Champaign County News

Champaign Economic Partnership - CEP Ohio
  • Why Champaign County?
  • Start a Business
  • Site Selector
    • Available Properties
    • Financial Incentives
    • Training Incentives
    • Maps
    • Utilities
    • Tax Reform
  • Key Industries
    • Agri-Business
    • Manufacturing
    • Health Care Services
  • Workforce & Talent
    • Champaign Works Job Board
    • Wage & Benefit Survey
    • Engineering Survey
    • Local Schools
    • Colleges & Universities
  • Community
    • Champaign County Comprehensive Plan
    • Housing Study
    • Demographics
    • Maps
    • Real Estate Agencies
  • News
    • Public Notices
    • Newsletter
  • About CEP
    • Staff
    • Board

First of Legacy Place Senior Living Apartments to Be Ready Mid to Late June; Tours Being Scheduled

6/7/2021

 
Construction is nearly complete at two of the three historic buildings that will be part of the Legacy Place senior living communities in Urbana. Legacy Place will provide a total of 51 affordable senior apartments.

Apartments will be ready for move-in by mid to late June in the former Urbana North and South elementary schools – Legacy North and Legacy South – reports Jill Meals-Herron, CEO of Herron Property Management.
​
She adds that the third Legacy Place property – Monument Square, the former Douglas Hotel in downtown Urbana – will be ready for residents by December 2021/January 2022.
Tours Available by Appointment
Seniors age 55+ who are interested in leasing a Legacy Place apartment can visit livelegacyplace.com to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire and to schedule a tour at Legacy North or South. Or they may contact the Legacy Place management team at 937-638-0211 or legacyplace@herronmgmt.com. Meals-Herron said that her team has already assisted several seniors who completed the questionnaire.
Tours will be scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m., by appointment, after June 10. To request a tour, click the Request to Tour button on the livelegacyplace.com home page.

Legacy Place Amenities
“The Legacy Place properties merge history and modern architecture to provide residents a comfortable, beautiful place to live and stay active,” Meals-Herron said.  The one- and two-bedroom apartments are equipped with washers, dryers and kitchen appliances. Some incorporate features of the schools like chalkboards, bulletin boards and wall art.

Legacy Place North amenities include a community room, computer stations and a library. Legacy Place South offers a fitness center, library, and a community room large enough to host special events, such as a senior prom, for residents of all three Legacy Place properties, Meals-Herron said. The South community room, formerly the school’s gym and stage, also includes the school’s projection room, which will be used for movie nights.

Other features include a unit at Legacy Place North that residents can reserve for out-of-town guests. Both of the school properties will have outdoor grilling stations and are keeping much of the schools’ playground equipment. “That will be great for residents to go outside with their grandchildren.” In addition, residents can reserve the community rooms for family functions.

Legacy Place Partners and Services
Community partners have joined Legacy Place to help residents stay active in the community, Meals-Herron said. These include:
  • Residential Supports and Services, Inc. (RSSI), which manages housing for people with developmental disabilities. RSSI is a 25 percent owner of Legacy Place. “We’re excited to help make the project a reality,” said Scott DeLong, CEO of RSSI. He said that six of the 51 Legacy Place apartments will be designated for people with developmental disabilities, “allowing them to live on their own and be a part of the community.”
  • Champaign Family YMCA will offer exercise opportunities for residents. YMCA CEO Paul Waldsmith said that the Y has applied for a grant to assist with fitness programming for seniors at Legacy Place.
  • Urbana Champaign County Senior Center will also serve Legacy Place residents as a resource for services and activities. The center’s new building at 150 Patrick Ave. will open late spring.
  • Champaign Transit System will be available to provide Legacy Place residents, at a minimal cost, transportation to places like the YMCA and Senior Center and for grocery shopping, medical appointments and other trips.

“We’re linking all of these organizations together to provide residents services and resources so they can stay active in the community,” Meals-Herron said.

