Ashtabula City Council and city staff used the Jan. 6 meeting to discuss housing strategy, including tax abatements, infill development, land-bank demolitions and a planned rezoning effort the city intends to start this year.

City Manager Timonier told council that while the city has discussed limiting tax-abatement eligibility in the past, his preference is not to restrict abatements by neighborhood. "I wouldn't want to discriminate on 1 area versus another," Timonier said, adding that abatements are open to anyone and can apply to substantial remodels as well as new construction. He urged property owners considering remodels to check the county auditor’s value and, if appropriate, appeal to the Board of Revisions before applying for abatements.

Timonier and council members described several active and prospective housing efforts: a planned six-home development near Station Avenue; houses proposed in the area near the former Wendy's site; infill prospects on Winter Field; and a McKinley Avenue project in which a developer sought a frontage variance to divide a large parcel into five or six lots. Price points for those projects were not specified in the meeting record.

The manager said the city recently received another round of land-bank funding to take down additional blighted properties and that part of the visible homeless population results from fewer vacant properties where people could temporarily shelter. Rezoning and updated infill rules are planned this year: the manager said an RFQ/RFP to obtain consulting services for rezoning must be started this year, and he described rezoning as a year-long process that will include community meetings and outreach to local developers.

Council members also raised accessory-dwelling and "tiny-house" questions. Timonier said current city code includes minimum square-footage and frontage requirements; zoning updates could create defined rules for smaller units and accessory dwelling units while addressing parking and neighborhood fit.

Separately during the meeting a council member raised a code-enforcement concern: the member had bought a dilapidated house and said the previous owner had received a code letter requiring repairs. Timonier explained the city updates ownership in its system once yearly from county data; if a property transfers between updates, enforcement letters can be sent to the former owner in the interim. He said staff would investigate and follow up.

Why it matters: the rezoning and infill work, tax-abatement policy and land-bank demolitions could materially affect where and how new housing is built in Ashtabula, which in turn affects vacancy rates, neighborhood character and housing availability.

What comes next: the manager said the city will issue the RFQ/RFP for rezoning work this year, host community meetings and consult developers; staff will also follow up on the specific code-enforcement mailing the council member raised.