Clark County Land Bank outlines workforce homeownership, park and commercial-kitchen plans for Engaged Neighborhood

The Clark County Land Reutilization Corporation presented a progress update to the Springfield City Commission on June 3 about a multi-site “Engaged Neighborhood” project that combines infill housing, a community park and planned commercial space.

The Land Bank’s executive director, Ethan Harris, and development project manager, Kara Van Zant, told commissioners the effort centers on several parcels around South Plum Street, West Grand Avenue, West Southern and East Liberty with both homeownership and community amenity goals.

Why it matters: the Land Bank said the projects are designed to add affordable/workforce ownership opportunities and neighborhood amenities within existing Springfield blocks, using federal ARPA dollars for one round of down-payment aid and a mix of grants and local fundraising for the park.

The Land Bank described three principal elements. At West Grand and West Southern (“the Grand Project”) it plans roughly 10 new homes on parcels that formerly held five abandoned structures the agency demolished. East Liberty will include four permanently sited homes with off-street parking; those units are described as 1,300 square feet, three-bedroom, two-bath homes with porches and list prices the Land Bank estimated at about $160,000–$170,000 before assistance.

Van Zant said the Liberty Street homes will be available for application now and that the first round of buyer aid for these units uses ARPA funds. She described the down-payment assistance as “up to 20%,” and said households must meet an income cap tied to 300% of the federal poverty guideline to qualify — “a family of 4 at that max level is about $96,000 per year,” she said. Van Zant added that successful buyers will have to complete a HUD-approved homeowner education course before closing.

The Land Bank also described plans for a community park on the former Euclid Elementary site adjacent to the bike path that connects Yellow Springs to Springfield. Van Zant said the fundraising target is $1 million and the group has roughly half that amount raised. The park concept includes ADA-accessible playground areas and proposed courts; the agency listed a Givebutter fundraising page for donations.

In addition, the Land Bank said a local operator named Core 4 is pursuing a commercial kitchen and event center concept next to the housing and park sites. Van Zant described the kitchen and event space as part of an effort “to return an industrial, vacant space into more of a commercial space.”

Commissioners and staff pressed on remediation and utility issues. One commissioner suggested exploring rooftop solar on existing concrete at a suspected brownfield parcel as an incentive for future homeowners; the Land Bank said it would “take a look” and noted it is not an electrical engineer. City staff and the Land Bank also said some parcels may be within FEMA floodplain and that any development will require floodplain permitting and utility-easement clearance.

Van Zant closed by encouraging interested buyers and donors to contact the Land Bank directly: “We would love to chat, and we've got homes for people to buy.”

Next steps: the Land Bank said applications for the Liberty Street homes are open now and that the park fundraising and grant-seeking efforts are ongoing. The Land Bank asked the city to post presentation materials and contact information on the municipal website so residents can access details and apply.

The presentation was informational; no formal commission action or vote was taken during the meeting.