She adds, “This is an absolutely amazing project. I’m so excited. I can’t wait until our residents begin to move in.”

“Legacy Place will enrich our community in many ways,” said Marcia Bailey, director of the Champaign Economic Partnership. “It will provide seniors comfortable, affordable living as it restores and gives new purpose to three historic buildings, helps make our community more attractive, increases the vitality of downtown Urbana, and strengthens our local economy.”

And as seniors sell their homes and move into Legacy Place apartments, the project will help ease the shortage of available single-family homes, she added. “I’m so grateful for the public-private partnerships that have made Legacy Place possible,” she said.

‘Legacy Place’ senior housing project moves forward in Urbana, construction to start soon

9/18/2020

 
By: Jenna Lawson, WHIO
View video of the announcement on WHIO's website
There were many points in the last five years that community partners thought ‘Legacy Place’ might never happen.

It took time to capture nearly $13 million in funding sources, including historic tax credits – not to mention delays due to the pandemic. But on Thursday, partners announced the funds were released and they are able to move forward with the project. It’s possible construction could start within the next week.

‘Legacy Place’ transforms the Douglas Inn in downtown Urbana and two former elementary schools (North & South) into affordable senior housing. 51 units will be created for those 55 and older, with six of them being devoted to people with disabilities.

“It’s just a real renaissance for Urbana,” Mayor Bill Bean told News Center 7′s Jenna Lawson.

Duane Miller, with development company Flaherty & Collins and also president of F & C Legacy Place, said the project accomplishes two goals: turning three vacant properties into useful properties and filling the need for affordable senior housing in Urbana.

“I love to jump into the skin of a community that’s looking for help and looking for opportunities to spur on their own development,” he said.

The Douglas has been vacant since 2004 and has long been a large eyesore on the southwest corner of Monument Square. The building has somewhat deteriorated and was the target of multiple arson fires in 2019.

The former owner of the property, John Doss, has done work to stabilize the structure. The elementary schools, despite being about 100 years old, are in solid shape, partners said.

The timeline for the project will move quickly. Developers estimate about six months to complete both elementary schools and a little over a year to finish the Douglas. Partners are hopeful that the project will have a positive domino effect on other aspects of Urbana living including neighboring businesses and housing.

“We may see some of those seniors who may move in here and now their single family homes are available for a new families to move in,” said director of the Champaign Economic Partnership, Marcia Bailey.

Bailey added that this solution also preserves the history of all three buildings for the community to enjoy for decades to come. “Having these buildings standing as they are and being repurposed is a huge win for our community,” she said.

Other partners in the project include the City of Urbana, Urbana City Schools and Resident Supports and Services, Inc., which provides housing for seniors and adults with developmental disabilities.

Legacy Place Project Gets Green Light

9/18/2020

 
Work Begins to Transform the Douglas Hotel and Former Elementary Schools into Senior Apartments
Work crews will soon begin transforming the long vacant Douglas Hotel in downtown Urbana and the former Urbana North and South Elementary Schools into 51 affordable apartments for senior citizens.
 
With release this week of about $13 million in previously approved financing, the long-anticipated Legacy Place project got the green light to begin renovation of the historic buildings, says Duane Miller, F&C Legacy Place president. Transfer of the funds to Legacy Place was delayed by pandemic-related office closures.

Champaign County Leaders Examining Housing Issues

6/1/2020

 
Champaign County Housing
By Hasan Karim, Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
Community leaders in Champaign County are looking to form a partnership that will look at ways to help boost the local housing market by either adding new housing stock or helping aid in redevelopment projects.

The group will be a housing consortium that will consist of volunteers that could range from government officials to local business leaders. They would also be using a recently released 128-page analysis of the county’s housing market as a guide in future efforts to strengthen it.

That includes diversifying as well as adding to available housing stock in the county, fostering more development of new homes and the redevelopment of old ones as well as preexisting buildings that can be converted to apartments and lofts.

