MOUNT VERNON — Clinton Township granted a setback variance for 107 Columbus Road on Tuesday, paving the way to move forward on the 10th house in the Welcome Home Ohio project.
Using a $2.46 million Welcome Home Ohio grant, the Knox County Land Bank and Habitat for Humanity Knox County Ohio are building 12 houses in South Vernon.
Land Bank President Sam Filkins requested the variance because, under the township zoning, the house would sit 40 feet back from the road.
“Which is a lot. We got the variance to be in line with our neighbors,” Filkins said at Thursday’s monthly land bank board meeting.
Filkins said 107 Columbus Road is unique because it is a double lot for the only four-bedroom home in the project.
“So the variance is really important because the house is a little bit bigger with four bedrooms. Moving it further up to the road gives that family a backyard,” he said.
All of the houses in the partnership are workforce housing. Most are on Columbus Road, but a few are on side streets.
The land bank will use the grant money to buy the homes from Habitat and then sell the houses to Habitat-qualified applicants.
“We now officially own three of the properties. We are in construction on three of them, and our local home builder has already begun land cut on the next three,” Filkins said.
“For this first batch, there couldn’t be a better location to get this thing started,” board president Tyler Griffith said of the partnership project.
“It sure helps the area,” agreed county commissioner and board member Barry Lester.
Board member Brian Ball noted that most lots have or will have utilities and sidewalks in addition to proximity to a school, park, and grocery store.
Capitalizing on modulars
A local home builder will construct houses on the remaining two lots on Centennial Avenue.
Terry Shultz, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Knox County, is getting quotes on modular homes vs. stick-built.
Filkins said if modulars are chosen, they will be two-story Cape Cods with an unfinished upstairs. Habitat will install the upstairs walls.
Each house will have a one- or one-and-a-half-car garage.
Another local builder will construct the garages.
Filkins said the land bank will have to request variances for the garages because of side setbacks.
Habitat is in the midst of its final application period for homeowners. The application form is on the agency’s website.
The state should open the next round of Welcome Home Ohio funding in January.
Filkins and Shultz identified 11 lots throughout the county for future builds. Funding might be more competitive than in previous rounds.
“Unfortunately, we gave the handbook to every land bank and Habitat on how to do this, so the competition is a little bit stiffer,” Filkins said.
“My hope is that it’s not a first come, first serve basis, it’s a merit-based thing. We actually have addresses identified, and that helps.”
18 E. Vine St.
At the Aug. 14 Mount Vernon Municipal Planning Commission meeting, commission members approved the final plat for 18 E. Vine St. The plat consists of three units:
•16 E. Vine St, Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s lower level
•18 E. Vine St., Founders Food Hall
•103 S. Gay St., office suite
MVNU’s lower level is in the final punch-out stage for CK Construction. The land bank will make the final payment after CK completes the remaining items.
Filkins is working on the final details needed to determine lease rates in Founders Food Hall. One example is a shared Point of Service payment system, allowing patrons to order items from different vendors and consolidate them on a single tab.
Heartland Commerce Park
Crews completed the interior demolition at the warehouse on West Chestnut Street, so the land bank is finalizing the sale documents to the Knox County Board of Commissioners.
The county is buying the warehouse for a new public transit facility. However, the county initially planned to build a new facility at a different site and bought three parcels from the land bank to do so.
The county transferred two of the parcels back to the land bank and is in the process of transferring the third.
Acquisitions and foreclosures
Zachary DiMarco of Critchfield Critchfield & Johnston, legal counsel for the land bank, is working with Mount Vernon Law Director Rob Broeren to finalize the transfer of two parcels on Coshocton Avenue to the land bank.
Filkins reported the land bank is in contract to buy three properties in Danville from the village.
Two are on the corner of Walnut and Market streets. The other is a South Richards Street parcel donated to the village after the owner passed away.
Filkins said the land bank will sell the parcels for the best use.
The land bank sold two Apple Valley lots it acquired through the Board of Revision process.
