MANSFIELD — Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry said she wants to wait for the perfect fit for redevelopment at 455 Park Ave. West.
In her view, a proposal for 14 units of townhomes and ranch homes on the former YMCA property didn’t meet the mark.
“I think these are beautiful pictures and nice units. I don’t know that they’re a fit for that site,” Perry said at a Richland County Land Bank board meeting on Wednesday.
She was referencing a proposal by developer Joseph Recchie of Community Building Partners in Columbus.
The mayor is one of nine members on the Richland County Land Bank board, which owns the former YMCA property.
The board didn’t formally vote against the plan, but several board members expressed concerns about aspects of it. No one on the board vouched for proceeding with the plan Recchie proposed for the YMCA site.
Land bank executive director Amy Hamrick confirmed the board and Recchie will move forward in seeking Welcome Home Ohio funds, using scattered sites in its application.
Recchie’s proposal for the space included six three-story attached townhomes facing Park Avenue West and eight ranches along Baldwin and Bartley avenues.
Perry said that while she liked the look of the drawings Recchie presented, she doesn’t believe they will fit well within the existing neighborhood.
She cited recent pushback from residents after modern ranch homes were constructed on infill lots in neighborhoods full of two-story homes.
‘We spent over $1 million excavating that out and building houses on slabs isn’t that exciting’
The former YMCA property is a high-profile spot on one of the city’s main thoroughfares — and one the city has spent considerable funds to make developable.
It’s been six years since the city of Mansfield used $500,000 in PRIDE money to tear down the former YMCA. Then-Mayor Tim Theaker’s administration contracted with Page Excavating of Lucas to tear down the building.
Years later, when land bank tried to find developers for the property, Hamrick said there was a lack of interest due to hard fill that was improperly buried onsite.
The city and land bank later worked together to cover the cost of re-excavating the site, which cost more than $1 million. The city filed a suit against Page Excavating in the fall of 2024, alleging breach of contract. (A jury trial has been set for March.)
With its prime location and history of obstacles, Perry said the stakes are high for redevelopment.
“Whatever we build there is really going to impact how the future of that corridor goes. If we don’t get the right units and the right quality and the right setting, I think we further deteriorate Park Avenue,” Perry said.
“I know you’re going to build a good product,” she told Recchie. “But we spent over $1 million excavating that out and building houses on slabs isn’t that exciting.”
Perry added that the townhouse portion of the development wouldn’t fit the city’s zoning code, which doesn’t allow three-story residential buildings. The project would need a variance.
Recchie pushed back, arguing leveraging state funds to create new, quality affordable housing would drive economic change in the neighborhood.
The mayor stood firm.
“I agree with you that home ownership is one of the major factors in turning a neighborhood, but I also think there’s nothing wrong with leaving the lot green until we find the right development,” Perry said.
Recchie jokingly expressed his disappointment at not proceeding with the YMCA project, but said he’s still happy to pursue scattered site development.
“I’m deeply disappointed. I’m going to go out in the car and cry, because we spent so much time on it,” he said, eliciting chuckles from the land bank board.
“I love that site, but if you don’t want to do it, it’s your program.”
Land bank, Community Building Partners will still seek affordable housing funds, but not for the former YMCA lot
The land bank voted in August to partner with Recchie in applying for $2.5 million in funds from Welcome Home Ohio, a state-funded grant program aimed at boosting the state’s owner-occupied housing stock.
The program is administered by the Ohio Department of Development. Applications are due by Jan. 16. More than $22 million is up for grabs, with a maximum grant amount of $100,000 per housing unit.
The land bank will still partner with Recchie to apply for funding, but land bank board members were largely unified in their decision not to pursue the proposed development on the YMCA land.
Instead, if the land bank receives funds, housing will likely be constructed on scattered site lots located throughout Mansfield and Shelby.
The land bank also heard from two other developers who wanted to partner in applying for Welcome Home Ohio funds: Josh Mobley of MFD Development Group and Demeter’s Developments, run by husband-and-wife duo Edward Akinyemi and Andrea Mauk.
Mobley proposed partnering with the land bank to pre-sell and deliver between 18 and 22 factory-built homes manufactured by Skyline Homes in Sugarcreek, Ohio.
The Demeter’s Developments proposal was for two attached townhomes designed for individuals with disabilities.
The land bank board ultimately voted not to include either contractor in its Welcome Home application.
Bart Hamilton, the land bank board chair and Richland County treasurer, argued the land bank is unlikely to receive more than the $2.5 million it committed to applying for with Community Building Partners.
“There’s $22 million for the entire state of Ohio. That’s not a lot of money when you’re doing it for $100,000 a piece,” he said.
Hamilton said the land bank may also be at a disadvantage since it hasn’t participated in previous rounds of Welcome Home Ohio funding — but Community Building Partners has, which may provide a strategic advantage in its application.
“It’s also my understanding that if you’ve worked those other two rounds (of Welcome Home Ohio), you’re pushed to the front of the line,” he said. “There are going to be other counties and other entities that are going to be ahead of us.
“I love these guys and everybody here,” Hamilton added, referring to the other two contractors. “But we’ve got to have a strong application to get money this time, especially if we want to get money next time.”
Board members also voicing concerns about the rest of Demeter’s Developments proposed funding streams, which included some grants that have yet to be awarded.
The board ultimately voted 5-1 to pursue $2.5 million with a single developer. Board vice chair Jeff Parton abstained. Perry did not vote because she had to leave the meeting early.
Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero cast the sole dissenting vote.
“If we’re going to ask for $2.5 (million), we might as well ask for more and include a local contractor,” he said.
The board also:
- Approved the language for a historical marker for the site of the former Daisy Thomas House at 89 Wood Street, as well as $6,030 to pay for the marker. The brick building is said to be the first home in Richland County built and owned by African-American residents. It was demolished in January 2024.
- Approved a $15 per month FASTPASS to Buckeye Car Wash for the land bank vehicle. Hamrick said an employee had previously been paying to wash the vehicle out of his own pocket and had difficulty submitting the cost for reimbursement, since car washes tend to not offer receipts.
