MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Land Bank continues to restore vacant property to productive use.
The land bank board recently sold several parcels, accepted an application for another purchase, and is in discussion with several other potential tenants or buyers.
Recent sales include 250 N. Adams St., located north of the West Chestnut Street lot owned by the Knox County Board of Commissioners.
The Fiorelli family bought the lot for $50,000 with plans to build a new CrossFit 1808 facility.
The land bank also sold the parking lot at 201 W. Chestnut St. to the YMCA for $25,000.
Land bank president Sam Filkins is working with interested clients for the office space at 18 E. Vine St. and industrial space in Plant #1 in Heartland Commerce Park.
On Thursday, land bank board members accepted the Board of Commissioners’ application to purchase the warehouse building in the commerce park.
Several property owners have maintained an 8-foot-wide strip of land west of the HCP fence along the rail siding even though it is land bank property.
The land bank plans to deed that strip to the property owners, and will then own from the fence eastward. The property owners will assume the property taxes on the 8-foot-wide strip.
Also on Thursday, the land bank board authorized Filkins to pursue acquiring a Millwood parcel that did not sell at two sheriff’s sales.
In other land bank news, slightly over $318,000 in demolition money is pending state reimbursement. Additionally, the state will cover $492,000 in asbestos costs.
“Now that we’ve completed the cure information, we will be able to submit reimbursements for all of those funds,” Filkins said.
Land bank Centerburg projects
The land bank planned to demolish 27 Hartford Ave. in June. However, the state requires an environmental inspection because it was once an auto repair shop.
The project’s cost increased because the Village of Centerburg switched from a planned grass lot to a gravel lot for parking.
Instead, the land bank will demolish the former Centerburg Respiratory building.
State demolition money will partially cover the cost. The land bank will pay the remainder and recoup the cost when it sells the property.
Centerburg Village Council’s downtown revitalization committee is reviewing ideas for the green space where the In Town Restaurant once stood.
Ideas include a stage, murals on the adjacent building walls, and expanding the sidewalk to include a concrete apron for a bike rack and picnic tables.
Welcome Home Ohio/Columbus Road
The land bank is in the process of buying two Columbus Road homes from Habitat for Humanity Knox County.
Habitat broke ground on house No. 5 and will break ground on No. 6 in August.
Filkins is meeting with the local home builder this week to discuss its next two builds.
Habitat is accepting applications for prospective homeowners. Filkins said the land bank and Habitat are holding off on building modular homes because they want to fit the family to the house.
“If you have six people in your family, we don’t want to say, oh well, we have a two bedroom, so this is all you have. We’d rather have the family identified and then be able to work to get the product that matches them,” Filkins explained.
“They’re all about the same square footage, but it’s a reorientation of square footage within that footprint.”
18 E. Vine St.
Crews are scheduled to install the remaining windows starting next week, and exterior work is progressing well.
Interior work is held up slightly on the lower level while engineers configure gas and electric meters. Crews are installing cabinets and painting, and will soon install carpeting.
Construction is also going well upstairs on the office space and Founders Food Hall, with the kitchens roughly 60% framed.
Workers will preserve the historic wood flooring in public areas; however, wood floors are not allowed in the kitchens.
“As of last week, we had 15 applicants for eight kitchens,” Filkins said.
He anticipates that some applicants will withdraw once the land bank establishes lease rates and actual costs.
“Everyone who’s applied to this point has run a business before or run a kitchen. They’re either a sous chef who’s done all the ordering and knows how to run a kitchen, or they are people that run an an active food business who want to try a new concept,” Filkins said.
“So, I feel confident in their ability to pull it off.”
The building will be divided into three condos:
•16 E. Vine St. is Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s lower-level computer and engineering hub
•18 E. Vine St. is the food court
•103 S. Gay St. is the office space
Heartland Commerce Park
The land bank has $815,000 available in state brownfield funds, most of which will be used to demolish the powerhouse building in Heartland Commerce Park. Quotes range from $150,000 to $400,000.
Any remaining money will go toward remediation efforts throughout the complex.
Work continues on the parking lot and should finish by the end of May.
“We did a walk-through with Wade and Gatton [Nursery], and they’re going to plant about 184 trees and shrubs,” Filkins said.
“Some of those will go in this spring, but a lot of them will be happening in fall, which is when you should be planting trees.”
Engineers are still working on a solution to the collapsed mill race on Norton Street.
A mill race is a channel that carries water to the river. The mill race is made of brick, and initial efforts to reinforce the brick did not work.
By reinforcing the mill race, HCP tenants and visitors can drive on the roadway instead of making it a green space. Filkins said the cost to reinforce it is around $250,000.
Land bank transfers equipment to ADF
When Siemens Energy transferred ownership of the HCP campus to the land bank, the company also transferred equipment at no cost.
Area Development Foundation employees use the equipment to maintain the common area in HCP. They will also maintain the South Gay Street parking lot.
Land bank board members approved transferring the equipment to the ADF, which allows staff members to use it on all land bank property.
If the land bank transfers the equipment to the HCP Property Owners Association, workers can only use it in the commerce park. The land bank would have to buy a second set of equipment to maintain projects throughout the county.
Additionally, the ADF could contract with other entities outside of the land bank. Filkins said ADF needs those contracts to maintain the workers’ employment.
“That’s really important to me as the new [ADF] president to protect our people,” Filkins said.
He said the transfer benefits the POA because it does not have to buy and maintain its equipment.
