Extreme DREAM Potential Properties | The City of Davenport is not associated with any property other than the ones listed as being owned by the City of Davenport. The City of Davenport should not be construed as endorsing or recommending particular services or service providers.

Downloadable PDF of Extreme DREAM Potential Properties.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. The first review and decisions upon funding will not take place until late June. This period is provided to allow applicants time to acquire properties and/or obtain an intent to purchase as well as put together at least two bids for the entire scope of work. 

In order to be considered for funding, the entire application must be completed. Incomplete applications will not be considered. You can submit applications three different ways:

• Email to: [email protected] 
• Drop off during business hours at Davenport City Hall, 226 W 4th Street. 
• Mail to:

City of Davenport Extreme DREAM
226 W 4th St
Davenport, IA 52807 

 There is $2.1 million dollars allocated for the Extreme DREAM project with a maximum of $100,000 in matching funds for each individual project. The Extreme DREAM Project is currently open until all funds have been committed. 

Questions can be emailed to [email protected] or you may call Community & Economic Development at 563-326-7765. 

All property must be located in the Extreme DREAM area: Locust Street south to 5th Street and Scott Street west to Warren Street. In addition, the block facing the boundary of the area is also considered to be a part of the eligible area. Properties outside the area will not be considered. The property must either be a single-family home or a duplex. 

In order to apply, applicant must either own the property or have a signed letter of intent to purchase. The intent to purchase must be signed by both the current deed holder as well as buyer and include the agreed upon purchase price. When submitting an application include either a copy of the deed showing proof of ownership or a copy of the signed intent to purchase. 

Does the house have to be vacant? 
Yes.  The Extreme DREAM project defines vacant as without sanitary sewer service for a minimum of 6 months and major code violations. 

Are there properties other than the ones listed that qualify?
There are likely other properties in addition to the List of Potentially Eligible Homes. If you have questions on a particular address, reach out via email at [email protected] or 563-326-7765. 

Can I submit an application for more than one property?
Yes, you are can submit more than one address. Keep in mind you must be able to show sufficient financing for each project and all must be completed within an 18-month timeframe.  

Who owns the properties?
You can get the most up to date information on ownership by looking up ownership on Scott County’s website here: Scott County Iowa Parcel Search | Scott County, Iowa  

I’ve tried contacting the listed deed holder but haven’t gotten a response back?
Is there anything else I can do? If you have tried to contact an owner and have not gotten any response back, please visit the City’s website: www.davenportiowa.com/dream and complete the Vacant Property Inquiry online form. The City is seeking to identify parcels that are of interest to rehabilitate and determine what options may be available in order to accomplish returning the properties to be contributing homes. 

Can the funds be used to build a home on a vacant lot?
No, Extreme DREAM is only made available to renovate eligible vacant homes.   

Is there a maximum purchase price for a home?
No, there is not a maximum purchase price, however, the City will consider the cost reasonableness of the entire project. This would include the cost to purchase as well as the cost to rehabilitate the home. 

The property I’m considering has a lot of liens on it, can those be forgiven? 
The City has a lien forgiveness program that you can apply for. Only liens placed by the City can be forgiven, they most often include: weed cutting, brush & debris removal and board up fees. The lien forgiveness program cannot forgive City liens relating to: sewer billing, utility fees, alley or sidewalk repair or sewer repair. 

Can the City forgive unpaid taxes? 
No, the City does not have the ability to forgive unpaid property taxes or open tax certificates. All property tax collection is done by Scott County. 

The City of Davenport currently owns three properties:

• 823 Warren Street
• 1006 Warren Street
• 1216 Warren Street

If you are interested in either of these properties, you can reach out via email at [email protected] or 563-326-7765. The City will set at least two blocks of time in late Spring 2023 which the three houses will be available to walk through. 

The City will not be accepting offers on the homes, rather interested applicants will need to fill out the Extreme DREAM application and include the proposed purchase price as part of the complete application. The City will review all applications for the three City owned properties and determine what if any follow up is necessary. Applicants will be contacted directly if additional information is needed. The City will select the best application that meets the goals of the Extreme DREAM Project to move forward. 

Applicants must document the ability to finance one half of the total project costs. The total project cost must include the following:

• Purchase price of the house (unless you previously had ownership)
• Cost of the total scope of work
• A minimum of a 10% contingency to cover any cost overages or unforeseen costs

What does proof of funding or financing look like? 

