SHELBY — A new opportunity is on the horizon for attainable home ownership in northern Richland County.
The Richland County Land Bank is teaming with Community Building Partners to build six new, single-family homes in Shelby, using funds from the Ohio Department of Development’s Welcome Home program.
The homes will be sold to income-eligible buyers for $200,000 each.
“There seems to be a lot of new construction that is following grant dollars to build affordable or senior housing. What we’re hoping to accomplish with the Welcome Home program is to create what we call attainable housing,” said Jeff Parton, vice president of the Richland County Land Bank board.
CBP will be the builder and developer in partnership with Unibilt, a modular home building company based in Vandalia, Ohio.
The two companies were also involved in the construction of Ritter’s Run, a senior apartment complex in Mansfield.
Julia Schaefer, CBP’s communications manager, said the company aims to begin construction before the end of the year.
“Our construction process is efficient, sustainable and quick thanks to the prefabricated modules that are built offsite by Unibilt,” Schaefer said.
“The average time from groundbreaking to closing is approximately 90 days.”
One home will be built at 24 Oak Street. The others will be built on adjoining lots on the north end of Second Street.
Buyers must meet income requirements, take a financial literacy course
Each two-story home will be 1,300 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The homes will come equipped with a washer, dryer, dishwasher, electric oven or range, refrigerator and microwave.
The homes will also have front porches, large unfinished basements and high efficiency heating and cooling systems, according to the program’s website.
Since the homes are being funded in part with grant dollars, homebuyers must meet certain requirements.
Buyers can earn no more than 120 percent of the area median income (AMI) at the time of purchase and must secure a letter of pre-approval for a mortgage. They will also be required to live in the home for at least three years, agree to a 15-year deed restriction and complete a financial literacy course.
State funds will help keep development costs low
The Welcome Home Ohio is a program through the Ohio Department of Development. The program aims to help organizations statewide increase their community housing stock.
Welcome Home funding is meant to help offset the cost of development so the homes can be sold to income-eligible buyers at an attainable price.
More on Welcome Home Ohio
Welcome Home Ohio provides grants for the purchase of qualifying residential properties, the cost of construction or rehabilitation and nonrefundable tax credits for qualifying activities, according to the ODOD website.
The Ohio General Assembly funded the program in House Bill 96, with $91.25 million in General Revenue Funds for grants and $20 million in nonrefundable tax credits through the biennium. Governor Mike DeWine signed the bill into law on June 30, 2025. The program is administered by the Ohio Department of Development.
The Richland County Land Bank applied for $2.5 million through the program earlier this year, with the goal of building 25 homes across Mansfield and Shelby. The lank bank was ultimately awarded $602,000.
“The Land Bank chose to build in Shelby thinking that building all six houses in one area will make a bigger impact than scattered sites,” said Amy Hamrick, executive director of the Richland County Land Bank.
The Second Street lots (153, 155, 157, 159 and 161) were donated to the land bank in December specifically for the Welcome Home Ohio program, land bank executive director Amy Hamrick said.
The lots were donated by RPF Limited Partnership, an LLC registered to Angela Phillips of Middletown, Ohio.
When asked about the use of local labor for project, Schaefer said CBP is always looking to expand its team of subcontractors, who complete onsite work earthwork, utilities, concrete pouring, carpentry, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. She referred interested contractors to the project’s website.
The land bank will host an informational meeting for prospective buyers on Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. at Shelby City Hall, located at 43 West Main Street.
