A Rock Island couple wants to help the city attract new residents and homeowners. This morning, Rock Island officials joined Bob and Pam Votroubek for a ribbon cutting ceremony at a new home in an established neighborhood. It's located at 1527 36th Street.
The Votroubek's own Handy True Value hardware in Rock Island, and they've managed rental properties for many years.
A couple of years ago, they decided to build a pre-fabricated house to fill in a vacant lot. It's a model for the type of home the city's HOME program is for.
Bob says the city owns more than 150 vacant lots which don't generate any property tax revenue. This kind of new home could help fill those empty lots and attract people to live in Rock Island.
The house was built in a Homeway Homes factory near Peoria. Pam Votroubek says it's energy efficient and features a sprinkler system. The 1,270 sq. ft. house has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open living/dining/kitchen area, and an attached, two-car garage. And the list price is $199,000.
Rock Island's new HOME program allows buyers to buy a vacant lot for five dollars. It also requires them to build a house in six months and live in it for five years.
