MOUNT VERNON — Federal government inaction has opened a path for low-income families to buy a home in South Vernon using conventional financing rather than going through USDA.
Two homes are available through the Knox County Land Bank and Habitat for Humanity Knox County’s workforce housing project in the Columbus Road area.
Habitat typically works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s loan program, which pays Habitat for the upfront costs at closing.
However, Land Bank President Sam Filkins said USDA has been difficult to work with.
“The only reason that we haven’t sold those properties is that USDA has been sitting on loans for a very long time,” he told land bank board members on Feb. 19.
Because of that delay, Habitat will accept families who qualify for conventional financing.
“If folks could identify that they’re interested and come with a pre-approval letter from a bank of what they could afford, and include their interest, then we can bring that package to Habitat and send them through the Habitat process,” Filkins said. “But they will do conventional finance now.”
Habitat will still vet the applicants, and families must still meet eligibility requirements:
•Have 80% AMI (area median income) or less.
•Be in the house for at least five years or have to pay back some of the grant.
•The next sale still has to go to an affordable person within a certain number of years.
AMI is based on the number of family members:
•One-person household, $53,000 or less
•Two-person household, $60,000
•Three-person household, $68,000
•Four-person household, $75,000
•Five-person household, $81,000
Interested families can contact Filkins or Habitat Executive Director Terry Schulz.
The houses are located at 57 Columbus Road and 2 Delaware St. Both are three-bedroom, two-bath homes.
Intersection improvements at North Sandusky and Burgess
Filkins is seeking an Ohio Department of Transportation grant to improve the intersection at North Sandusky and Burgess streets.
“It is really hard for a truck that is coming south on Sandusky to turn right onto Burgess Street because it’s angled,” he said.
“There used to be a light there, so in the grant we’ve proposed bringing the light back and adding a turn lane, cutting the corner that we bought to make a turn lane so that trucks can more easily enter and exit [Heartland Commerce] Park.”
The Knox County Land Bank, in cooperation with the City of Mount Vernon, proposes to use land bank land at the corner of North Sandusky and West Burgess Streets and create a right-turn lane for southbound Sandusky Street traffic. The land bank also proposes to reinstate the light at the intersection. Credit: Knox County Auditor's website
Filkins said that ODOT has not officially notified the land bank, but indications are that ODOT agrees with the proposal.
“We have to have a certain number of jobs that we’re bringing, so the jobs that we’re bringing in Heartland are the impetus for the grant. The city is putting in for the repaving of Burgess Street, so it’s a collaboration between the city, ODOT, and us,” he said.
“We’ve been working on that for a little while, and all of the engineering and plans and estimates are done now, so that looks pretty good.”
Demolition and grant funding
The land bank received $233,000 from the next round of demolition money, the full amount for which it applied.
Upcoming demolitions include a Centerburg house, the interior of the Wine Stein building, and the former caretaker’s house on the Knox County Fairgrounds.
The land bank will partner with the City of Mount Vernon and apply for up to $1 million in the next round of brownfield grants.
City Engineer Brian Ball previously said the city plans to use the money for projects related to realigning State Route 13 and a new justice center.
Filkins said the land bank will use its portion for environmental inspections and asbestos work.
The land bank also applied for $500,000 from Round 2 of the Welcome Home Ohio grants.
Miscellaneous land bank activities
Duckpin bowling was installed at Founders Food Hall, 18 E. Vine St. Furniture should arrive soon.
Parking for the food hall is available on the city-owned lot on Gay Street. The city will reserve some rental spots.
Construction crews plan to finish the office portion of the building in April.
•Approved an agreement with the Village of Centerburg for the green space at the former site of the In Town Restaurant.