Joey O’Brien, Centerville’s economic development administrator, said the pilot program works in tangent with other community-based opportunities - such as the Uptown Streetscape Program and the Community Reinvestment Area - to keep the city’s aging housing stock appealing.
“One of the big things is looking at the system holistically,” O’Brien said.
The Uptown Streetscape Program targets businesses in the area of Main and Franklin streets. The reinvestment program applies to houses 25 years old and older, and offers 10-year tax abatements for improvements such as bedroom additions and kitchen renovations.
The new program is designed to attack exterior issues in “hot spots” identified by zoning department complaints.
Eligible neighborhoods for the first round of grants are Huber Plat, Weidner’s Addition and Weidner Lane. A detailed map and grant application is available on the city’s website, centervilleohio.gov.
Eligible projects include exterior painting; siding repair and replacement; window and door replacement; porch and roof repair or replacement; building additions or detached garage improvements; driveway enhancements; fence repair or replacement; and hazardous tree removal.
Priority will be given for low to moderate income households, 65 and older households, first-time homebuyers and owner-occupied dwellings.
The application deadline is March 9.
O’Brien said that unlike surrounding areas - such as Washington and Sugarcreek townships - Centerville does not have an abundance of available space to provide new housing, meaning the city has to take measures to maintain what it has to keep the city viable.
“There’s some land, there’s not a ton. So the focus for the city is on renovating,” O’Brien said.
Centerville has been largely successful in maintaining its status as a prime location to live, work and visit.
The city is routinely ranked among Ohio’s best places to live by niche.com, and was recently ranked No. 6 in the nation for best places to live for wealthy retirees by GoBankingRates.com.
But the accolades sometimes come with headaches as residents and city officials juggle the balance between continued growth and keeping the people who live there happy.
A Feb. 11 public open house about a proposed parking lot in the area of W. Ridgeway Drive, Davis Road and Lyons Drive drew close to two dozen residents of those streets worried about increasingly dangerous traffic conditions in an area they’ve already nicknamed “the Ridgeway Speedway” from vehicles trying to avoid the congested U.S. 48-Franklin Street intersection.
The parking lot is part of the city’s Uptown Action Plan and recently adopted comprehensive plan, Centerville Forward, both of which identify Uptown as a key driver for the city.
Over the last five years, Centerville has added more than 100 free parking spaces in and around its Uptown area, leaving residents questioning why they need the parking lot at all.
“What’s the magic number for parking? It’s a great question,” said Development Director Erik Collins. “People want to be right by the front door of where they’re going. The biggest challenge...downtown Dayton for example...they have parking problems.”
The Centerville Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss the parking lot at its Feb. 24 meeting.
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