An affordable housing development consisting of 50 apartments is being proposed for a four and a half acre site behind the Dollar General in Stryker.
The developer, WODA Cooper Companies, Inc., has expressed interest in purchasing the land, which is owned by the village, and is in the process of securing financing to build the project, which would include one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
Funding would include qualifying for monies through the state’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, according to WODA representatives Frank Fugate and Amanda Ater, who presented an overview of the proposal to Stryker council and staff at the regular monthly council meeting Monday.
The company is looking at applying for LIHTC funding in February 2025, Fugate said.
The apartments would be “quality, affordable housing,” and not subsidized housing, Fugate and Ater stressed. They also said the company emphasizes regular maintenance and aesthetic improvements to maintain the appearance of the two-story apartment buildings.
Rent would be based on prospective tenants’ percentage of income, and range between $450 to $1,440 a month for the one and two-bedroom apartments, Fugate said. At least 5% of the apartments would be available to handicap tenants, he said in response to a question from council member Vicki Cameron.
On behalf of WODA, Fugate met with village council and staff in a closed executive session on July 22 to express interest in purchasing the land and present an overview of the plan. Mayor Joey Beck then invited Fugate, accompanied by Ater, to Monday’s open council meeting to discuss the project and take questions. Fugate said Monday that WODA targeted the Stryker site based on its Census Tract Score, which indicated favorability for qualifying for the LIHTC program.
Beck noted during Monday’s meeting that the project is still in the very early initial discussion phase and no agreement is in place. But council did agree Monday to approve language for statutorily-required public notifications to run in The Bryan Times that the site is for sale. The village will receive sealed bids by noon on Sept. 30.
Fugate said the plan is to extend Tyler Lane, now a dead end street, west to Ohio 161, with an entrance and exit for the apartment complex. Tyler Lane would join Ohio 161 south of the residential property at 913/915 Ohio 161, which is south of Dollar General.
Information distributed by Fugate Monday noted that WODA Cooper Companies operates in 16 states and is recognized “as being among the top affordable housing developers in the country,” according to Affordable Housing Finance magazine.
Also in attendance Monday was Ashley Epling, executive director of the Williams County Economic Development Corporation, who presented a brief overview of WEDCO’s ongoing activity.
Epling said WEDCO is “pushing forward” and is currently involved in at least eight different economic development projects. Those include several possible expansions of operations by local companies, a project to try and bring a company from Indiana to Williams County and one company that will either expand in Williams County or in Indiana.
Epling said her job is to attract and retain businesses countywide, and also to partner with local entities like Stryker to create and sustain mutually beneficial economic development initiatives. She listed workforce issues and securing large amount of electricity for certain potential businesses as her biggest challenges
She said finding ways to meet the “huge” demand for electricity by data centers interested in locating in Ohio is an ongoing challenge.
“A lot of them, before they even look (at the site), they want a shovel-ready site, they want 20 megawatts of power available,” said Epling, noting that the electricity is getable in time, but not immediately available. “It’s there, but it takes several months to ramp up to that. It’s not just plug and play like it’s here (already).”
Epling touted WEDCO’s involvement with the Elevate and Explore program, which takes place annually at Bryan High School, as a way to address workforce issues, “to essentially grow our own workforce,” she said. This past year Elevate and Explore brought local junior and senior high school students from around the county to meet with representatives from 46 local businesses to expose those students to potential jobs in the county.
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