Weinland Park Community Civic Association

Summary of Meeting of February 25, 2015

President Brandyn McElroy called the meeting to order at 6:37 p.m.

Billboard project. Jean Pitman of the Wexner Center for the Arts explained the billboard project and talked about the artists and teenagers who have been working on the billboard images. She said the billboard located on North Fourth Street just north of East Fifth Avenue is a type of gateway into the neighborhood. She posted six billboard images on the wall and invited everyone present to use colored dot stickers to vote for the four images they would like to see on the billboard. The four images selected would each be posted on the billboard for three months beginning in April.CHN building. Laura Sutherland of Community Housing Network (CHN) explained that her agency, founded in 1987, has 1,700 apartments in Franklin County to serve formerly homeless persons and persons with disabilities. CHN currently owns the apartment building at 1494 N. High Street with 36 efficiency units. With the construction of Gateway phase two, the apartment building will be demolished. CHN proposes to replace it with a new building with 60 one-bedroom units and office space for Ohio State University Extension. The new building will be on East Ninth Avenue at Section Alley. CHN is competing for low-income housing tax credits to finance the construction. If the financing is approved, then construction would begin this fall and take about 16 months. She said CHN will generate a good neighbor agreement for the new building, similar to what is in place for 1494 N. High Street building, and a neighborhood advisory council.Housing portfolio. Matt Martin, chair of the civic associations Housing Committee, reported that his committee has been discussing with Campus Partners what to do with the vacant buildings and vacant lots that remain in the Weinland Park Collaboratives real estate portfolio in Weinland Park. The portfolio consists of three single-family homes, four four-unit apartment buildings, six duplexes, and 12 vacant lots. Erin Prosser of Campus Partners provided background information on the housing investments made in Weinland Park over the past dozen years:

Investments began with creation of Community Properties of Ohio in 2003 and its renovation and management of the government-subsidized, Section 8 housing. Between 2009 and 2011, Campus Partners purchased a number of distressed and vacant properties and vacant lots.

With federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program dollars allocated by the city, Campus Partners renovated 20 houses and constructed six new single-family homes. Habitat for Humanity built seven new single-family homes on vacant lots. The Weinland Park Collaborative created the Exterior Home Repair Program that offered grants up to $20,000 for homeowners to repair their houses. More than 60 properties were improved. With low-income housing tax credits, The NRP Group built 40 single-family homes under a lease-to-purchase program.

Campus Partners now has sold its first market-rate house in 2014. Wagenbrenner Development now is building new single-family, market-rate houses in Grant Park along North Grant Avenue with seven houses in contract. Wagenbrenner Development also is renovating 90 apartments in 23 buildings in Grant Commons along East 11th Avenue. The NRP Group has submitted a proposal for tax credit financing for a senior apartment building on Grant Park.

One woman expressed a need for a playground for children in the area of North Fifth and North Sixth streets. Mr. McElroy said Wagenbrenner Development is planning a two-acre park on the Grant Park site.

Ms. Prosser said Campus Partners over the past decade has purchased about seven acres of land immediately south of South Campus Gateway and that will be redeveloped by a private developer.

Ms. Prosser said Campus Partners has two single-family homes on North Fifth Street that are under renovation at this time. The houses will go on the market in late spring. She said a decision on the vacant lots wont be made any time soon, but the duplexes will be more difficult to figure out. She proposed to sell the four-unit buildings to Wagenbrenner Development for renovation as market-rate apartments similar to the buildings along East 11th Avenue.

Mr. Martin reported the Housing Committee is recommending that the four-unit buildings be sold to Wagenbrenner Development for renovation. He also asked that people participate in the Housing Committee meetings to consider the housing strategies for the neighborhood and how WPC portfolio can contribute to those strategies. Julie Orban suggested the need to continue to have a supply of housing between Section 8 and market-rate units. Amber Broadus, a former neighborhood resident, expressed her interest in returning to Weinland Park.

Logo concepts. Vice President Jennifer Mankin presented four revised logo concepts for the Weinland Park neighborhood, which were posted on the wall. She invited folks to vote using three blue dots.In other matters discussed at the meeting:

Ms. Mankin announced that WOSU-TVs Broad & High program on March 4 will feature a segment on Weinland Park artist Malcolm J.

Ms. Mankin introduced Tiea Lawrence as the new property manager with The NRP Group. Ms. Lawrence answered questions about the lease-to-purchase single-family homes that The NRP Group constructed and manages in Weinland Park.

Mr. McElroy said a limited variety of Proctor & Gamble products are available for distribution at the end of the meeting. Omar Elhagmusa reported that Huntington National Bank will pay the closing costs for someone buying a house in Weinland Park or refinancing a mortgage in Weinland Park.

At the end of the meeting, the folks introduced themselves and told what they love about Weinland Park.

Mr. McElroy adjourned the meeting about 8:10 p.m.

Summary prepared by Steve Sterrett.

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