New housing coming to Lima

LIMA — A new, $7.5 million apartment complex will soon be going up in downtown Lima.Testa Enterprises, a Cuyahoga Falls real estate developer, is planning to build a 48-unit complex on the corner of East Elm Street and South Central Avenue sometime next year. The company is presenting information on the project during Monday's Lima City Council meeting.The project will be a partnership with Coleman Behavioral Services, who has already launched construction on two smaller units in town. The East Elm Street property, called Union Square, will consist of 48 units in a four-story building, sitting on about 1.3 acres of land, according to Arthur Krauer, vice president of development for Testa.“It's going to look like a four story, very attractive apartment complex,” Krauer said.The apartments will house a blended population of people with physical disabilities and those with severe and persistent mental disorders. It will target those with incomes between 35 percent and 60 percent of the median income. Rent for a studio apartment will be set at $501 a month, but with subsidies, rents on many units will be as low as $354.Krauer said the complex will provide housing for people typically unserved by other facilities.“It really is a stabilizing force for many communities throughout the state of Ohio who do not have supportive housing and access to the sort of services they need for a healthy life,” Krauer said.The company has applied for tax credits through the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. Officials hope to begin construction by the end of 2012 and be completed by the end of 2013, Krauer said.