More than 20 homes to be built on land bank lots in Columbus, townships
Rockford Homes is building 21 single-family homes on Franklin County land bank lots in Columbus and two Franklin County townships, with prices starting at $190,000.
The Central Ohio Community Land Trust, a subsidiary of the Franklin County Land Bank, recently entered into an agreement with the builder for the construction of seven houses in Milo-Grogan, and three in Weinland Park, both Columbus neighborhoods, plus six houses in Mifflin Township and five in Clinton Township. The houses should be finished by summer 2023.
“We’re going to pay Rockford to build the houses. They have a couple of models to choose from. One’s a ranch, the other a two-story,” said Curtiss Williams, president and CEO of the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation, which is the county land bank.
The homes are available to those earning up to 120% of the Columbus area’s annual median income, which would be $78,720 for one person and $112,440 for a family of four.
The land bank will provide subsidies to homebuyers of up to $50,000 to help them purchase homes, Williams said.
To fund the program, the land bank uses grants from the city of Columbus ($11.06 million since 2019), Franklin County ($7.8 million since 2019) and support from other agencies, including the Columbus Foundation.
In the Milo-Grogan neighborhood, there are three homes each on East Starr Avenue and on East 3rd Avenue, and one is on East 4th Avenue, all between Cleveland Avenue and Interstate 71. Foundations have been built on East 3rd and East Starr avenues.
“We’re really excited about it,” said Charles Thompkins, who leads the Milo-Grogan Area Commission.
Thompkins said these homes will help balance out some of the houses that have been built in the neighborhood recently that have sold for $375,000-$400,000, which is out of the reach of many people.
“We have to find a way to get more people into homes. This is one way of doing that,” he said.
Travis Foster, an East Starr Avenue homeowner, said more homes means more people, which will bring more attention to the neighborhood. He cited nearby Ohio Brewing Company on East 2nd Avenue on the west side of Cleveland Avenue, as one of the amenities within walking distance.
“It’s always good to see land get developed,” said Foster, 23, who bought his house in July 2021. “I’m excited to get neighbors.”
Williams said 58 homes have already been built and sold on land bank sites in Columbus, Whitehall and Urbancrest. Rockford built the bulk of those, Williams said.
By the end of 2024, the goal is to have 100 homes built on county land bank sites, he said.
The land underneath will always be owned by the county land bank, Williams said.
@MarkFerenchik
Read More: More than 20 homes to be built on land bank lots in Columbus, townships