By Sandi Latimer
Staff Writer
A local developer is working on plans for a seniors-only complex in Lincoln Village South.
Ian Maute of Buckeye Hope said his group is partnering with Homes on the Hill for the project that would have 35 one and two bedroom units.
“We’re applying for (federal) funding,” Maute told an audience of older women gathered at the Prairie Township Community Center to learn more about what would be known as Prairie Place.
Maute said the application for the project would be filed in March. If funding is approved, construction could start in a year.
The complex would be open to people over the age of 55, people whom Maute said are faced with home repairs, problems with accessibility and are looking for quality, affordable housing.
The complex would be located at the southwest corner of Stiles and Mix avenues on land owned by Prairie Township. Maute said the project fits into the township plans.
Besides age restrictions, the complex would have an income restriction. Residents would have to have an income of 60 percent of the county average, which is $29,280 for a single person.
Maute stressed that the complex would be independent living and would not be subsidized.
“It’s not a Section 8,” he said. “Residents would pay rent.”
Rent would run between $250 and $700 a month for a one bedroom unit and between $420 and $825 for the two bedroom units, he said.
This complex would be a new venture in Franklin County for Buckeye Hope which is building single-family homes in the Driving Park area near Nationwide Children’s Hospital. It has a similar seniors-only complex in Akron.
The complex would be three stories high with an elevator for higher floors. It would also have a community laundry room, a gathering room, patios, and two lighted parking lots, one accessible from Mix Avenue and the other from Stiles.
One bedroom units would be 675 square feet while the two-bedroom units would be 850 square feet.
After explaining the benefits of the complex, Maute admitted “obtaining funding is far from a sure thing, but I think we have a good shot at it.”
Homes on the Hill, which has a long history of rehabbing homes and selling them, has joined Buckeye Hope as a partner in the project.
Melonie Buller, HOTH’s financial manager, said her organization has been helping prepare for the funding, and will be a co-owner for the project.
