Bay Village hears Heritage Home Loan report: loans, site visits and early 2025 demand

At the May 5 committee meeting Heritage Home Program staff briefed Bay Village council on program activity in 2024 and early 2025 and described how two local lenders support home-repair loans for qualifying homeowners.

Jasmine Brzenkowski, manager of the Heritage Home Program, reported last year’s recorded assistance included 68 site visits and 25 technical‑assistance contacts and said 11 homeowners signed loans in 2024. For 2025 to date Brzenkowski reported “78 inquiries from homeowners in Bay Village,” nine site visits, seven additional technical‑assistance contacts, and eight loans signed so far with six active applications.

Brzenkowski described common projects financed through the program — interior remodels, garage rebuilds, new roofs, exterior painting, additions — and said the program paid for one mold remediation in 2024. She explained the program works with two local lenders: KeyBank, described in the presentation as offering a 2% fixed rate with no household‑income limit for certain terms, and Third Federal, cited as offering a 4.999% rate and income limits for eligibility.

Council members asked about program eligibility and outreach. Brzenkowski said an eligibility threshold is that the home must be at least 50 years old (built 1975 or earlier) to participate in the Heritage Home designation. Council asked that program contact information be posted on the city website; Brzenkowski confirmed contact details would be provided.

Council members and staff called the program “a strong start to the year” and said they view the Heritage Home Loan Program as a long‑running local partnership that helps homeowners complete repairs at relatively low rates. No council vote or funding change was announced during the presentation; the session was an informational update and a request to continue outreach.