• Proof of funding can be a letter from your financial institution stating you or your company has available funds equal to or exceeding the required project match. 
• Proof of financing can be a pre-approval letter that indicated you or your company is pre-approved for loan equal to or exceeding the required project match. This pre-approval can state that it is contingent upon successful Extreme DREAM award from the City of Davenport.
• If you have funding from another agency such as a donation of money to go towards your project, include documentation from this agency.  

Applicants must provide a listing of past rehabilitation projects they have completed over the past five years. This information in intended to provide an example of what type of work you or your company has worked on in the past. 

If you are an individual applying and you will be utilizing a general contractor, you may include a list of projects that your general contractor has worked on to provide an example of what type of work they have worked on in the past. 

Applications must include two to three bids for the entire scope of work. At a minimum, bids must include the total cost of work being done by each of the major trades (as shown below) and include a description of the work that will be completed.

The scope of work must address all code violations and all work requiring a City of Davenport building permit must be done by a licensed contractor. For example, for a General Building trade break out it should list the total cost of the bid and state what work items are occurring: New roof, rebuilt front porch, replace 14 windows and 3 exterior doors, etc. 

Major trades: Scope of work and cost

• General Building total cost and description of work (windows, doors, siding, etc) 
• Electrical total cost and description of work
• Mechanical including HVAC total cost and description of work
• Plumbing total cost and description of work
• Exterior improvements total cost & description of work such garages, fences, sidewalks, etc.

Applicants are encouraged to provide as much detail as possible to provide the best picture of the scope of work planned. Many of the eligible properties will require a full-scale total renovation. The goal of the Extreme DREAM project is to dream big and make extreme positive changes to these long vacant properties and spur additional investment. Once completed, properties should be a shining example of what is possible with a public-private investment. 

I haven’t done a rehab project before; can I still apply?
The City of Davenport does not limit who can apply. If you do not have experience in completing a project of this scale, you will need to show that you have a general contractor or similar entity involved that can oversee the project.

Does this have to be bid using Davis Bacon or prevailing wages? 
No. This project is not federally funded.

What if I can only get one bid?
A minimum of two bids is required, but it is preferred you obtain three bids per trade. This is necessary for competitive bidding and to determine cost reasonableness.

Are the materials for this project sales tax exempt? 
No.

Can we list in-kind work or material donations for our project costs?
Yes, you can list that, however, in-kind work or material donations are not eligible for the dollar-for-dollar cost matching. 

Do I have to have insurance on the house while its under construction? 
Yes, you will need to show proof of insurance on the home while it is under construction. 

How long do I have to complete the project?
The project must start within six months of the Extreme DREAM Project contract signing and must finish with 18 months of the Extreme DREAM contract date. 

Can I do exterior work that’s not on the actual house?
Yes, you are able to submit bids for work such as garage improvements or addition of a garage, sidewalks, rear fences, removal of problem trees, etc. 

Applications must include a sketch or design on the planned exterior. This sketch does not need to be prepared by an architect. The items below need to be shown on the sketch and include manufacturer spec sheet or other related information on siding, roofing, windows and doors.

Any major changes that are proposed to the exterior: additions, removals of porches, addition of windows, etc.

• Planned roofing materials
• Planned siding material 
• Planned or representative windows 
• Exterior work such as a new garage, fencing, sidewalks, tree removal and landscaping

For properties located in the Local Hamburg Historic District (see map for the boundaries), all exterior work must go through the City’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). Approval of exterior work by the Historic Preservation Commission does not need to occur prior to applying for Extreme DREAM. 

If you are considering applying for a property in the Local Hamburg Historic District you are encouraged to reach out to Matt Werderitch with Development & Neighborhood Services via email at [email protected] or via phone at 563-888-2221. 

The completed home must be owner occupied for a period of five years following the completion of the project. If you as the applicant do not intend to use it as your primary residence, if will need to be sold via a warranty deed to an owner occupant. In the case of a duplex, upon completion one half of the duplex must owner occupied. 

A covenant will be recorded on the property with Scott County requiring the property to be owner occupied for the five-year period. If the property is not owner occupied for the full five-year period, a pro-rata share of the original Extreme DREAM grant amount will be required to be paid back by the current deed holder.