A Rock Island-based agency has broken ground on what will be the first major residential development in downtown Sterling. The Rock Island Economic Growth Corporation, or GROWTH, has begun construction on the Lawrence Building, which has been vacant since the 1960s, and sits above the Whiteside County Courthouse.
The $5.6 million project includes 20 affordable apartments, and most will be rent-restricted for low-income tenants.
And preference will be given to veterans, referred by the VA outpatient clinic in Sterling.
The City of Sterling established a TIF district for the Lawrence Lofts project. And the non-profit, Sterling TODAY, donated $100,000 to help with construction, and $50,000 to be used as a rent subsidy for two units.
The Lawrence Lofts project is part of a 7-year partnership between GROWTH and the City of Sterling. The project should be completed next year.
And Friday, GROWTH will celebrate the completion of a project in Rock Island. It'll cut a ribbon for the opening of the Garden District, a $2 million project that includes 7 single-family homes, near the Quad City Botanical Center.