“I lived through that tornado in 2019. It was devastating, but guess what―we’re not victims, we’re survivors. The city of Trotwood is a survivor,” said Trotwood Mayor Yvette Page.
Page expects this will be a welcome improvement once the project gets going.
“When this is built, our neighbors are gonna be extra happy, especially the neighbors across the street and down the street, Clayton and Englewood and Brookville. We’re all doing it for all of us,” Page said.
Page lived in the Woodland Hills apartments in the 1980s with her three kids when the complex went by a different name, she said.
“Today, I am humble. I lived here,” Page said. “...It’s a lot of history here, but I’m glad to be a part of history and also the future of continuing the work that’s been done today.”
The delinquent tax assessment collections include funds the county received through fines from delinquent property tax payers, as well as compensation received through taking some of the property owners to court, said Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck.
The county tries to work with property owners on delinquent property taxes, such as getting people on a payment plan, he said.
“But if they just ignore it, or they’re absentee landlords, then of course we, many times, have to go to court and seize money and get an award of money and then when we collect it. Then part of it goes to the county prosecutor, part of it goes to the county treasurer,” Heck said.
This is an investment that goes beyond Trotwood, he said, but it will help support the construction of workforce housing for job seekers coming to the area.
“This is going to be a thriving community once again,” Heck said.
The 430-unit apartment complex was hit hard by the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes, and multiple apartment buildings have caught fire since then. The property has been vacant since the storm.
“It’s easy to see that it’s an eyesore and unfortunately, it’s been that way for five years,” Heck said.
The city of Trotwood in early 2022 sued the former property owner, Woodland Hills Associates LLC, and other parties, claiming the apartment property was not maintained in a clean, safe and sanitary condition.
Real estate developers Windsor Companies last fall spent $3.2 million to acquire the Woodland Hills apartments, according to Montgomery County Auditor records. They plan to build about 450 apartments on the site.
The $200,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds from the county will help refurbish 11 buildings that were salvageable, said Debbie Lieberman, president of the Board of Montgomery County Commissioners.
“By losing hundreds of apartments here, that was a big hit, especially when a lot of the jobs are coming north and around the airport,” Lieberman said.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Lieberman and Montgomery County commissioner Judy Dodge reiterated the importance of having more housing available for the workforce in this region.
“When that tornado ripped through our community, so many people lost their homes, lost so much, and now, in another couple years, this is just going to be gorgeous, and we’re going to finally have some good, decent housing here for our residents that need it,” Dodge said.
Cornelius Frolik and Aimee Hancock contributed to this story.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
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