Nearly all Grinnell property owners own just one property, yet 15 owners control 15 percent of the city

Nearly all Grinnell property owners own just one property, yet 15 owners control 15 percent of the city

As over 50,000 low-income renters across Iowa search for affordable housing, a quiet concentration of property ownership is reshaping Grinnell, a town of fewer than 10,000 residents. An analysis by The Scarlet & Black reveals that just 30 property owners—a mix of corporations, nonprofits and individual investors—collectively hold nearly 18 percent of Grinnell’s residential properties. These 30 entities own 662 of the town’s 3,417 parcels, accord…