Joint meeting focuses on $15M LIHTC housing plan and concerns over replacement athletic fields

Village and school officials used a joint special meeting to review progress on a proposed low‑income housing tax credit (LIHTC) project that would seek roughly $15,000,000 to build about 50 affordable family rental units and to discuss how the project could affect school athletic facilities.

The chair summarized the project’s history and scope, noting an exploratory stakeholder group and a plan to refine a developer request for qualifications. Staff and board members stressed that many details — unit count by bedroom, how many minors would live in the development, and final family selection procedures — depend on the developer and on requirements in the Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP).

A school board member asked, “When will we know the units and how many potential kids will be able to move into those units?” Staff answered that bedroom mix (favoring two‑ and three‑bedroom units for families) and the developer’s design will determine likely enrollments and that a CHDO or developer will finalize selection processes.

The meeting highlighted several contingencies and cost uncertainties. Officials said the village committed up to $12,500 for legal exploration under an intergovernmental agreement; staff reported about $9,000 had been spent so far on legal questions. Participants discussed lienholders and trustees: the insurer American Mutual (referred to as BAM in discussion) indicated willingness to remove a lien, but staff said removing a trustee‑level lien would require US Bank’s approval and could become complicated if individual holders must be contacted.

Public commenters and technical experts pressed officials on replacement athletic fields. Chris Plankuro, HomeLink board president, said a ‘‘replacement soccer facility must be identified in that ability resource as a condition of housing development.’’ Contractors’ and community cost estimates for converting a cornfield into usable soccer fields varied widely; participants cited ranges from tens of thousands to mid‑six figures depending on access, water, irrigation and scope. One affordable‑housing professional told the bodies commercial appraisals could run several thousand dollars each.

Officials outlined a near‑term schedule: securing replacement property details and tenant agreements by October in order to negotiate an option to purchase school land by Dec. 1, then identifying a developer and submitting a LIHTC application (staff cited a February application window). Staff emphasized communication coordination and named a point person to consolidate queries and responses before council meetings.

Officials did not adopt any final agreements or funding commitments at the meeting. Rather, they documented next steps: get firm cost estimates for field conversion, clarify appraisal and legal‑cost responsibilities, narrow candidate replacement parcels, complete rezoning or PUD processes as needed, and recruit a qualified developer to prepare the February LIHTC application.