One of the tasks of the housing consortium could be to look at existing zoning and rules in the county and what can be done to make them more conducive to current housing needs, said Marcia Bailey, the director of the Champaign Economic Partnership. That includes also focusing on multi-family housing options, instead of just on single family homes.

“We want development to occur where there is available or nearby infrastructure. We are an agricultural community and we want to be able to preserve agricultural land as well,” Bailey previously told the News-Sun.

A point she said they will continue to focus on.

Efforts to boost the local housing market were temporarily put on hold due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, Bailey said they are looking to hold conversations next month and hope to have the housing consortium up and running in the near future.

This follows a series of discussions held in the beginning of the year that went over some of the findings of the comprehensive housing study, which was conducted by the Greater Ohio Policy Center.

That organization, according to its website, “is focused on improving the communities of Ohio through growth strategies and research.

Bailey said that she wanted to continue having those conversations as housing is an issue that will not soon go away. She said that having available housing stock and looking at ways to grow the population is key to economic development in the county.

The News-Sun previously reported that lower housing stock, coupled with high demand has led to a continued stable market in the area even during the pandemic.

The study commissioned by the Champaign Economic Partnership looked at common housing challenges in the city of Urbana as well as the villages of Mechanicsburg, North Lewisburg and St. Paris. It also compared municipalities in the county to others in the state that are tackling similar problems such as having aging housing stock, a fair amount of blighted properties and limited land for new housing developments.

In Champaign County, it was noted that 75% of homes there were built before 1990, according to the Greater Ohio Policy Center.

Additionally, there has been a total of 324 permits filed in the county since 2010 for the construction of single family homes.

It was also found that about 80% of new home construction since 2010 has occurred outside municipal boundaries in the county.

“It can be within a township or another unincorporated territory,” said Maria Walliser-Wejebe, a research associate with the policy center, earlier this year.

The study cost about $40,000 and came from funds set aside by the Champaign County Commissioners that are to be used for economic development. In addition, the analysis offered a total of 22 recommendations that followed six main themes.
The recommendations fell into the categories of prioritizing down towns and main streets, ensuring that local governments are strong partners to development, protecting existing housing stock and preventing it from declining, having creative financing and funding strategies and maintaining affordability.

Results of County Housing Market Study to be Unveiled at Feb. 14 Public Meeting

2/6/2020

 
Community leaders have known for some time that Champaign County needs more available housing options to attract new businesses – and their workforce – and to support growth of existing business.
 
Recommendations to help Champaign County provide the full range of current and future housing needs will be unveiled at a public meeting, 8:30 to 11 a.m., February 14, in the Champaign County Community Center Auditorium.
 
The recommendations are part of the Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis for Champaign County, developed by the Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) and commissioned by the Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP).
 
CEP Director Marcia Bailey said that the housing market analysis will be shared first with local county, city, village and township officials before the public meeting.
 
“The February 14 public meeting is open to all citizens and will provide information of special interest to business leaders, developers, real estate professionals, builders, property owners, financial institutions and others interested in helping Champaign County thrive,” Bailey said.
 
She added that an evening session will be scheduled for late February or early March and additional public meetings will be announced to provide residents multiple opportunities to learn more about the study findings.
 
The GOPC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on helping improve Ohio communities through smart growth strategies and research. The GOPC regularly provides expert analyses to public, private and nonprofit leaders at the local, state and national level.
 
Bailey said that the study is designed to serve local leaders as a guide for making decisions that support a broad range of housing options for all segments of the population. And to attract new residents, including young families drawn by jobs and people looking for a quieter lifestyle within commuting distance of their jobs in metropolitan areas.
 
The study covers the county as a whole, as well as the four primary population centers, Urbana, Mechanicsburg, St. Paris and North Lewisburg.
 
The GOPC conducted the study with the guidance of steering and advisory committees composed of local government officials and representatives of financial institutions, developers, builders, property owners, real estate agents and business owners.
 
