Advantix Development Corp., a nonprofit affiliate of the Evansville Housing Authority, has big plans for Kokomo, seeking to build affordable housing in the form of two larger housing units and a number of duplexes and triplexes on vacant or blighted properties throughout the city core. Advantix is seeking special exception permit approval from the Kokomo Board of Zoning Appeals to build a 56-unit affordable housing unit at 3109 W. Sycamore St. and a 90-unit affordable housing unit at 1411 N. Market St. The BZA will hear the request at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Advantix is also looking to build a number of duplexes or triplexes on various properties owned currently by the Kokomo Community Development Corp., according to rezoning request applications.
The addresses include:
• 1312 N. Market St. — triplex • 908 N. Cortland Avenue — duplex
• 1051 E. Richmond St. — triplex
• 312 N. Purdum St. — triplex • 1318 N. Wabash Ave. — duplex Advantix is also purchasing an additional 20 vacant properties owned by the Kokomo Community Development Corporation, the city of Kokomo’s nonprofit arm that primarily funds the city’s neighborhood urban infill program and other housing and community- based economic development projects in low-income areas.
Each property will be sold by Kokomo CDC for $1 each, according to an option purchase agreement. The properties are:
• 2000 N. Apperson Way
• 105 W. Lordeman St.
• 129 W. Lordeman St.
• 1306 N. Market St.
• 1312 N. Market St.
• 1903 N. Lafountain St.
• 1919 N. Wabash Ave.
• 1414 N. Phillips St.
• 622 N. Webster St.
• 807 N. Webster St.
• 908 N. Cortland Ave.
• 1121 E. Taylor St.
• 1215 N. Purdum St.
• 1312 N. Purdum St.
• 312 N. Purdum St.
• 407 N. Purdum St.
• 409 N. Purdum St.
• 812 N. Purdum St.
• 1051 E. Richmond St.
The option purchase agreement between Advantix and the Kokomo CDC suggests the company will build affordable housing units on the above 20 properties. An email sent Tuesday to Tim Martin, chief operating officer for Advantix, seeking comment for this article was not answered.
Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore said the city chose to partner with Advantix in essentially donating vacant properties to it as a way to redevelop land that wasn’t being used and wasn’t on the property tax roll. “Since they (Advantix) had come to us in regard to locations and such and also what type of assistance the city might be able to give, we saw the scattered sites as a way to assist them without a larger capital influx since we already own those sites and aren’t bringing in a property tax anyways,” Moore said.
Also working with Advantix and planning on taking advantage of their proposed development is the Kokomo Housing Authority.
Derrick Steele, CEO of KHS, told the Tribune the organization intends to have the two new 56- and 90-unit affordable housing units be a part of the housing authority’s third and final phase of its Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.
Phase three would include relocating residents of the Garden Square public housing complex to the new affordable housing units managed by Advantix. The KHS would still facilitate the section 8 housing vouchers for the residents but would not actively manage the properties.
The set up would be similar to what the housing authority did under its RAD phase two when it ceded management of Terrace Tower, Civic Center Tower, Dunbar Court and Pine Valley to Advantix. With the transfer came an influx of private investment to renovate and upgrade those formerly public housing units. Residents continue to pay 30% of their income toward the rent, and they maintain the same basic rights as they possess in the public housing program.
Steele said at the time that due to severe underfunding for years by the U.S. Congress, the housing authority had no choice but to seek private money to fund much-needed repairs at its now former public housing properties.
Steele stressed, though, the RAD phase three plan is far from certain and would need to go through a handful of approvals, including from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, before occurring.
“How this all ties into the housing authority in the future — yes we’re aware and our hope is it all works out — but these are also two independent processes so one could go through and the other may not,” Steele said. “But that’s the ultimate goal.” As for what will happen to Garden Square if phase three goes through, Steele said the future of the public housing complex, built in the 1930s, is still up in the air.
“We are in discussions with multiple entities on what we will do with that property should the conversion happen. … We have this property within the city that may have some value, that may be prime for development or prime for other uses,” Steele said. “We need to find out what’s best for the community as well as the housing authority.”
In addition to the RAD program, Advantix has been involved in the development of the Trailside Townhomes and Sargent Place, a 35-unit supportive housing development for homeless families in need of affordable housing and substance abuse and mental health treatment.
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