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Medina, housing authority nearing deal to lease 135 North Elmwood for housing services
Summary
Medina City Council finance committee discussed a proposed 20-year net lease with the local housing authority that would transfer maintenance responsibility to the authority in exchange for a nominal $1 annual rent and preserve adjacent public parking; council asked for final lease edits and building condition review before final approval.
The Medina City Council finance committee on an evening meeting discussed a proposed 20-year net lease that would give the local housing authority use of the former municipal court building at 135 North Elmwood for a nominal $1 annual rent while the authority would assume maintenance, repairs and utilities.
The proposal is structured as a net net lease: the housing authority would take responsibility for building upkeep in exchange for no rent. The city would retain responsibility for the adjacent public parking area, including plowing, salting and repair, because the lot contains the city’s utility drop and serves the public.
Council members and housing authority representatives said the arrangement aims to place housing services in a central, easy-to-find location. The housing authority plans to house most of its staff at the Elmwood facility and to co-locate some staff at an emergency housing shelter that may open next week, the authority representative said.
Members pressed for a condition survey of the building and clarification of insurance valuation and long-term structural obligations before the council executes the lease. The housing authority’s representative said the authority maintains a large portfolio and can handle routine maintenance, but asked the city and authority to agree on a fair allocation of cost if a major structural repair — for example, a roof replacement late in the lease term — becomes necessary. The mayor suggested a pro‑rata sharing approach for large, late-term capital repairs (for example, spreading a hypothetical $100,000 repair over remaining lease years).
Council direction was to revise the draft lease to incorporate agreed clarifications, circulate a final version for review, and return to council for action. No final lease vote occurred at the finance meeting; members indicated they were close to agreement but wanted the updated lease and any building inspection results circulated first.
Several council procedural items were clarified on the record: the city will continue to maintain the public parking area; any renovations by the housing authority will be subject to city approval and likely phased to accommodate timing constraints; the building turnover will occur after current occupants vacate.
