Bay Vue rises, but Ashland County's affordable housing need remains

As construction continues apace at Ashland’s largest residential housing development in many decades, there is still an acute need for housing for working and lower-income residents.

That is the message delivered by Ashland County Grant Writer/Administrator Erica Hannickel to members of the Ashland County Board on June 23.

Hannickel said although the 151-unit Bay Vue apartment complex on Beaser Avenue was a major move forward in answering Ashland’s critical housing shortage, the community still had an unmet need for affordable housing to meet the needs of lower-income working people.

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Leo's notes: individual housing projects are important milestones, but they are not, by themselves, solutions to the state's housing shortage. Communities of every size continue to report demand that far exceeds available housing. Closing the gap will require sustained investment, creative financing, adaptive reuse, local leadership, and a pipeline of projects that serve households across the workforce income spectrum...