Developer and local owner urge Ohio committee to classify 'garage condominiums' as residential

Chip Vance, owner of Auto Assets and developer of Horsepower Farms Garage Condominiums, told the House Development Committee he supports House Bill 17 because the garage condominium units are used as extensions of owners' homes, not income‑producing commercial space. "I'm here to testify in support of House Bill 17," Vance said, describing a campus that began with 63 privately owned units and is expanding toward roughly 100–110 owners on 16 acres.

Vance told lawmakers his facility includes 11 service bays and 15 employees, and that the Horsepower Farms units are deed‑restricted against commercial activity. "The property owners at these garage condominiums are not rich guys lurking to skirt laws or evade taxes," he said, adding that the majority of owners are middle‑class residents who store cars, trailers and recreational equipment. He said construction standards and community bylaws emphasize residential use and that current local classifications have treated the structures as commercial garages, imposing higher insurance, utility and property costs.

David Wenberg, a Concord Township resident who owns one of the units, described how he uses his garage condominium for vehicle storage and maintenance and called it "an extension of my residence." Wenberg said the facility provided a convenient, secure, climate‑controlled storage option and endorsed changing tax treatment to reflect actual use.

Committee members asked whether the properties' residential zoning or the county tax classification would determine treatment. Representative Lorenz pressed Vance on the underlying tension between industrial classification systems and zoning, and Vance said the units are in a residential zone but that taxing authorities rely on code language that results in commercial classifications. Representative Dimitrio asked about mixed‑use scenarios and ownership through LLCs; Vance said ownership form matters less than the development's bylaws and declarations that forbid commercial operations.

Supporters asked lawmakers to consider HB 17 as a means to align taxation and insurance classifications with the properties' declared residential use, while acknowledging enforcement and edge cases—such as developments that permit commercial activity—would remain a challenge for local taxing authorities. The committee concluded the second hearing on HB 17 after written testimony was noted as available to members.