(KAIR)--Atchison and Marysville are among five grant recipients that will share $250,000 in funding through the State of Kansas for the addition of new residential downtown apartment units.

According to a release from the Kansas Department of Commerce, the monies are made available through the ROOMS program, which stands for the Residential Opportunities on Main Street program, with the five projects, located within designated Kansas Main Street communities, awarded $50,000 to create what the release identifies as a total of 29 new residential units in the upper floors of downtown buildings.

Receiving the funding allocation in Atchison is the 1913 Apartments, located at 325 Commercial Street, with those funds earmarked for the addition of three one-bedroom units. Originally built in 1913 as a YMCA boarding house, the building was redeveloped through Pomeroy Properties into a 17-unit apartment building with a grand re-opening held in the summer of 2020.

Receiving the funding allocation in the city of Marysville is the Broadway building, which will use the $50,000 in funding to add ten, one-bedroom and two, two-bedroom lofts.

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland, in the release, says that "by investing in rural downtowns and creating additional housing units, we directly improve the quality of life in these communities while also supporting further economic growth."

Last year, eight communities were awarded ROOMS grants, resulting in 34 new upper-floor housing units in downtown communities and generating nearly $7 million in private reinvestment. The five projects this year, the release notes, "will generate almost $9 million in private reinvestment."

Kansas Main Street Director Scott Sewell, in the release, calls the ROOMS grant program "a staple in addressing the lack of housing options in specific Kansas communities,” adding that “the rehabilitation projects not only increase the housing available, but also helps ensure we restore and utilize the historic downtown buildings across Kansas.”