JOINT MEETING … Sean Rupp of the Williams County Port Authority talks about the Port Authority’s housing project in Montpelier. The Williams County Port Authority is also partnering with Frontier Community Services to start a senior housing project in Bryan. Proposed construction on this project is for June 2024 and then to be ready for occupation, by late 2025. (PHOTO BY DANIEL COOLEY, STAFF)
By: Daniel Cooley
The Bryan City Council and Bryan Board of Public Affairs held a joint meeting at the Bryan City Council Chambers on January 26.
The purpose of the meeting was to hear a presentation by the Williams County Port Authority.
The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by two roll calls, one by Bryan City Council and the other, by the Bryan Board of Public Affairs (BPA).
All five council members, Jim Kozumplik, Mary Leatherman, Richard Hupe, John Betts and Judy Yarhraus were in attendance.
Also, all five BPA members, Karen Ford, Annette Schreiner, Tom Sprow, Dick Long and Jim Salsbury, were in attendance.
David Newcomer of the Williams County Port Authority (WCPA) began the presentation by talking about the history of the WCPA.
The WCPA was formed in 2007, with the idea of creating a local entity that would be responsible for local economic growth.
Dawn Fitzcharles of the WCPA then talked. In 2018, the WCPA completed a Housing Opportunities Assessment.
It was discovered that rental housing vacancies were below one percent and that there were no multifamily developments in the past 15 years, except for a low income senior project.
Also, when offering housing built since 2000, Williams County was 3.9 percentage points behind the rest of the Northwest Ohio Region.
Also, it was discovered that a higher share of older adult workers who live in Williams County reflected a higher share of upcoming retirees. These older adults are also looking for maintenance free living.
Overall, the WCPA believed that in making rental housing a priority, this would attract more millennials to the county and with it, more job availability.
The first step in this process for the WCPA was finding a home in Montpelier, at 503 Ohio Street.
According to Sean Rupp of the WCPA, “we don’t have builders in the county to fit (what we were looking for), so we settled into this house (on Ohio Street),” Rupp said. “It is on the market for $49,000.”
The house on 503 Ohio Street is a ranch style house with three bedrooms, a full bath, garage and plenty of closet space on the inside.
Next, the WCPA reached out to all developers in Williams County. Initially, the WCPA had12 contacts, but only one came forward with general interest: Frontier Community Services, out of Chillicothe.
Frontier’s initial plan for Williams County, according to Todd Valentine, the Frontier Director of Development Services, is to construct Fountain Creek Senior Villas in Bryan.
To be located on Fountain Grove Drive, this proposed development will contain 42 single level rental units.
These ranch style units will include a 1.5 car garage and two bedrooms for seniors, age 55 and over.
The site will include a private covered entrance porch, energy star rated appliances, handicap accessibility, a dog park, a community building with workout equipment, a shelter house and accessible sidewalks.
Valentine estimates the rent range to be between $450 and $800 per month.
Frontier has successfully developed 17 senior housing centers in Ohio, including in Delphos, Upper Sandusky, Bucyrus and three senior centers in Circleville.
Frontier has been in contact with the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) and has an application deadline of February 9.
With the upcoming deadline, both city council and the BPA approved the drafting of a letter in support of the housing proposal.
“I think (the housing proposal) has a good shot at being accepted,” Valentine said.
Helping that cause of being accepted is the fact that, according to Rupp, “OHFA feels the need to prioritize (the Williams County) area.”
If accepted, the timetable is first, in January 2024, development before the OHFA Board for approval. Then, in June of 2024, it will be the closing of financing and the beginning of construction.
The final step, by December 2025, will be project completion and all the units occupied.
Both the city council and the BPA then moved into executive session.
Dan can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com