State, local and Land Bank leaders (left) are joined by Madden Hills neighborhood leaders (right) to break ground on the first of 40 new market-rate homes for qualifying first-time homebuyers. The Land Bank was awarded $6.9 million from the state’s Welcome Home Ohio program.
Local officials and neighbors gathered in Dayton’s Madden Hills neighborhood on May 9 for a groundbreaking to kick off local implementation of a statewide program to address Ohio’s housing shortage.
The new, single-family home on Glennelle Drive will be the first of 40 new homes to be built in Montgomery County. This development project is funded by a $6.9 million grant from the state of Ohio’s Welcome Home Ohio program, which aims to create market-rate housing for qualifying first-time homebuyers.
“This program will help us meet the housing shortage challenge and infuse energy into our local neighborhoods,” said County Commissioner Carolyn Rice, chair of the Montgomery County Land Bank Board of Directors. “It will allow new homeowners to build equity.”
Ohio’s county land banks are the agencies designated as the state program’s implementation partners to carry out property acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation, and sale of the homes.
The construction of 40 new homes will be concentrated in four neighborhoods: Madden Hills, Fairview, Dayton View Triangle, and Wolf Creek. A portion of the program funds has been set aside for 24 home renovations in 13 other Dayton neighborhoods.
Neighborhood residents are excited about the new homes, having been directly involved with CityWide Development Corp., the city of Dayton, and the Land Bank in planning the new housing.
“Each neighborhood has its own vision, but all the residents are looking forward to welcoming new families into new, market-rate housing,” said Emmy Fabich, the Land Bank’s housing development program manager.
The new homes are designed as high-quality, low-maintenance structures that blend in with each neighborhood’s existing styles. The maximum sale price will be $180,000.
