A $50,000 grant from the Kansas Residential Opportunities on Main Street or ROOMS program will help add apartments in a historic building in downtown Independence.

 

The grant money will fund a project that will add two, one-bedroom units to the upper floors of the Stanford building, located at 113 East Main Street. Kansas Main Street Director Scott Sewell says the purpose of the ROOMS program is to create livable spaces in downtown areas.

 

Sewell adds that there are requirements for projects to qualify for the program.

 

Independence joins the cities of Atchison, Emporia, Marysville, and Ottawa in sharing a total of $250,000 in total grant money. The five projects are expected to generate almost $9 million in private investment while helping alleviate the shortage of housing across the state.