Nearly 100 apartments will be coming to downtown Mansfield in a project officials are calling transformational.
Mansfield City Council approved a development agreement and a community reinvestment area agreement at its March 3 meeting, moves aimed at redeveloping 14 downtown buildings.
The historic buildings are being donated by Engwiller Properties, specifically John and Mimi Fernyak, to the Richland County Foundation.
The development will be done through a partnership between the foundation and Windsor Companies, a real estate development, construction and property management firm based in central Ohio that revitalizes historic buildings, creates mixed-use developments and manages commercial/residential properties.
They focus on community-centric projects.
“I can’t say how transformational this project is,” Mayor Jodie Perry said. “We talk about site control, which is the end game for economic development. That’s what they’re giving us.
“What we needed to get over the hump is people living here all the time. This will more than double where we’re at now. It will be huge.”
Several people at Monday’s meeting thanked John Fernyak for his generosity. The downtown developer talked about the inspiration for the project.
“My wife has wanted me to put apartments in for 20 years,” he said. “Windsor has come along. They have all kinds of cost savings put together.”
Fernyak referenced a similar project in downtown Wooster.
“It’s a perfect match for the downtown because in Wooster, it’s vibrant,” he said. “It really, really works, and it works because a lot of people are living in downtown Wooster.
“It makes a big difference because it helps the restaurants; it helps the merchants. It keeps a lot of life going on downtown.”
Fernyak noted he was born and raised in Mansfield.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” he said. “We think Mansfield’s a wonderful place, and we want to see the downtown vibrant.”
Project coming on heels of Mansfield Rising plan
Richland County Foundation President and CEO Allie Watson said the project is building on the momentum that began with the Mansfield Rising plan for downtown economic development in 2018.
Watson said Windsor officials came to Mansfield and saw the ongoing Main Street Improvement Project.
“They could see the benefits that we see,” she said. “They have done millions of dollars in redevelopment projects over the years throughout the state. This is the right time and the right partnership.”
Erik Alfieri, acquisitions and development partner for Windsor, was on hand to talk about the scope of the project. He said there would be 95 apartments, along with a community center, a repositioning of the old Eagles building and ground-floor retail.
The legislation approved by council includes a 75% tax abatement for 12 years on improvements made that will add approximately 180,000 square feet of housing, commercial and retail space with an estimated private construction cost of $25 million.
“This is a fantastic place to start because there is already activation of the Brickyard today,” Alfieri said. “We’re seeking to build upon that town-center feel.”
“We think the stage is set for something really special here, the likes of which we haven’t seen in the 25 years of Windsor’s history.”
The project is expected to create 170 construction jobs and at least 17 full-time jobs within five years of the completion.
Councilwoman Shari Robertson urged Windsor to use local resources and businesses, while fellow Councilwoman Crystal Davis Weese lobbied for prevailing wages.
Councilman Mike Miranda asked who would be making the decisions. Fernyak responded.
“Richland County Foundation will own 70% of the project. After 10 years, they’ll own 100% of the project,” he said. “It will be in local control in perpetuity, which is important.”
Windsor will own the other 30% initially.
The downtown developer said he did not want to see what happened to the West Park Shopping Center happen again.
“We had people come in to the shopping center on Park Avenue and just milk it, then discard it, basically,” Fernyak said.
In response to Weese’s suggestion about wages, Alfieri said Windsor is “very competitive” with all of its peers and sees little job turnover.
Councilwoman Cheryl Meier asked where the project would begin.
“There will be very little outside work. There’s next to no external demolition that needs to be done,” Alfieri said. “Most of the construction will be interior.”
Councilman Aurelio Diaz noted that the No. 1 request he hears is for more housing.
“We needed a little bump to fulfill things that the entire community has been requesting,” he said. “It’s definitely going to silence the naysayers that exist in our community.”
After the meeting, Perry said the project will put Mansfield over the top.
“The housing in downtown is the last thing needed to click in and push things forward,” the mayor said.
mcaudill@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield City Council approves agreement to make downtown vibrant
Reporting by Mark Caudill, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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