The City of Knoxville will once again be designated as an Iowa Thriving Community by the Iowa Finance Authority for 2025.

The designation means Knoxville will serve as a model for other communities in attracting housing development for all income levels. Being an Iowa Thriving Community also comes with highly sought scoring points for the Federal Housing Tax Credit and/or Workforce Housing Tax Credit programs.

With the designation in 2024, Knoxville saw two development projects awarded workforce housing tax credits; one for Origin Homes with Phase 2 in the Veterans District (5 single family homes) and the other for Huegerich Construction Inc. with a 36 unit apartment complex in Block A of the Veterans District. City Manager Heather Ussery says she is thankful the city received that designation in 2024 and is looking forward to what it will bring in 2025.

“It just shows that your community is forward thinking, you’re planning, and you’re ready for those developers to come into your community. If you are awarded you receive extra points on workforce housing tax credit applications for those developers who are submitting projects for your community.”

Both the new Origin project and Hugerich project will begin this spring.