Council notes: Dwelling Place housing project wins council support
HOLLAND — A project to bring 46 apartments to the backyard of two churches in the heart of Holland is moving forward after Holland City Council approved rezonings for the properties involved and a Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreement.
The project, a partnership between First United Methodist Church and Hope Church, will be built and managed by Dwelling Place, a Grand Rapids nonprofit housing developer and manager.
The project consists of two buildings on either side of 10th Street: one three-story building directly to the west of First United Methodist Church, and another two-story building directly to the west of Hope Church.
More: Holland church team up on affordable, accessible housing project takes step forward
More: Churches team up for affordable housing development in heart of downtown
Dwelling Place plans to seek housing tax credits to finance the development and make it affordable for lower-income renters. The organization also aims to secure 11 vouchers for rental assistance for individuals with disabilities. Housing adults with disabilities was the impetus behind Hope Church's involvement in the project.
The two churches intend to offer social support for the residents of the complex.
Wednesday, council approved rezoning several properties on the FUMC block to the north of 10th Street.
The parcels that will be developed into the housing project were rezoned from Form Based Code-Central Downtown to FBC-Centennial Park. The Central Downtown district only allows residential multi-family housing to be built if it is mixed-use, so the rezoning allows for a solely residential apartment complex to be built on the land.
Several other parcels along Pine Avenue that are not part of the project were also rezoned to align with the Dwelling Place project properties.
Council approved a PILOT for Dwelling Place, an agreement that Dwelling Place will pay $20,000 plus 4 percent of its rental income annually instead of property taxes. PILOTs are a common tool for local governments to encourage low-income and senior housing development.
"I really applaud these different communities, First Church, Hope Church, Dwelling Place, working together, collaborating," said Ward 1 council member Tim Vreeman. "I think you're living out the values of Holland very, very well, and it would be my hope that you would raise up others like you, younger generations, to continue that and to keep that investment in places like Dwelling Place."
During public comment, two parents of adults with disabilities spoke to the need for more housing for disabled adults who want independence. The location close to downtown and near public transit lines, the churches hope, will enable people who cannot drive to find employment that is walkable or accessible by bus.
Voters to see property sale on Nov. ballot
Council also passed a resolution to put the sale of a Holland Board of Public Works-owned property on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Holland voters will be asked to approve the sale of 4036 Hillside Trail in Laketown Township, a 24-acre property just north of Saugatuck Dunes State Park.
HBPW bought the property in 2001 with an eye to building a south side water treatment plant there on the shore of Lake Michigan.
HBPW General Manager Dave Koster said the connection HBPW has with the city of Wyoming's water treatment plant on the north side is serving the city's projected needs today, and the utility is building in sufficient redundancy with its Lakewood Boulevard transmission project.
The city's charter requires the voters' approval of the sale of publicly-owned property that has water frontage and property owned by the city's utility. The measure will need 60 percent approval to succeed and authorize the sale.
— Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Council notes: Dwelling Place housing project wins council support
