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Lake City Port Authority (2023) Print
2023 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ Housing Choice Design Competitions
└ Housing Choice Design Competitions
Lake City, home to one of Minnesota's oldest populations, faced a shortage of affordable housing and options for aging in place. Although ADUs were allowed, few residents pursued them due to lack of awareness and design access. The Port Authority launched an education campaign with informational sessions, brochures and a dedicated webpage. They partnered with housing advocates to provide free pre-reviewed ADU designs, including above-garage options. Interest surged, with residents contacting city planners and realtors seeking guidance.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Suffolk County, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: Suffolk County's housing costs leave many older adults with few options to age in place. To spark solutions, the county launched the Home to Opportunity ADU Design Contest, inviting residents to submit accessible accessory dwelling unit concepts. Winning designs were showcased with 3D models, and a published report now guides future ADU development. The project also funded research mapping senior housing zoning patterns, informing policy discussions on expanding housing options. Local media coverage amplified the effort, showing how ADUs can support independence and affordability for older residents.
Salt Lake City, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: Salt Lake City's housing shortage left many residents struggling to find affordable options. To highlight Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) as a practical solution, the group hosted a tour of three ADUs for over 70 attendees and developed a digital map showing where ADUs could be built. They also worked with city leaders to streamline approvals through a pre-authorized design program and secured funding for an ADU loan initiative. Policy changes passed in April 2024 eased construction barriers and spurred permit requests, with about 150 new ADUs expected in five years-creating more housing choices for older adults and families.
Altoona, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: Residents seeking smaller, more affordable homes had few options because no accessory dwelling units were being built, and many people were unsure how ADUs worked or why they mattered. To address this, the city held an open house where designers pitched ADU concepts, recorded the presentations and shared them online. A new website explained ADUs and offered clear guidance on their use. The event produced several ready-to-use designs and began generating local interest. One presenter described how an ADU had once helped her shelter a friend, saying it "literally saved her," highlighting how these small homes can support people with changing needs.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Ellsworth, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Ellsworth's once-bustling East End corridor had declined over several decades, with a 60 percent vacancy rate along Broadway Street. The Local Chamber of Commerce hoped to see the neighborhood rise again as a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use area. To promote its vision, the Chamber commissioned six murals celebrating local agricultural history. They also put up light pole banners and window clings with branding for the neighborhood and added benches, bistro tables and hanging planter baskets along Broadway Street. The Chamber then staged a historical walking tour, which garnered local news coverage and spurred the County historical association to consider designating the East End as an official historic district. In conjunction with these placemaking efforts, the Chamber launched a pop-up program for small businesses opening in the East End. Following that initiative, two of the participating decided to operate permanently in the neighborhood.
Friendship Park, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: After the City of Rochester cut its parks and recreation budget during the COVID-19 pandemic, many small parks in Rochester fell into disrepair. To address this, Family Service Rochester improved a pocket park in the City's Friendship Park neighborhood, a diverse, low-income area of the city. This project added new trees, benches and a multilingual information kiosk. A volunteer team dug holes, planted, watered and staked trees. Others chipped in to keep the park free of litter. Organizers say the project demonstrated that residents will invest their time to improve their neighborhood. After the project's completion, volunteers from the initiative were inspired to improve other parks in the area.
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