By JONATHAN SNYDER
Housing issues related to the potential development of apartment complexes on both Cottonwood Court and in northwest Bluffton were discussed by the Common Council on Tuesday.
The Wilson Park Apartments are meant to provide rental options for people under the area median income rate. A potential agreement for payment in-lieu of taxes and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program would help ease the cost of the apartments for the developer, Gorman and Company.
“I do think that that project could make some sense, particularly with the west side (of Bluffton),” Council member Chandler Gerber said. “I think right now our motto as a city is basically, ‘housing housing housing’ and this project … checks a lot of boxes across the spectrum of price points and apartments and single family homes to buy.”
In place of discussing the Wilson Park Apartments, Council member Rick Elwell pivoted to discuss plans to help Bluffton residents find and make home-owning more attractive for potential homeowners. Council member Josh Hunt proposed investing any PILOT program funds in a program that helps reduce costs for first time home buyers.
“Before I ever ran for office, most of our family moved away all over the country … now the jobs and opportunities are better in our region but the housing is still a big hole,” Hunt said.
Council member Blake Fiechter concurred with Hunt’s statement, citing a program in Decatur that allows certain homeowners, depending on credit thresholds and income rates, to apply for a potential 5% incentive for a down payment on their home.
Gerber additionally stated that some communities have programs that give homeowners who want to re-roof or re-side their house the ability to apply for a match that helps with the expense. Council member Scott Mentzer also noted that any PILOT funds could act as a matching fund pool for READI 2.0 projects meant to enhance quality of life for communities.
The council also discussed keeping multiple different apartment projects on the table during the LIHTC bidding process. Fiechter stated that Bluffton is a prime location for developers trying to win those tax credits, citing the fact that the city has not received any credits since 2009.
“We’re in a very desirable area for them to have, I think, the best chance to win, especially if the city buys in on it too,” Fiechter said.
In addition to the housing discussion, the council also approved two waivers for tax abatement agreements not filed in time with the Wells County Assessor’s office. In the past, former economic development executive director Chad Kline would help remind businesses to file their CF1 forms in time. Due to the unsettled economic development situation, Edge Manufacturing and Gerber Development did not file their CF1s in time.
The deadline for filing was May 15. Edge filed its between May 29 and 30, while Gerber filed its on May 24. Eric Gerber came before the board to plead his case, citing the sudden change in economic development. Due to the changing circumstances, the council agreed to grant a waiver for both companies’ CF1 agreements.
“I get it. I’m sorry that the change in economic development leadership has created an issue for you (Rick),” Mentzer said. “I appreciate you (Rick) taking the blame, but it’s been a confusing couple of months for all of us.”
Furthermore, the council approved CF1 agreements for American Axel and Manufacturing and Super Pufft USA. The council also approved an amendment to its salary ordinance, adding a salary for the still vacant economic development director position. The hope is that having a salary in the ordinance will give potential applicants comfort by assuring their salary is clearly defined by municipal code.
“Anything we can do to expedite the process is good,” Gerber said.
jonathan@news-banner.com
