MANSFIELD — The Richland County Foundation on Wednesday evening again put its money where its plan is.
The Mansfield Rising plan, that is, in order to spur downtown living.
Foundation President Brady Groves explained to City Council the idea behind a $250,000 grant to encourage redevelopment of existing properties and development of new properties.
“We realized that if we were to make grants to property owners and developers, that could be shortest path to really have some type of impact,” Groves said.
“The (foundation) board decided to make that impact. We feel as a community foundation (that) we’re in a position to assume risk where private developers or governments aren’t in the best position to do that,” he said.
The goal is to increase residential opportunities in the downtown, according to Groves, a tenet of the Mansfield Rising downtown redevelopment plan.
“We know there is a demand for it. Our original strategy was to create a vehicle to buy and hold property to renovate. However, we were set back a couple of years by the pandemic,” Groves said last week.
“We think this grant incentive program is a way to make an immediate impact. We want to be that bridge to demonstrate success to other potential developers.”
Council voted unanimously to accept the grant on Wednesday. Adrian Ackerman, the city’s community development and housing director, said applications for the funds will be accepted within a month of the grant’s acceptance.
Ackerman said there are many older properties downtown that were previously “mixed use,” with businesses below and residences above.
The Mansfield Rising grant area is designated as Bowman Street on the west, Adams Street on the east, Sixth Street on the north and First Street on the south.
Richland County Foundation downtown grant
“Many of them haven’t been rehabilitated yet to meet (code and other) standards,” Ackerman said.
Groves told City Council no potential grant recipients have been identified. The maximum grant for any one project is $150,000 he said.
“We want to limit it to maybe just one or two grants (in the first year of the pilot project). Having talked to property owners, spreading smaller dollars over a greater number of people isn’t going to have the same impact,” Groves said.
“As a community foundation, we’re not active participants in development or property ownership. So we don’t know all the players. We’re looking (to) develop vibrancy in the community.
“If you look at emerging communities, getting people to move downtown and live creates that vibrancy,” he said.
“That escalates then … So we’re really looking, as an investor in the community, we’re looking to people who can offer the biggest impact for these grants,” Groves said.
Cheryl Meier, who represents the 2nd Ward, thanked Groves and the foundation.
“We absolutely appreciate it. It’s wonderful to see you coming to us. It’s an opportunity to bring someone downtown … bring more residents in and get the ball rolling. We love it,” Meier said.
Fifth Ward council member Aurelio Diaz, a downtown resident, said he understands downtown was a “ghost town back in the day.”
He was part of the Mansfield Rising team when the plan was developed in 2019, even before being elected to council.
“The fact that there’s been so much emphasis on revitalization has been super. There was a point where people didn’t wanna live downtown or have a business downtown, for many reasons.
“Now there’s wait lists and I think this is huge. And what we’re also seeing is, for those who don’t have opportunities in being downtown, that interest is expanding outward towards the west end and the north end.
“There’s some naysayers in the city who think that we focus too much on downtown. I disagree with that,” Diaz said.
Also on Wednesday, City Council voted:
— to appoint five members to the city’s Police Review and Community-Police Relations Commission. The five members scheduled for consideration are Robert Chapman (1st Ward), Chauncey Bragg (2nd Ward), Teri Marlow (3rd Ward), Pamela Williams Briggs (4th Ward) and Mary Haynes (6th Ward).
— to approve Mayor Tim Theaker’s plan to spend $9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, including a $1.5 million contribution to a planned $8 million community center on the city’s north side.
— to accept a $145,183.35 state grant to pay for 30 body-worn cameras, related equipment and associated personnel. Council is also scheduled to discussed the acceptance of another $43,560 state grant to add an additional 16 body-worn cameras and related equipment.
— to approve an $81,680.87 renewal contract with Tyler Technologies Corp. for a one-year software maintenance agreement.
— to authorize Mansfield Municipal Court to trade in old probation department security radios to help offset the cost of 11 new radios. The court will receive $3,410 for the trade in, which will be applied against the $19,116.64 cost of the new radios from Vasu Communications.
—Â to pay Pamela Windbigler, 499 Illinois Ave., $463.75 for damages caused by a waterline break on or about Feb. 1.
— vote on the acceptance of a $75 donation from Pioneer Career & Technology Center in memory of Barbara Schaad for use by the Mansfield Fire Department’s fire prevention program.
When you’re alone, and life is making you lonely
You can always go
Downtown
“When you’ve got worries, all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know
Downtown
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?”
