A community’s housing market impacts the quality of life for residents of the region, people interested in moving to the area, and businesses seeking to recruit and retain employees.

In 2021 the City of Ottumwa and the Legacy Foundation worked with RDG Planning & Design to determine the status of Ottumwa’s housing market, and how the determined imbalance is impacting our residents.

RDG Planning and Design used community outreach and market analysis to help understand housing needs in Ottumwa, and a future vision for housing in our community. The study concluded that Ottumwa needs to add 500 residences in Ottumwa by 2030 to find a balance in supply and demand.

That identified need has formed Mission 500, a collaborative effort to end the housing shortage in Ottumwa by 2030. Over the next 12 weeks, we will be sharing the results of the housing study with Ottumwa residents. Check back each week for a new update on our efforts to begin closing the housing gap in Ottumwa.

All information in this post is taken from the Ottumwa Housing Plan, which you can read in full here.