CAO-run facility would serve eastern end of county

ROME — On Tuesday, the Lawrence County Commissioners had a public meeting at the Lawrence County Fairgrounds about the proposed Applewood Apartments housing project.

The project is being done by Ironton Lawrence County Community Action Organization and developers to create new housing in eastern Lawrence County. The housing complex would be similar to other CAO projects like Proctors Landing and Riverview Apartments.

The project’s proposed site would be near County Road 107 near the CAO’s Family Medical Center and Fairland East Elementary School in Rome.
Ralph Kline, the CAO’s assistant director, said the eastern part of the county has a huge demand for good, affordable, well-run housing.

Before the meeting, the county commissioners released a list of questions about the project from the public to the CAO that Kline answered.

He said the Applewood Apartments will provide safe, decent, modern, and affordable housing units targeted to younger individuals, couples, seniors and others who have limited incomes that cannot afford higher rents of other market rate units.

“Rents for these units will generally range between $500 to $800 per month per unit, based upon unit size, which is affordable for this population,” Kline said. “Other rents in the market area for like units generally range between $800 to $1,200 per month, based on market studies and are often not affordable to these populations.”

In addition to the housing units, the Ironton Lawrence CAO has agreed to build and expand its early childhood services that it now offers in the Rome – Proctorville area and includes more slots for day care and the ability to expand on the pre-school and afterschool programs that it now offers within the Fairland School District.

The project would, like Proctors Landing and Riverview Apartments, offer its facilities to community events, walking trails and playground facilities.

To be a tenant at Applewood Apartments, people will have to go throught criminal background and credit checks of individuals and family members, and restricts sexual offenders and like felons from living within this project. The project is monitored and audited annually, both off and on-site, to assure compliance to these policies. There will be no rent subsidies, all residents must be able to demonstrate sufficient incomes to pay for the fixed monthly rents charged by the project.

The plans are preliminary with construction not beginning until 2021, if the CAO can get the credits and financing needed for the project from Ohio Housing Finance Agency. The proposed site is a 4.1-acre tract that was optioned at $660,000 to be purchased by PIRHL Development from Danny and Lorelei Holschuh.