Council backs state RED housing funding with caveats from members
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Summary
Council passed a resolution supporting Ohio's Residential Economic Development (RED) program to improve grant competitiveness for higher-density housing, while members pressed staff to ensure inspections and code standards remain robust.
The Defiance City Council voted to adopt a resolution supporting the Ohio Residential Economic Development (RED) program, a state initiative that the Ohio General Assembly funded to provide up to $10 million for eligible residential projects tied to major economic development. City staff said the resolution is intended to demonstrate local support and may improve the city's competitiveness for state housing grants.
"The Ohio General Assembly created the Residential Economic Development District or RED program...that program appropriated $10,000,000 for eligible residential projects," said Mr. O'Donnell, explaining the state criteria that favor transit-oriented, higher-density and mixed-use developments. He added that having a local policy that favors development would give applicants "a few more bonus points" in grant evaluations and might help the city attract funding.
Several council members questioned whether the resolution would favor developers over end users and whether streamlining approvals could weaken building standards or increase pressure on city inspectors. Councilmember Mast said he was concerned the policy "seems to be heavily favored towards developers and builders and maybe lacking in protection for end users," and sought assurances that inspections and code enforcement would not be bypassed.
City staff and other council members responded that the city had already undertaken code and process streamlining earlier in the year, that staff review and inspection requirements remain in force, and that the resolution is a paper statement rather than a change to local zoning code. "This particular policy isn't gonna change anything in our code," a city staff member said. The council discussed potential staffing impacts if approvals speed up and noted ongoing local developments (Whispering Pines, Preston Landing, projects behind Walmart).
A citizen asked whether federal programs for veteran housing and other targeted projects would be pursued alongside RED-related efforts; council and staff said the resolution would help with grant competitiveness generally and that staff could explore veteran-focused funding opportunities.
The council adopted the resolution by voice vote. The resolution language was adjusted to remove items staff believed would require code amendments, and staff will continue to advise council on specific development proposals.
