Five affordable housing projects in Lorain County vie for two federal tax credits

Developers will vie for funding as five proposed affordable housing projects in Lorain County, three in northern Elyria and one each in Oberlin and Lorain, have submitted applications for a state tax credit program that will select only two of them. All five projects have submitted initial applications for the Ohio Housing Finance Agency's 4 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credit, or LIHTC, program. The program grants a 4 percent federal tax credit on eligible purchases related to the construction of affordable housing projects. Normally, such tax credits are considered "noncompetitive," meaning that as long as they meet the income and housing criteria, they are awarded the credit. But, "given limited Ohio LIHTC resources," in the 2026 state fiscal year, the Housing Finance Agency will only select two projects per county that will be allowed to submit final applications. The projects in contention in Elyria are Black River Landing proposed by South Creek Development LLC, Griswold Grove proposed by TWG Development LLC and the seniors-only McGregor Landing proposed by CHN Housing partners and The McGregor Foundation. Each project will include more than 100 affordable units. Oberlin has the Oberlin Family Homes Project from NRP Holdings LLC and in Lorain TFG Housing Resources has applied for credits for the Southside Gateways project, a part of a larger housing project in South Lorain that TFG is currently undertaking in partnership with Raise Up, formerly the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Agency. Per LIHTC rules, each project must either limit units to people making at or below 60 percent of the area median income, or AMI, or must average income of 60 percent or less of AMI among all residents. AMI is similar to household median income, but is calculated slightly differently by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development based on household size and geographic area, Lorain County is located in the Elyria-Cleveland Housing Market Area, which also contains Cuyahoga, Medina, Geauga and Lake Counties. As of 2024, 60 percent of the area median income for that area was $40,860 for one person. For a household of four, 60 percent of the AMI was $58,320. All five projects must announce their intent to the city council of the city in which they plan to build, and the council can vote to oppose the project if it chooses to do so. If the council votes not to protest or simply does not take any action, the project can move forward with its proposal. All three of the proposed projects were presented to a joint meeting of Elyria's Community Development and Finance Committees on Monday, and the joint committee voted to recommend that Council as a whole not protest any of the projects. Selections from the OHFA board on which projects can move forward to the final application process are expected in late October. Councilman Kenny Oswald, D-4th Ward, said that he felt residents should not fear affordable housing, but rather welcome it as an engine driving Elyria's growth. "We need this, this is what's kick-starting Elyria," Oswald said "We are getting a lot of development out south with our homes. Now out by the mall, as soon as you get a couple of these going in, it's going to really catapult things." Black River Landing – Elyria Proposed by North Carolina-based South Creek Development LLC, Black River Landing is a proposed 122 unit affordable housing project that is proposed to be built on West River Road North in Elyria. All of the units will be in one building, and all of them will be available only to residents making 60 percent or less of AMI. The project will also be general residency, meaning there is no age requirement. The total development cost of the project is $40.4 million, according to the application. Taylor Koch of Hill Tide Partners in South Carolina spoke to Council on Monday on behalf of South Creek Development. Hilltide is working with South Creek to obtain funding and support for the project. "While our company may be new to Elyria, we are deeply committed to creating high-quality affordable housing," Koch said. "We are the 20th largest affordable housing developer by (construction) starts in 2024. We've completed over 33,000 units across 34 properties and our team is composed of seasoned affordable housing professionals." The proposed project would be built on a currently empty, 6.8 acre parcel just north of the intersection of West River Road North and Griswold Road, on the east side of West River. The development will include 12 one-bedroom units, 74 two-bedroom units and 36 three-bedroom units. Koch said the projected rents were roughly $968 for the one-bedroom units, $1,177 for the two-bedroom units and $1,422 for a three-bedroom. Koch said specific designs for the project were only conceptual, but the developer would start "sprinting" on the design process as soon as the project is selected by the OHFA. Not being selected by the OHFA would greatly delay or even kill the project, Koch said. McGregor Landing – Elyria McGregor Landing is a proposed 115 unit independent living facility