Hamilton County commissioners have voted to sell a 3.2-acre office complex in Corryville for $3 million, clearing the way for Bethany House Services and Urban Sites to build 89 units of affordable housing aimed at families. The vote, approved on August 27, sets in motion a plan to replace county administrative buildings at 250 and 264 William Howard Taft Road with apartments designed specifically for larger households.
The sale still requires due diligence work before it can close, and Bethany House has not yet determined the project’s total capital cost, according to Peg Dierkers, as reported by Local 12 News. The nonprofit says it expects to need additional public and private funding to complete the project once those unresolved costs are worked out.
Why the County Freed Up the Land
The Corryville parcels currently house administrative operations for Hamilton County Public Health and Hamilton County ReSource Environmental Services. The county was able to declare the site surplus after purchasing a building from Mercy Health at 1701 Mercy Health Place in Bond Hill, consolidating those departments there, according to the Hamilton County Solid Waste Policy Committee. Hamilton County then designated its Community Improvement Corporation to market the property for disposition, per the Community Improvement Corporation of Greater Cincinnati.
County disposition documents show the 264 William Howard Taft Road parcel covers 0.407 acres zoned OG-T, or Office General/Transportation Corridor, while the 250 William Howard Taft Road site includes a multi-story office building spanning more than 122,000 square feet, according to filings from Alloy Development Co. Converting that office corridor land into high-density housing will require site plan approvals before any residential construction can begin.
Unit Mix Targets Larger Families
The 89-unit development will include 38 two-bedroom apartments and 51 three-bedroom apartments, according to Bethany House Services. That multi-bedroom focus is designed to address a local shortage of affordable options big enough for families with children, rather than the studio and one-bedroom units that dominate much of the region’s existing affordable stock…