County Corp builds new homes in Wolf Creek to spark a market

Left side is a man in black jacket pointing at the levee and to the right, a woman in blue suit jacket observing where the man is pointing. They are both standing next to the levee
County Corp President Steve Naas shows levee area in Wolf Creek

Written and edited by

Emiko Moore

Just across the river in the heart of West Dayton, Chris Voltz and his wife Grace live in the historical neighborhood of Wright-Dunbar Village. They own a blue two–story home with a large yard for their four children to play in, and Voltz says it’s a great place for their family.

Their surroundings are steeped in history. Their neighborhood aptly named after historical giants who grew up in the area, aviation pioneers, the Wright brothers and the seminal poet in American Literature, Paul Lawrence Dunbar. Even the facade of the Voltz house is a replica of Neil Armstrong’s childhood home.

blue two story home with a white railing
Voltz home exterior, a replica of Neil Armstrong childhood home

“My son will probably have this as a fun fact. He learned to ride his bike in the parking lot of the Wright Brothers bike shop. It’s like, that’s a cool thing.” says Voltz.

a young boy on a small bike riding down the sidewalk with mother to the right of picture
Voltzes son learning to ride bike near Wright Brothers Bike Shop

WORKING WITH COUNTY CORP

Over 10 years ago, when the Voltz family lived in a 900 square foot rental, the idea of being a homeowner was not even a possibility. So, when a friend recommended that Voltz, a pastor and leader of a non-profit ministry, consider buying a home that was three times the size of the place they lived in, Voltz was incredulous. “I told him like, ‘Bob, there’s no way I can afford a house. I can’t afford a down payment, nothing.’” exclaimed Voltz.

But his friend insisted he would be able to qualify for the program through County Corp, a non–profit organization dedicated to creating affordable housing. Volz decided to take a look and was pleasantly surprised.

a man in his early 30's with short dark hair and a black shirt
Homeowner Chris Voltz

After connecting with County Corp,  Voltz was able to find a pathway to owning a home and making the dream of homeownership a reality.  

“All we had to do was have a thousand dollars that we brought to closing to put down. And they didn’t just pay the down payment for you, but they pay it and then they roll it into your mortgage payment sort of to help you get over some of those costs,” explained Voltz. 

Steve Naas, president of County Corp stresses that when decent affordable housing is available to families like the Voltzes, and is cared for and improved, it can spark other homeowners to improve their property and this kind of momentum or “ancillary spinoff” benefits not only the neighborhood but communities and businesses too.

Homeowner Voltz has seen a difference in values in just ten years. “The market has definitely swung up, but I mean, our house is probably four times what it was when we bought it. The value has shot up drastically since we bought it. And the same thing is true of other houses in the neighborhood,” shared Voltz.

County Corp has many programs to help new home buyers navigate the process such as down payment assistance, home inspection advice and mortgage options.    “We are really pleased with our work there, helping first time homebuyers get into the transformational wealth opportunity that home ownership really can facilitate,” says Naas.  

WOLF CREEK DEVELOPMENTS

Just north of Wright Dunbar across West Third Street is the Wolf Creek neighborhood where County Corp is building several new homes. According to Naas, the City of Dayton and the community identified a need to spark a market rate residential development in Wolf Creek using the same model that was used in downtown Dayton.

As a nonprofit affordable housing developer with construction management personnel, County Corp was tapped for the job to build four market rate homes using ARPA funds or America Rescue Plan Act funds.

Over the years, Veteran realtor Cora Diggs with Howard Hanna has seen how predatory lending wiped out home equity in many neighborhoods. The properties, forced into foreclosure by banks, often needed significant work to make them marketable. Fortunately, Diggs says organizations like County Corp would purchase the home, then offer rent to own options and in turn help to revitalize neighborhoods.

Diggs recently listed two of the four market-rate homes for County Corp and says most homebuyers want new homes that are ready to move in rather than ones that require additional work.

Diggs has worked with County Corp over the years and values the quality of their work. “They’re very good. I know I got a nice house when I walk in. I don’t have to worry about, does the furnace work and is the electric okay or the electric box updated? I don’t worry about that.  All I have to do is just walk in and show the property, and the property will sell itself.”

A new two story home to the left and a one story home to the right
Two market rate homes listed by realtor Cora Diggs in Wolf Creek

Both homes Diggs has listed for County Corp, one at $275, 000 and the other at $325,000, are energy efficient and have 15-year tax breaks.

In addition, County Corp recently broke ground for an affordable housing development in Wolf Creek located on Broadway and West First Street where 8 of 27 single family homes will be built. The other 19 homes will be infill homes around the neighborhood and all the homes are funded with low-income tax credits. The homes are planned to be completed by 2027 with the first few homes expected to be finished at the end of this year.

Other developers are also building condos right on West Third Street. “You’ll have 60 new housing units being constructed in this one neighborhood, half of them market rate, about half affordable. It is units that are necessary, needed and desired in our community,” says Naas. 

Naas sees the Wolf Creek and Wright Dunbar neighborhoods at the same point today where the Oregon District was in the late 70’s when urban pioneers decided to invest in an area before it was torn down.

The city of Dayton is also working to connect the neighborhood to the multi-use trail network with an access point. “This is a slope that is very easily navigable, equitable with other areas along the Miami River and other places where the trail network connects to,” says Naas.

Levee to the left and to the right a dirt road leading to the levee
New slope in Wolf Creek to access multi-use trail across Miami Valley

The network of paved trails spans across the Miami Valley and the access gives more opportunities for the west side residents to enjoy outdoor recreational activities such as biking, walking and enjoying scenic nature. 

Chris Voltz continues to see the neighborhood revitalize and reflects on the impact County Corp has had for his family. “I am not sure how long it would have taken us to own a home if it had not been for County Corps 10 years ago. I can’t know how things would have panned out, but it would definitely have been at least five more years. And at that point, the market had been changing, so it may never have happened for us if it had not been for County Corp.”

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Emiko Moore – Multi-Media Journalist

Emiko Moore is a graduate of Ohio State University has been a freelance producer for NBC News for the last 20 years, covering stories in southwest Ohio and in the tri-state area. She also hosted The Lebanon City Show and was a print journalist for the Western Star, focusing on Warren County. Prior to moving back to her hometown of Lebanon, OH, she worked in NYC for NBC TODAY and NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation. As a volunteer with Building Bridges Community Conversations, Ishinomaki Playground Project, and Miller Ecological Park, she believes it takes continuous work to strengthen communities. She is excited about journalism that explores the issues while highlighting solutions to bring about positive change.