P&Z approves Anundsen building rehabilitation

By Denise Lana,

The old Anundsen building, formerly home to Decorah Newspapers, Happy Joes and several other businesses, was purchased by Rebound Partners, a local investment group, in May 2022. The building’s exterior renovations will consist of repair and replacement as needed, with ten residential apartments being housed on the second floor and the first floor becoming commercial space.

With a previous unanimous approval from Decorah Historic Preservation Commission, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission met Monday afternoon and unanimously voted in support of the plans for a historic rehabilitation project that will bring 10 apartments to the Anundsen building on Water and Washington Streets.  

The P&Z commission met with Scott Koester, a representative of local investment group Rebound Partners who have previously taken part in several historic rehab projects in Minnesota, and who built the Fairfield Inn in Decorah. 

According to Koester, the group applied for and recently received approval for a historic preservation tax credit, which ensures the character and historic features of qualified buildings are maintained appropriately. 

“This is a critical piece to making this a financially viable project,” Koester stressed to the P&Z board. “We are working hard to ensure we are sensitive to the historic downtown.” 

The end goal for the building is to house 10 residential apartments on the second floor, and the 8,600 sq. ft. main level will be used as commercial space. According to Koester, apartments will include two studio apartments, five one-bedroom units, and three two-bedroom units, ranging from 550 to 1,100 sq. ft. in size. 

Full article in the May 16 Decorah Public Opinion newspaper.

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