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Developer outlines plan for 80-unit senior affordable housing at 910 North Shore Drive
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Summary
Fairfield Homes told Lima City Council it plans an 80-unit, 55+ affordable apartment community at 910 North Shore Drive, using Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing; the developer said the site will require brownfield remediation and that units will accept housing choice vouchers.
Fairfield Homes representative Joseph Wickham told the Lima City Council on Feb. 2 that his company is proposing an 80-unit senior (55+) affordable apartment development at 910 North Shore Drive.
Wickham, identified in the meeting as Fairfield Homes’ director of development, said the site is roughly two acres and formerly housed a dry-cleaning business that the city has flagged as a potential brownfield. "We've already engaged with the City and had a Phase 1 ESA completed," Wickham said. He said Fairfield plans to pursue a Phase 2 assessment and remediate the site if the project advances.
The developer said the project would use the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program and that the relevant Ohio Housing Finance Agency guidelines designate the census tract containing the site as high-need in the Northwest Region of Ohio. Wickham said the ownership typically maintains projects long-term and partners with services providers; in Lima he said Fairfield would partner with United Church Homes to provide resident services including financial assistance, legal help and connections with local United Way resources.
Council members and a nearby resident asked about the building’s footprint, alley access, parking and height. Wickham acknowledged the building will be taller than surrounding single-family homes and said designers plan to "step down" the ends of the structure and break up massing to reduce the visual impact. He said the alleys on either side of the parcel would remain open and that the building would be pushed off the alley to provide additional space.
Wickham described the affordability structure as income-restricted units targeted from about 30% up to 80% of area median income, and he gave an initial rent estimate of roughly $995 to $1,100 per month pending final market-study review. "Any program within Ohio Housing Finance Agency does accept housing choice vouchers from residents," Wickham said, adding that Fairfield does not plan to use project-based vouchers but will accept voucher holders on a first-come, first-served basis.
On utilities and energy, Wickham said Fairfield prefers all-electric systems for cost-effectiveness and that ownership would pay water and sewer. He also said the agency program requires rents not exceed approximately 30% of a tenant's income after applicable local utility allowances are applied. "We have to deduct the local utility allowance schedule…to ensure that they can afford it," he said.
The hearing record shows the petition for rezoning the parcel has been endorsed by the City Planning Commission; the council closed the public hearing after hearing the presentation and questions. The rezoning will follow the city's public-notice and hearing schedule before any final action.
Next steps: the project will remain subject to planning approvals, any required environmental testing and remediation, and the city's rezoning procedures.
