The Williams County Port Authority will be applying for up to $3.5 million in state grant funding to further develop workforce housing in the county.
Members of the port authority and the mayors of Bryan and Edgerton met with the Williams County commissioners Tuesday, with the commissioners granting the port authority approval to apply for the grant on the county’s behalf.
“We think this really has the potential to change people’s lives,” said Dawn Fitzcharles, vice-chair of the port authority and village administrator for Edgerton.
She explained the Welcome Home Program was created by the state legislature and is backed by $100 million in general funds.
“So we have been spending some time going through the program and visiting examples of developments and putting a team together,” Fitzcharles said.
She added the team that is being built is the same team that recently helped Sandusky secure a $3.6 million grant from the same program through a partnership of non-profit and for-profit organizations. She said that grant award was the largest through the program so far.
Port authority member Bill Martin pointed out the local organization was sought out to be part of the Welcome Home Ohio program due to the port authority’s recent success in building workforce housing throughout Williams County.
Since 2022, the port authority has acquired 25 parcels of land and constructed 16 new homes. The homes that would be built under the Welcome Home Ohio program would be larger than the ones typically built through the port authority.
“This would truly be workforce housing,” Martin said. “This is what we are working together to do is workforce housing, and the reason we’re even involved is we’re leading the charge in this part of the state in workforce housing.
“If we hadn’t been able to do the 16 units we’ve already done, they wouldn’t be talking to us,” he added. “They searched us out, which I think is something we should be happy about.”
Fitzcharles said the proposed plan, should the county be approved for the grant, would be to build 14 housing units with a planned selling price of $150,000 to $160,000. Those eligible to purchase the homes would need to at 80% of the median income for the area.
“We have parcels that are owned all across communities within the county,” Fitzcharles said.
She estimated someone making about $23 an hour would be able to afford the homes with the subsidy, and ideal professions the homes would be geared toward include healthcare support, food industry, some manufacturing and office support.
Bryan Mayor Carrie Schlade added the city considered the program, but didn’t have enough lots available to make use of it.
Commissioner Terry Rummel stressed that while the units are being termed duplexes, they are more like a villa setup in which two different homes are built next to each other and share a wall.
“Basically, these duplexes will be two homes with a common wall, which, again, makes them reasonable to build,” Rummel said. “It’s kind of untraditional around here, but in the cities they do it all the time.”
Fitzcharles said the builders the port authority plans to work with have more than 400 floor plans from which to work.
“So the options are endless,” Fitzcharles said.
As planned, the homes typically would be 1,500 square feet, have three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
“This is going to be a nice home for a working family to raise their kids,” Martin said.
Fitzcharles said the port authority should hear in October or November if it has been approved for the grant.
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