Lake Twp: Site plan being drawn for proposed vet housing

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An engineering site plan for a housing development in Lake Township for veterans could be completed within two weeks.
Mike Hossler, vice president of business development for Ted Thomas Properties, said the recently formed non-profit organization, Heroes Place, plans to have about 20 “tiny” homes constructed on a Bailey Road parcel.
“Our crews will soon be out to clear off the parcel and get things ready for the engineers to chart out the sewer and water lines. Once we have the engineer’s drawing I’ll know whether we can put 20 houses at the site or 18,” he said.
After a presentation by Hossler and Ted Thomas in July, the Lake Township trustees approved a resolution of support: “…Heroes Place will provide stable and critical assistance for homeless veterans in the form of housing as well as transitional help to more permanent housing and relief, and …Heroes Place creates a secure out-of-the-weather environment for homeless veterans so that they can reintegrate back into the social mainstream.”
A preliminary site drawing shows 20 homes but Hossler said that alignment would be for homes that are 12 feet by 20 feet. Larger homes, 13.9 feet by 24 feet, are also under consideration and two homes that would be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act regulations would be 26 feet long.
Hossler declined to name the home manufacturer until a contract is signed but did say the company is a modular home builder based in Vandalia, Ohio that has been in business for 35 years.
The homes are going to be manufactured in Vandalia and transported to the Bailey Road site by truck.
Until then, Hossler has been wading through the red tape that comes with establishing housing for veterans.
“We’re only 160 days old as a non-profit 501-C3 and I’ve been working with the Veterans Affairs, which will vet those who will be living in the homes and decide what support services they are to receive. They will decide the placement of the veterans and will provide support for them. We’re simply building homes for them to get them off the street. I’ve filed for some federal and state grants and have been working with the politicians. We’ve also been working with corporations – local as well as other companies. I’ve already approached 70 or so companies and some have made some donations,” he said.
Fundraising events are also being planned.
“The homes are all self-contained and will have a foundation, not a slab floor. Once we sign the deal with the manufacturer and they produce a couple houses we’ll have a construction crew come in and pour the footers and foundation. The homes will be lifted off the semi by crane and mounted on the crawl space,” Hossler said. “It could be July or August of next year before we get the final details on everything and can put a shovel in the ground. Our goal is to have at least half of the houses produced and on the lot before December, 2025.”
Thomas said he has been overwhelmed by the plight of many veterans, prompting him to embark on the housing project in Lake Township.
“I’ve seen and watched so much. I can’t handle it anymore. These vets need every ounce of help that we can give them,” he said last week. “I’ve had quite a few fishing tournaments for Wounded Warriors and when a vet opens up to you and you get all the details, from the time they were wounded, or when they were just in the service and how they came home and there was nothing for them.
“You have wounded vets, or vets who came home with diseases, or suffering from whatever chemicals were sprayed on them. On top of that, you have vets that left a bad situation to get into the military and when they come home they have no place to go. It started driving me crazy and decided we needed to do something about it. This is what we’re doing.”
The Veterans Affairs office has been offering advice on the project.
“Each house needs to be different instead of the same exact place so it doesn’t just look like a military barracks. It’s personalized and it’s not something that’s going to be for them permanently,” Thomas said. “This is to help people get back on their feet and get them back into society.”
The Bailey Road parcel was the subject of a zoning dispute that went to the Ohio Supreme Court and was decided by a referendum vote earlier this year.
Thomas had wanted to locate self-storage units at the site, which would have required a change in zoning from R-2 residential to B-2 general business. Residents of Bailey and adjacent areas organized a petition drive and blocked the zoning change at the ballot: 730 – against to 363 – for.