - Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines; Russ Frazier - Anawim Housing; Molly Cutler - Cutler Development; Scott Cutler - Cutler Development; Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie; Polk County Supervisor Angela Connolly; Carl Voss - Des Moines City Council; Cole McClelland - Chair of the Polk County Housing Trust Fund Board of Directors; and Peter Cutler - Capital Homes
On May 4th, 2023 - a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the future sight of the Star Lofts along Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa. The Star Lofts will be a sustainable mass timber construction build and is set to be the first Zero Carbon Certified building in the state of Iowa. Anawim Housing and Cutler Development are co-developing the project. Director Debi Durham of the Iowa Finance Authority, Mayor Frank Cownie, Councilmember Connie Boesen, and John Plaisance from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines gave remarks at the groundbreaking.
Star Lofts has received wide-spread community and state support as it is not only a sustainable build, but 100% of its twenty housing units will be affordable housing. The building will be a total of three levels, with commercial space on the ground level, and two floors made up of twenty one-bedroom, two-bedroom and efficiency affordable housing units.
Russ Frazier, President of Anawim Housing shared: “We were very happy to partner with Cutler Development on this project. Not only is it an improvement of the site but it also brings a great new addition to Ingersoll.”
This mass timber project was awarded $250,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s wood innovations and community wood grant program. In June 2022, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the site of the Star Lofts to announce the allocation of $35 million to fund this national program of which Star Lofts was awarded funding. Mass timber construction is desirable as it avoids creating fossil fuel emissions that come from traditional manufacturing practices. Mass timber provides increased insulation properties and wood naturally sequesters carbon which could have a net benefit in the fight against climate change.
This sustainable build is replacing an old Star Gas Station and will be providing critical affordable housing to the Ingersoll Neighborhood which is already undergoing exciting revitalization efforts.
View all the photos from the Groundbreaking.