JASPER — The developer that is placing 60 to 70 workforce housing units into the former Jofco building on Vine Street is looking at adding more workforce housing in the building as well as senior housing in a now-closed recycling building nearby.
Pete Schwiegeraht with Miller-Valentine Group told the Jasper Common Council during its regular monthly meeting Wednesday evening that the Cincinnati-based company wants to put senior housing in the building currently owned by Paul Voegerl Sr. that previously housed Monster Recycling. Also, Schwiegeraht said, another 40 apartments will be added to the former Jofco building as a second phase of workforce housing.
“You have a big need for workforce housing,” Schwiegeraht said Wednesday. “But you also have a big need for senior housing.”
The details for the two newest projects have not yet been completely worked out, he said. Miller-Valentine has a letter of intent to buy the Monster Recycling building, Schwiegeraht said.
The senior housing project would be a $22 million investment and would be housing for people age 55 and older, he said.
“This is still conceptual,” Schwiegeraht said.
Voegerl could not be reached for comment this morning. But Schwiegeraht told the council that Voegerl is diligently working to remove the materials from the building, a process that will probably take six to eight months.
The new phase of workforce housing in the Jofco building is estimated to cost $8 million and would use 20,000 to 30,000 square feet of the building. About 138,000 square feet of the 300,000-square-foot Jofco building is being used for first phase of workforce housing. Another 30,000 to 50,000 square feet of the building will be demolished and the space used for parking.
The company is close to getting bids for the first phase of the Jofco project, Schwiegeraht said.
Council members approved a tax abatement package for the project, which Miller-Valentine hopes will generate about $230,000 for the project. The city has agreed to contribute $450,000, which includes the abatement funding and money from the city’s economic development income tax fund.
In addition, the city is planning to provide another $50,000 in off-site improvements, such as landscaping and streetscaping.
Miller-Valentine will apply for tax credits for the two new projects and will ask the city to contribute in order to help the project and strengthen the tax credits application, Schwiegeraht said. Those applications will be due in November, he said.
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