By JONATHAN SNYDER
Updates to the proposed Wilson Park Apartments were presented by Trent Claybaugh of Gormon & Company to the Common Council on Tuesday.
Claybaugh announced that the proposed Cottonwood Court residences would be single-story townhouses instead of traditional apartment buildings connected in pods of 2-4 houses.
There will only be 43 units instead of the initial 56 proposed by Claybaugh. The townhouses will also include a lease-to-purchase option for any rentees, available after an initial 15-year period. Claybaugh stated that the lease-to-purchase option will give the project an advantage when they attempt to receive rental housing tax credits.
“There’s this provision where if you commit to the transition of home ownership after 15 years, you can sell the units to the existing tenants,” Claybaugh said.
The proposed apartments will now see 13 one-bedroom units for people at 30% below Area Median Income, nine two-bedroom units for renters at 50% below AMI, and 21 three-bedroom units for renters at 80% below AMI. Claybaugh also stated that the one-bedroom units are estimated at 770 sq. ft., the two-bedroom at 940 sq. ft., and the three-bedroom units at 1,180 sq. ft.
Many council members shared their excitement over the lease-to-purchase option.
“I appreciate you (Claybaugh) … incorporating some ideas that I had along with others on this,” Council member Chandler Gerber said. “I had been very apprehensive the first week (you presented) … but as I’ve learned more about this now and I’ve talked with you through this, I think this specific program is a good option, and I appreciate you taking the time to craft this back and listen to some of the feedback.”
Claybaugh also stated that the second proposed apartment area on Dustman Road, near the YMCA building, will have 52 total units in a three-story setting. The Dustman Road area will be for senior living apartments, with elevators and a short-term drop-off parking area helping seniors traverse the area.
In response to the new apartments, the council passed a new ordinance that allows the city to enter Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreements. The PILOT agreement gives the project the best opportunity to earn the necessary rental housing tax credits to build these two projects.
Furthermore, the council discussed tightening up the wording and reviewing the municipal code. Gerber stated that Ordinance Compliance Officer Melissa Zirkle has had trouble enforcing certain ordinances due to unclear working or loopholes in the code itself.
Zirkle stated that she has received many calls about junk vehicles, boats, RVs and camper vans in residential yards, a sentiment that the council agreed with. The council discussed looking at the code and potentially making fines heavier for those in violation.
“This is the perfect example of the 80/20 rule where 20% of the people cause 80% of the problems except (in this case) it’s even less,” Gerber. “It’s probably 3% of the homeowners that this is an issue for.”
While vehicles and campers are a part of the problem, Council member Rick Elwell cautioned the board about creating new regulations. Elwell cited his own camper he keeps in his driveway, which he stated is maintained well.
“I think we have to be careful … I’m just saying we probably do need to tighten things up … (but) I would be careful of the lines that we’re drawing,” Elwell said.
Mayor John Whicker noted that a stat sheet containing the types of violation calls Zirkle receives would give the council a starting point in reviewing their code. No official action was taken regarding reviewing the ordinance.
The council also approved an SB-1 tax abatement form for improvements to AD Home Properties. AD Home is building a 6,600-square-foot expansion for bulk storage and blending. They will also expand the parking lot behind their current building and widen their road access. The abatement was approved for five years, with the first year being a 100% abatement on the improvements and going down 20% every other year.
Additionally, the council approved a CF-1 tax abatement continuation for JR Wood Products for a new sander, laser engraver, wire cutter, pipe bender and upgrades to their dust collection, among other items.
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