For sale: Second home in CIC restoration program is on the market

Steph West
·4 min read

ZANESVILLE − Community Development Director Matt Schley of the Zanesville Community Improvement Corporation has one major goal for the city of Zanesville: To rejuvenate 500 homes in the next 20 years.

“I have a wall with a bookcase that holds binders and planning documents for all the projects we want to do,” said Schley of the housing rehabilitation project that was seeded in 2023 by a $300,000 allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds from Zanesville City Council. “This binder was sitting on the shelf and when we got the money, I pulled it and said ‘This is what we’re going to do.’”

He’s already two down with just 498 to go.

This photo shows the kitchen in the newly rehabbed home. On the market for $129,000, it is listed through Kurt Ragsdale with Carol Goff & Associates.
This photo shows the kitchen in the newly rehabbed home. On the market for $129,000, it is listed through Kurt Ragsdale with Carol Goff & Associates.

The first home in the CIC’s long-term plan at 1230 Woodlawn Ave. was sold March 13 for $133,500. It was sold as a single-family dwelling to Brooke Arnold and William Pittman, according to the Muskingum County Auditor’s website.

The second home is already listed for sale. The 1228 Putnam Ave. property went live March 16 from Kurt Ragsdale of Carol Goff & Associates for $129,900. It's a three-bedroom, 1.5 bath, 1,148-square-foot home.

“There are several people already looking at the home,” said Ragsdale. “I hope someone will fall in love with what they did with the house and make it a home for their family.”

The home at 1228 Putnam Ave. is available from Kurt Ragsdale of Carol Goff & Associates for $129,900. It's a three-bedroom, 1.5 bath, 1,148-square-foot home. It is the second home rehabbed by the city and returned to the market.
The home at 1228 Putnam Ave. is available from Kurt Ragsdale of Carol Goff & Associates for $129,900. It's a three-bedroom, 1.5 bath, 1,148-square-foot home. It is the second home rehabbed by the city and returned to the market.

The rehab funds were allocated to the Community Improvement Corporation, the city’s non-profit development corporation specifically to rehab blighted properties received from the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office as part of a criminal forfeiture. The process started in 2019 and included 28 homes and 40 vacant lots. Some of the lots were sold for housing development, while unsalvageable homes were razed. The remaining homes were put on a short list to be rehabbed and then sold to homeowners.

Schley told The Times Recorder earlier this year that buyers must sign an agreement to not sell the home for at least five years unless it's to another owner occupant. The properties also cannot be used for rentals.

The living room of the home at 1228 Putnam Ave. showcases a white and blue theme.
The living room of the home at 1228 Putnam Ave. showcases a white and blue theme.

“We’re getting really positive feedback (from the affected neighborhoods),” said Schley. “People have been hearing about it and they’re seeing it, and they understand who we are and what we’re doing.”

Ragsdale said rehabbed homes are not unusual in the realtor market.

“The city works on these homes to put them out there just like many contractors that are doing it,” said Ragsdale. “They are looking at putting a home together for a new generation and bringing new life back to the city.”

Next up on Schley’s list are 404 Abington Ave. and 423 Dryden Road. Renovations is expected to start this month on both properties. By contract, they must be completed within six months, at which time the homes will be listed for sale.

Ragsdale said these homes are excellent for first-time homeowners or homeowners who enjoy easy access to everything the city has to offer.

The full bath features a tub/shower combination.
The full bath features a tub/shower combination.

“These houses have solid bones made of very good materials,” said Ragsdale. “They just need the love put back into them.”

But will the CIC’s initiative die once the ARPA funds run out?

“It will not,” said Schley. “Once it left the hands of the city the (U.S.) government viewed it as spent. And now it operates as the CIC is loaning itself the money to do the project. It’s known as a revolving loan fund.”

The expansive backyard is a clean slate for the new homeowner to landscape.
The expansive backyard is a clean slate for the new homeowner to landscape.

According to Schley, if they don’t lose money on any given project, they will just continue to cycle the same money.

“What we have done is set this thing up where it can be self-sustaining for the long term,” said Schley.

And that means the CIC will continue its work indefinitely to remove blight from Zanesville neighborhoods.

“Blight takes down the value of the entire neighborhood,” Schley said. “After a while you’ve got an entire area that was once a thriving neighborhood now destroyed. And we aren’t seeing a lot of new single-family homes because they’re cost prohibitive. So, if we can keep the history alive, improve upon it, and hand it over to the next generation of homeowners, we will preserve and grow our community.”

Interested in learning more or donating your property for rehab? Visit coz.org and click on the Community Improvement Corporation.

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Zanesville's rehabbed home on Putnam Avenue now on the market