Staying with the story
The Springfield News-Sun has kept you informed about the future of the former Community Hospital site since it was first announced that the hospital would be closed in 2011.
Springfield city commissioners approved the development plan for a $7 million, 74-unit senior living facility at the former Community Hospital site.
Commissioners unanimously approved the plans Tuesday, but they stipulated developer Neighborhood Housing Partnership of Greater Springfield must address the barrier between the complex and the neighbors as part of the construction process, as well as run-off issues affecting homes in the area near Burnett Road and East High Street.
The development will accommodate the established neighborhood and have an impact on the nearby East Main Street commercial corridor, said City Commissioner Dan Martin. It could also lead to further development in the shopping center along Burnett Road, he said.
“There could’ve been potential commercial uses there or other uses, so I think this will blend in well and offer at least a residential bridge between the existing neighborhood and the shopping corridor,” Martin said.
The stormwater and traffic plans were both returned by city engineers with no objections. Both will be addressed as part of the building permit process, said Springfield Planning, Zoning and Code Administrator Stephen Thompson.
The developers will build a barrier as part of the process, which could include a 6-to-8-foot privacy fence and trees between the development and the neighborhood.
Lisa Behr, who lives nearby on Gruen Drive, said the old fence is falling down and must be replaced. She recently had one of her car windshields shattered from rocks being thrown from the lot.
“I’m not against the senior development, but I want my barrier,” said Behr. “We want our privacy back.”
NHP applied for tax credits from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency for the first phase of a possible 37-unit senior living facility at the former hospital site last year, but were rejected in their initial request.
They’re planning to apply again next year with the help of the Buckeye Community Hope Foundation, a statewide tax credit developer. If tax credits are approved, construction on the project could begin in the spring of 2017. The facility already has more than 80 people on a waiting list for the 55-and-over complex, said NHP Executive Director Tina Koumoutsos.
The organization closed on the property last week, she said. It had a contract to purchase the site from Community Mercy Health Partners for $100,000.
Last February, city commissioners passed an emergency ordinance allowing the property to be rezoned at the corner of Burnett Road and High Street from a community office district to a multi-family residence district.
The “pocket neighborhood” development will include smaller neighborhoods of eight to 12 homes and green space within the larger complex. The units will also include an attached garage and will be fully accessible with no steps for seniors.
The tax credit program requires residents must not make more than 60 percent of the annual area median income in Clark County, which was about $23,000 for a single person household last year. If awarded tax credits, the development must stay as senior housing for the next 30 years.
The project was approved by the Community Grant Advisory Board earlier this year, Springfield Community Development Director Shannon Meadows said. A resolution of support was also approved by commissioners as part of this year’s OHFA application.
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