ASHLAND — Housing was on Mayor Matt Miller’s mind at the Ashland Area Economic Development’s annual meeting Wednesday morning.
He said the city is primed to add nearly 1,000 housing units. Those will come in the form of condos, apartments and even single-family homes.
The mayor gave an update on the progress of several of those projects, suggesting some may break ground within the calendar year.
“I want you to know — and I don’t say something like this very often — but it’s hard to keep up with it right now, because just about every week, there’s some developer calling, not just to have a conversation, but they’re wondering if you can help me find a plot of land,” Miller said. “‘We’d love to do a project.'”
He said the city has something in the works for “pretty much every parcel” of land it owns, and most have more than one bidder.
But that’s a good problem to have, he added. He said when he first took over the mayor’s office, the city struggled to attract developers at all. That changed after The District at Ashland project came to town.
Pump House apartments
“This is the year that I would expect to start seeing dirt move on (the Pump House) site,” Miller said.
Vision Development, a Columbus-based developer, secured a deal on the vacant Pump House building on Orange Street in September 2022. It also purchased 19 parcels of vacant land in July 2022. The same firm was behind The District at Ashland project, according to previous Ashland Source reporting.
For several years, there have been plans to build apartments in the Pump House district. Miller said Wednesday those plans will include nearly 200 apartments at seven different multi-story buildings.
The buildings will also be multi-purpose, Miller said. They will have spaces for shops or restaurants in them.
The vacant Pump House building will be renovated and transformed into a hotel, too. Ashland city council approved a 100% property tax abatement over 15 years on the Pump House hotel last April.
Baney Road
Miller said Mansfield-based Hunsinger Builders LLC, the developers working on a condo project on Baney Road, have also promised to start building on the site this year.
That project, according to previous Ashland Source reporting, involves constructing up to 73 two-unit homes on 58 acres of land at the intersection of Smith and Baney roads.
Ashland city council first approved a rezoning request that would allow the Mansfield developer to build the homes in November 2022.
Miller said he anticipates the condo project will cater to “a certain demographic.”
Those who might purchase the condos would likely move out of family homes, he said, thereby opening up housing options for families moving to town to take on jobs at places like Amazon.
Milton Township annexation
In July 2023, Ashland County commissioners approved a 91-acre annexation of land by the city of Ashland. The 91 acres are along U.S. 250 and Interstate 71.
Miller said Wednesday a housing development in that area may be in the works.
“Nonetheless, that would be a place for our city to grow, and in that spot, they’re looking at a combination of town houses and single-family homes, to the tune of somewhere between 125 to 200.”
U.S. 42 corridor
Miller alluded to developers looking at an area on U.S. 42, behind the Mifflin Avenue and King Road area. He didn’t offer details about which developer may be looking at the area, but said it could be used for up to 400 housing units.
Miller previously mentioned that possibility when city council voted to enter a $425,000 contract with MS Consultants in December for a sewer trunk line expansion.
The city planned to use the last of its $2.1 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to pay for the project. ARPA was a federal stimulus bill delivered to state and local governments in 2021 and 2022 to help them navigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The development of that area will likely take between 24-36 months, Miller said Wednesday.