Examples of recommendations made in the study include:
  • Create a standing consortium of local representatives like those on the study advisory committee to continually focus on housing initiatives.
  • Prioritize historic downtowns and main street, as “vibrant downtowns become economic and civic centers whose success often attracts new housing investments and increased commercial traffic throughout a municipality.”
  • Use economic development tools, such as community reinvestment areas, to promote housing development.
  • Protect existing housing stock from decline and return abandoned and neglected properties to productive use.
  • Use creative financing and funding strategies to help support development.
  • Maintain affordability of housing.

Revitalization Efforts in Downtown Urbana Focus on Housing, More Shops

12/9/2019

 
By Hasan Karim, Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
With the last piece of needed funding recently locked down, the ‘Legacy Place’ senior housing project in downtown Urbana is one step closer in bringing more than a dozen apartments in the area.

It is something city officials say will have a trickle down effect in downtown. The hope is with more people living there, it will boost business for shops and restaurants that are within walking distance.
​
In the past five years, the number of living opportunities in the area have about doubled.
​

Read More

‘Legacy Place’ Senior Housing Project in Urbana Secures Key Funding

12/4/2019

 
By Jenna Lawson, Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
The last bit of needed funding has been secured to push forward the ‘Legacy Place’ senior housing project in Urbana.

Sourcing all of the funding has been a tedious multi-year task undertaken by several different parties — but soon residents will start to see the fruits of labor.

“This is going to be a reality,” said Champaign Economic Development Director Marcia Bailey. “It’s not just sketches on a piece of paper. It’s going to be a reality.”

In August, the developers of the project — Flaherty & Collins Properties — applied for a grant through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati with the help of community partners.

Read More

Urbana Senior Housing Plan Faces One Last Hurdle

9/25/2019

0 Comments

 
Urbana Senior Living Apartments
By Riley Newton & Jenna Lawson, Springfield News-Sun
Photo by Bill Lackey / STAFF

Community partners involved in the project to redevelop the Douglas Hotel in Urbana say they are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

After about five years of work behind-the-scenes, Champaign County economic officials said that the developers have applied for a pivotal grant that would push the funding for the project across the finish line.
​
“(The developer) has indicated to us if they’re able to secure that grant, then they can move forward toward a closing to this project,” said Doug Crabill, Urbana’s community development manager.

Crabill, as well as Marcia Bailey, director of Champaign County Economic Development, have been working with Flaherty & Collins Properties, a developer based in Indianapolis that has expressed interest in the project, to secure the funding for “Legacy Place.”

The project would convert the Douglas Hotel, as well as the former North and South Elementary Schools in Urbana, into affordable senior apartments.

​Click here to read full article on SpringfieldNewsSun.com.
0 Comments

Tax Credit Boosts Legacy Place

7/2/2019

0 Comments

 
Urbana Douglas Inn
The Douglas Inn on Monument Square is to become a residence for senior citizens. Christopher Selmek | Urbana Daily Citizen
By Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen
cselmek@aimmediamidwest.com
The Ohio Development Services Agency awarded $28,033,063 in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits on June 26 for the rehabilitation of 49 historic buildings in 13 communities around the state, including $988,058 for the Legacy Place project planned in Urbana. The project is eligible for additional tax credit allocation, up to the requested $1,315,118, as it becomes available through withdrawn applications or project savings. The developer, Flaherty & Collins Properties, will not be issued the tax credit until project construction is complete and all program requirements are verified.

ODSA has estimated the total project cost as $13,164,335 for 51 units of senior housing that would occupy the former North and South elementary schools as well as the Douglas Inn on Monument Square. All three buildings will hold apartments designed for residents 55 or older making 60 percent of the area median income or less, roughly $24,000 to $25,000 a year, and the former hotel will also have commercial space on the first floor. Local officials have been working with architect McCall Sharp Architecture, of Springfield.
​
“It’s exciting that another piece of the puzzle has been approved for funding,” said Champaign Economic Partnership Executive Director Marcia Bailey. “Nothing is finalized yet, and we’re not quite ready to sign for the property, but the city, Urbana City Schools and the CEP have done everything we can on our end and now we’re continuing to work with Flaherty & Collins to get this project to the final stages.”

