City of Muskogee

PROJECT PURPOSE

The City of Muskogee has identified a shortage in available housing. The University of Oklahoma conducted a housing study that showed a need for at least 375 new housing units per year for the next ten years, a total of more than 3,750 units. The City of Muskogee currently issues an average of about 30 building permits per year. The lack of market rate housing in the City of Muskogee has contributed to a decline in population in the most recent census and in enrollment in Muskogee Public Schools. To meet that need, the City of Muskogee has committed $1.5 million over the next four years to incentivize water and sewer infrastructure for new home construction. The City is requesting an additional $1.5M of state ARPA funds for use on water and sewer infrastructure for new housing units in the city of Muskogee.

EVIDENCE

The University of Oklahoma conducted a housing study showing a need for 375 new housing units per year for the next ten years, a total of more than 3750 units. The City of Muskogee currently issues an average of about 30 building permits per year.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Muskogee is the largest city (36,878) and seat for rural Muskogee County (67,000), designated as a StrikeZone by the USDA because of its high poverty rate (24.6%) and its many economic disparities and challenges. Muskogee is a poor, diverse and rural population that has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic due to restricted access to health services and socioeconomic challenges resulting from inadequate infrastructure, limited economic development opportunities, inconsistent broadband access, and access to employment. In addition to chronic poverty, other vulnerable populations include the elderly, children, and minorities. The pandemic led directly led to the residents of Muskogee suffering the closure of several major retailers and numerous small businesses, making access to basic commodities a challenge. Also, these closures will continue to negatively impact sales tax revenues for the city for years to come. As such, there is a critical need to incentivize new residential development for our vulnerable population. Despite these challenges, Muskogee remains a regional hub with residents from six surrounding counties traveling there daily for employment, services, and entertainment. A commitment to developing water and sewer to attract new business would benefit the people of Muskogee and the larger region.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

The City will track building permits issued, certificates of occupancy issued and housing starts in the city limits. Our plan for collecting this data includes using existing city resources that issue the permits and certificates that would show progress. Project performance for the expansion of water and sewer infrastructure for residential areas will also be measured by the completion of the project according to schedule and within the established budget.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

One-time project will not need continued funding