FINDLAY, Ohio — Some new residential options are opening soon near downtown Findlay.
Local officials said the new development would have not been possible just a few years ago.
Nine new townhomes have been erected on the western edge of Findlay's downtown.
The three-story, 1,500 square foot units were built by local developers and are furnished with brand new Whirlpool appliances.
This development, called 200 West, replaces an old, derelict church building and continues the region's plan to redevelop downtown Findlay in conjunction with the expansion of the Marathon Petroleum corporate headquarters.
"It couldn't have happened with just one group, it's that 'Findlay Formula' we talk about all of the time, where everybody comes together," director of economic development Tim Mayle said. "So, we had the government working together to create the environment, we've got the private investors coming in to follow through, so, it's exactly what we envisioned."
The developers aren't done yet; later they will be developing this vacant property, formerly the St. Michael's Elementary School into a 32-unit town home development as well.
This injection of new money and construction into Findlay's downtown is a direct response from developers following Hancock County's continued progress in lowering potential flooding with their ongoing Blanchard River Flood Mitigation.
"The banks probably wouldn't have wanted to touch it. The developer wouldn't want to touch it. But now that we're moving dirt on the river, taking care of that and we've got other plans in place to continue, they felt good enough about it," Mayle said.
With these nine units complete, the developers are expecting their new 32-unit development further west to begin construction some time this fall.