According to ODSA, Legacy Place is only the second project to be awarded in Urbana. The awards are planned to assist private developers in rehabilitating historic buildings in downtowns and neighborhoods that, once rehabilitated, drive further investment and interest in adjacent property.

“The historic preservation tax credit is another way we’re investing in our communities,” said Gov. Mike DeWine in a news release. “These investments can spur development in a neighborhood or downtown.”

“Partnering with communities and developers across Ohio, we’re preserving historic sites that make Ohio unique,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of ODSA. “We’re creating new opportunities for small businesses and housing.”

The Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program is administered in partnership with the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office. The state Historic Preservation Office determines if a property qualifies as a historic building and if the rehabilitation plans comply with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

Legacy Place
Bailey said that in addition to providing a built-in customer base for downtown business owners, the project will be an example for the Moving Downtown Forward committee to inform developers how to move projects ahead in downtown Urbana.

According to information from the ODSA, the Douglas Inn was constructed about 1870 in the Second Empire style with a mansard roof. The structure has been vacant since 2004. When ready to complete the sale of property, Flaherty & Collins will work directly with private owner John Doss to acquire the Douglas Inn.

“Just seeing the Douglas get put back into use again is a very positive thing for the community,” said Community Development Manager Doug Crabill. “Seeing those school buildings be reused rather than being torn down and vacant lots gives us a good feeling, because at least we know there is a plan for re-purposing those buildings.”

“It’s something we’re used to doing and we feel like there’s usually an extra need for senior housing in communities, and in communities like Urbana there’s a need to help older (buildings) continue their life,” said Julie Collier, vice president of Development for Flaherty & Collins Properties. “It’s two-fold for us because we’ll help save some important buildings in … Urbana, and we’ll also fulfill a housing need for local residents.”

The two schools, built in 1901 and 1921, served the city’s children until they became vacant in 2018. Bailey said the Ohio Revised Code allows the school district to dis-invest of the two properties no longer needed by the school district. Rather than demolish the buildings, the plan is for them to be purchased by the city for $1 each under an alreadysigned purchase agreement. Then the CEP will act on behalf of the city to sell the buildings to Flaherty and Collins.

“The city council agreed to do all of this,” said Bailey. “We had the city schools that were willing because they didn’t want to see the buildings (demolished) either, and it’s a cost savings for taxpayers not to have to pay for the demolition. But the city council agreed that they will take on the buildings … That was an important component, because if the city had not agreed to do that we wouldn’t be where we’re at right now.”

On March 19, the Urbana City Council unanimously passed a resolution of support for the developers of Legacy Place to apply to the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program. Flaherty & Collins also obtained tax credits through the Ohio Housing Finance Agency.
In July 2018, the Urbana City Council unanimously authorized a fee waiver of up to $500 in support of Flaherty & Collins’ application to the affordable housing program of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, including but not limited to water and sewer tap fees, construction permit fees and zoning fees. The resolution affirmed that the city council supports the efforts of Flaherty & Collins to obtain the necessary financing resources to redevelop all three buildings.
​

Christopher Selmek can be reached at 937-508-2304
0 Comments

Legacy Place Planned for Unused Structures

4/26/2019

2 Comments

 
Urbana Douglas Inn
The Douglas Inn | Photos by Christopher Selmek | Urbana Daily Citizen
By Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen
cselmek@aimmediamidwest.com
Representatives of Flaherty & Collins Properties have been working with the city of Urbana and the Champaign Economic Partnership to develop Legacy Place, a proposed 51 units of senior housing that would occupy the former North and South elementary schools as well as the Douglas Inn on Monument Square. Local officials have been working with architect McCall Sharp Architecture, Springfield, and hope to close on the property sale this summer after they have secured all of their funding sources.


