MANSFIELD — Downtown living options are expected to increase with the renovation of a Park Avenue West building.
Businessman Carl Fernyak has plans to renovate 46 Park Ave. West, which is made up of two storefronts on the first floor and four apartment units on the second and third floors.
Fernyak, who owns the building, guessed the building has sat vacant for 20 or 30 years, noting the apartment units haven’t been occupied for 50 to 60 years.
“As you’re aware, there’s a huge shortage of downtown living right at the moment,” Fernyak told city council on Tuesday night. “There’s a waiting list — Downtown Mansfield, Inc. keeps a list of people that are trying to find a place.
“Some of them are artists, some of them are professionals moving into town, some of them are empty-nesters that no longer want to mow the lawn or shovel the snow.”
Fernyak said he intends to renovate the four apartment units and the first-floor storefronts, possibly converting that into a single storefront.
To help alleviate costs associated with renovation, Fernyak hopes to have the building, which was constructed in the late 1800s, designated as historic. This, in turn, will provide an opportunity as he pursues state and federal tax credits.
“The wonderful thing about it being listed both locally and then ultimately on the national (historic) register is it allows a redeveloper to take advantage of preservation tax credits,” said Dan Seckel, vice chair of the Mansfield Historic Preservation Commission.
“In other words, they can put their money into the project and through completing certain paperwork, they can claim tax credits at both the federal level and at the state level.”
The tax credits are competitive, but could amount to as much as 45 percent of the entire redevelopment cost, Seckel said.
“Assuming that we’re granted any of them, that’s more money that we can put into the building and other projects as well,” Fernyak said.
“It just seems like a very worthwhile project,” said Third Ward Councilman Jon Van Harlingen. “It seems like the tax credits on the state and federal level are a pretty good-sized secret in Mansfield. Hopefully this will get some publicity and people will see the good work going on on Park Avenue.”
The building at 46 Park Ave. West originally belonged to Mary Jordan Finley, a doctor in Mansfield.
“Although it looks a little shabby on the outside, the upper two floors are very historically intact,” Seckel said. “They have some wonderful woodwork and fireplaces.”
Seckel noted an Ohio Historic Inventory form.
“The historic preservation commission over the years has done about 250 of these for individual buildings in Mansfield. If you run up to community development on the eighth floor you can go through the files and determine whether or not a building has been deemed to have some significant history. It doesn’t mean it’s listed; it just means that we’ve inventoried it.”
One of the buildings that was inventoried in 1985 was 46 Park Ave. West, he said.
Right around the corner of this building is the Butterfly House on North Mulberry Street, which houses Mind Body Align, a business founded by Carl’s wife, Annamarie Fernyak.
“We’re already investing in the neighborhood,” Fernyak said. “We’re very, very excited about Mansfield.”
“We’re really focused on getting a lot of stakeholders in the downtown. It’s not just about the Fernyaks. It’s about everybody else … Our intention is to create an area that helps a lot of people, not just one building. But we have to start somewhere.”
Sixth Ward Councilman Garnetta Pender applauded Fernyak’s efforts.
“I want to thank you for taking an interest in Mansfield,” she said. “I think it’s very important that we do have apartments downtown.”
Fifth Ward Councilman Jason Lawrence echoed her comments.
“Once we get some people living downtown they’re going to start screaming for it.”