for seniors 55 years of age or older on Midway Boulevard/50th Street. It would be built directly behind the already completed, but not yet opened, McGregor Foundation's Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, Center. The housing would consist of one three-story, 95,000-square-foot apartment building made up of 115 one-bedroom residential units. The housing is designed to be for seniors who may not be able to remain in their homes, but want to stay in the community and maintain their independence. All of the units would be reserved for seniors who make 60 percent of AMI or less. According to the application, the total development cost would be $36.2 million. Mark Ciepiel, real estate market leader for CHN, spoke on behalf of the McGregor Landing Project before Elyria's joint committee on Monday and said that CHN is a Cleveland-based nonprofit which seeks to create affordable housing to improve communities. In the case of McGregor Landing, CHN has partnered with the McGregor Foundation for a two-part project which was first proposed in January 2024. The first portion of the project was to create a PACE facility, from which McGregor could provide healthcare, socialization and community services both in-home and at the PACE facility to seniors from across Lorain County. The PACE Center was completed in the spring, but it is still awaiting final approval from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services before it can open. The second portion of the proposed project is an independent living facility for seniors located on the same campus as the McGregor Center. Despite the delay in completing phase one, CHN submitted an application to the OHFA seeking tax credits to help fund the construction of the housing. Ciepiel said that CHN has submitted a very similar proposal for a different state funding program, but the project was not selected. Griswold Grove – Elyria Also proposed at the intersection of Griswold Road and West River Road North is Griswold Grove, which was brought forward by TWG Development of Indianapolis. According to its OHFA application, Griswold Grove is a 120-unit project which will consist of one building to include all of the housing. The total development cost is a projected $31.9 million. All units will be reserved for those at or below 60 percent of AMI, it is designed for families and is general occupancy. Griswold Grove will consist of 60 one-bedroom units, 30 two-bedroom units and 30 three-bedroom units. On September 2, Elyria City Council voted to approve a 15-year, 75 percent tax abatement for the same project by TWG at 441 Griswold Road. At a committee meeting in August requesting the abatement, Alex Frazier, Ohio development director for TWG, told Council that the company planned to break ground on the project in September 2026 and complete work by March 2028. Oberlin Family Homes – Oberlin Oberlin Family Homes is a project proposed by NRP Holdings of Cleveland that would construct 120 units of housing across five buildings, with most of the units being three bedroom. The development will include housing for individuals making between 30 and 70 percent of AMI; with 20 units having an AMI limit of 30 percent, 42 units having an AMI limit of 60 percent and 58 units with an AMI limit of 70 percent. The total development cost of the project is $36.6 million, according to the application. "The project has been thoughtfully designed to feature a high quantity of three-bedroom apartments to meet local demand and directly respond to community need," the application said. "Oberlin Homes is part of a master plan and redevelopment of 40+ acres of existing farmland into retail, townhomes, food services and (an) addiction recovery home and health services campus." The bulk of the units will be 72 three-bedroom units, while the remainder will consist of 36 two-bedroom units and 12 one-bedroom units. Southside Gateway – Lorain The least populous of the proposed LIHTC projects, Southside Gateway is a proposed 75-unit complex spread across 15 buildings that is planned by TFG Housing Resources and Raise Up. Gateway is a part of a larger renovation and revitalization project planned by the partners in the Southside Gardens area, with all the new housing set to be administered by Raise Up. The project will be located on Seneca Avenue between East 33rd Street and East 32nd Street. "Located next to the newly improved Oakwood Park — serving a predominantly low-income area in South Lorain and now featuring a splash pad and pool funded by a federal grant — this site offers an ideal location for new development," the application said. The 75 units of Southside Gateway would be split among multiple AMI requirement levels as well as a diverse number of bedrooms. The total development cost is $25.8 million. Of the new units, 27 will have an income limit of 30 percent AMI, 19 will have a limit of 60 percent AMI and 29 will have a limit of 80 percent of AMI. As for bedrooms, 25 units will be one-bedroom, 25 will be two-bedroom units, 16 will be three-bedroom units and nine units will have four bedrooms. 35 of the total units will also be rent-subsidized. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.