Read More
2 Comments

    Archives

    April 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Aerospace
    Agriculture
    Aldi
    American Pan Company
    Berry Digital Solutions
    Bundy Baking Solutions
    Business Advisory Council
    Business Community Support
    Business Liaison
    Business Playbook
    Career Fair
    CEP
    Champaign Aviation Museum
    Champaign County Events
    Champaign County Job Board
    Champaign County Jobs
    Champaign Foundation
    Champaign Health District
    Champaign Works
    Clark State
    Cobblestone Hotel
    ColePak
    Community Improvement
    Community Reinvestment
    Douglas Hotel
    DP&L
    Economic Development
    Edison State Community College
    Education
    FASTLANE
    Graham Schools
    Hall Company
    Health Care Services
    Honda
    Honeywell
    Housing Market
    Hughey & Phillips
    JobsOhio
    Johnson Welded Products
    JRS
    Kiser Lake
    Koenig Equipment
    KTH
    Legacy Place
    Manufacturing
    Manufacturing Day
    #ManufacturingMonday
    Mary Rutan Hospital
    Mechanicsburg
    Mechanicsburg Business
    Mechanicsburg High School
    Mercy Memorial Hospital
    Monument Square District
    Moving Downtown Forward
    Navistar
    New Business
    New Construction
    North Lewisburg
    Ohio Hi Point
    Ohio Hi-Point
    OhioMeansJobs Champaign County
    Ohio TechCred
    Old Souls Farms
    Opportunity Zones
    ORBIS
    Parker Trutec
    Pioneer Electric
    Q3/JMC Property
    Real Estate
    Recruitment
    Rittal
    Robert Rothschild Farm
    Rosewood Machine & Tool Co.
    Sarica Manufacturing
    Senior Center
    Senior Housing
    Shop Local
    Small Business Development
    Small Business Loans
    South Main Street Corridor
    Springfield Foundation
    Start A Business
    St. Paris
    Sutphen Corp
    Talent Retention
    Tax Incentives
    Technology
    Top 100 Micropolitan
    Transportation
    Triad High School
    True Inspection Services
    Ultra Met
    Urbana City Council
    Urbana City Schools
    Urbana Hotel
    Urbana Planning Commission
    Urbana University
    Wage And Benefits Survey
    WEIDMANN
    West Liberty Salem Schools
    West Liberty-Salem Schools
    Wittenberg University
    Zoning

    RSS Feed

Picture
CEP Office Location:
40 Monument Square, Suite 306
Urbana, Ohio 43078
937-653-7200
Accessibility
All drone photography courtesy of Jassen Dobyns of UAVisions LLC. Additional photography courtesy of ​Dave Millner of the Champaign Camera Group.
Website by Berry Digital Solutions, LLC
Urbana, Ohio
Click on the logos for more information.
 Champaign County Jobs
Picture
Picture
Dayton Development Coalition logo
Champaign County Chamber of Commerce logo
Picture
Picture
Picture
North Lewisburg, Ohio website
St. Paris, Ohio
Photo used under Creative Commons from Free for Commercial Use
  • Why Champaign County?
  • Start a Business
  • Site Selector
    • Available Properties
    • Financial Incentives
    • Training Incentives
    • Maps
    • Utilities
    • Tax Reform
  • Key Industries
    • Agri-Business
    • Manufacturing
    • Health Care Services
  • Workforce & Talent
    • Champaign Works Job Board
    • Wage & Benefit Survey
    • Engineering Survey
    • Local Schools
    • Colleges & Universities
  • Community
    • Champaign County Comprehensive Plan
    • Housing Study
    • Demographics
    • Maps
    • Real Estate Agencies
  • News
    • Public Notices
    • Newsletter
  • About CEP
    • Staff
    • Board