The award comes less than a year after opening in downtown Mason City. The River transformed a formally vacant parking lot into a 133-unit community as part of The River City Renaissance Project aiming to enhance Mason City’s downtown through revitalization projects. Furthermore, the development has served as an attraction to expand the local workforce by offering housing choices and amenities to fit a variety of incomes and lifestyles. The project proved successful on filling the need for housing as it reached 100% occupancy within the first four months of opening.
The apartments focus on style, comfort, and unparalleled services. The community room serves as a place to enjoy morning coffee and small talk with fellow residents as well as a place to host gatherings and resident events. The fitness center down the hall is open 24-hours and is utilized year-round. For those residents who enjoy outdoor fitness and transportation, the indoor bike storage rooms offer a place to keep their bikes safe and secure. The underground parking garage keeps vehicles protected from unpredictable midwestern weather. The River is also pet friendly, with a convenient dog-wash room to keep muddy paws clean. With remote work becoming more common, the conference room and study rooms have become essential to a work-life balance
Talon has spent the last several years developing workforce housing throughout the Midwest. The priority of Talon is to boost growing rural economies by providing non-subsidized and affordable housing to the area. Collaborative efforts between Talon Development and Eagle Construction with key stakeholders of the city and the North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corporation brought the vision of The River to reality. “We try to work with that leadership and that community to figure out how we can make this work. That’s what happened here, that’s what our company does” said Steve Boote, Talon Development and Eagle Construction CEO, at the ribbon cutting for The River in January 2021.
Following the success of the project, Mason City Council Members voted 6-0 in support of a second 102-unit development in Mason City in July 2021 which will be known as “The River II.”
View the Iowa Finance Authority feature video and article detailing the award.