In the coming months, Ironton will see the development of a townhouse-style affordable housing complex just off Lawrence Street Road and another, smaller development spread throughout the city.

Monday, October 25, 1999

In the coming months, Ironton will see the development of a townhouse-style affordable housing complex just off Lawrence Street Road and another, smaller development spread throughout the city.

The 10th Street Apartments will be similar in nature, but a smaller scale, multi-site project.

The Storms Creek Apartments, designed and implemented by Arthur Howard Winer and Associates – the same company responsible for the ongoing renovations at the former Marting Hotel – will be a great addition to the city, Ironton Mayor Bob Cleary said.

A petition for the property’s annexation into the city is pending.

"Any time we can develop vacant properties in the city is good for the city," Cleary said. "These apartments will help take care of some of the housing needs in the city."

Scheduled for development with 16 two-bedroom units and 34 one-bedroom units, financing for the apartments comes from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, which recently approved more than $6.5 million for three affordable hosing projects in the state.

Ironton’s project will receive a Compensating Balance Loan and a $1.5 million Equity Bridge Loan, Gov. Bob Taft’s office said. The project non-profit sponsor is the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization.

In a press conference at the Ironton City Center today, Cleary announced the project is officially under way. The project was discussed but never finalized during the initial phases of the Marting Hotel renovation.

The Storms Creek project is what originally brought him to Ironton, but once the Marting caught Winer’s eye, that project took over and became a priority, Winer said last year, adding he had not given up on the apartment development.

"We’re looking to provide safe, decent housing for individuals and families whose income falls within the predetermined range," Cleary said.

The range is set for households at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Gross Income, with 20 percent of the housing set aside for single-parent families.

The housing plans, however, could very well open up the area for future growth, Cleary said.

"The city will be running utility lines to this property," he said. "When we do this, these lines will maintain enough capacity to accommodate future development, which will be an asset to the area."

The townhouse-style apartments should see construction next year.

In addition to the housing units, the apartments will have laundry facilities, recreational areas and other amenities. Required incomes start at $11,500 per year and increase to more than $26,000 per year, Cleary said.

The Marting Hotel project is scheduled for completion in December. Ground breaking for the Storms Creek Apartments is tentatively scheduled for November, with the 10th Street project scheduled for an early 2000 groundbreaking.