District 29, located on a 10.3-acre parcel of land near Fort Dodge Middle School at the intersection of North 29th Street and Dodger Drive, will offer a four-story apartment building with 93 units and five sets of five-plexes.

Construction began last summer and is now wrapping up, with the first residents scheduled to move in at the start of September.

The housing development will be managed by Real Property Management Express, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

According to Ben Lauer, the director of the company’s Iowa properties, about 20% of the units are already lined up with leases.

-Messenger photo by Michaela Frerichs
The elevator in the new District 29 apartment building was still under construction in July. The building is set to open at the start of September.

“It’s starting to move quickly, and we have a number of people reserving units well in advance,” he said.

The four-story apartment building will have a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. It will have an all-hours exercise facility, community room, a leasing office, elevators and other common areas. Each unit comes with all major appliances, including in-unit washer and dryer.

“We’ve been developing multifamily housing projects throughout northwest Iowa over the last five or six years,” Josh Kruger, vice president of Eagle Construction, of Sioux Falls, told The Messenger in October. Eagle Construction is the developer for the project. “We love Iowa and the people we deal with and we’re able to do our research on different communities in Iowa that have a need for market rate housing.”

Kruger said his company currently has about 1,500 individual apartments. They have buildings in Mason City, Sioux City, Spirit Lake, Sheldon and others.

Phase 1 of this project also includes five individual townhome buildings that will be five-plexes with two- and three-bedroom townhomes with two-stall garages. The site will also have a playground and a dog park.

-Messenger photo by Michaela Frerichs
The District 29 Townhomes are five sets of five-plexes located near Fort Dodge Middle School at Dodger Drive and North 29th Street. The townhomes are set to be ready for move-in at the beginning of September.

More amenities are planned for a Phase 2 of the project, including a community building and a swimming pool.

“We really look at communities where there’s a need for (housing),” Lauer said. “And it’s always nice when the community embraces our project and embraces us being here to provide housing. And vice versa, we like to get involved in the community.”

Rent for the studio apartments starts at $695 per month. One-bedroom units will be $940 per month, and two-bedroom units will be $1,150 per month.

“We’re pretty flexible as far as how long the lease terms are that we offer,” Lauer said. “The standard lease is going to be a 12-month term, but we certainly accommodate folks that wish to lease for a longer or shorter period of time.”

The project broke ground in mid-2020 and despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, everything is set to be completed on schedule.

“This really speaks volumes of the talent and development of Eagle Construction,” Lauer said. “As far as I’m concerned, the project is opening on time and everything seems to be going according to our initial schedule.”

The new housing development has an array of amenities, including a “state-of-the-art” fitness facility.

Lauer said the in-unit washers and dryers have been a big draw for applicants.

“But the biggest draw in my mind is just the fact that it is a brand-new complex,” he said. “It’s modern, sleek and all the finishes are pretty sharp.”

Real Property Management Express wants to be as involved as it possibly can with the Fort Dodge community, Lauer said.

“One of the most exciting parts about coming to a new market is connecting with the community and local businesses and different organizations,” he said. “We’re always open to different partnerships.”

While construction is finishing up over the next few weeks, District 29 is scheduling “hard hat tours” for individuals interested in looking around the property and touring the apartments.

To schedule a tour, call 515-417-2168.