Civil Municipal - September 2025

in 1931 as Chloe Ardelia Wofford, Morrison became the first Black woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 and won the Pulitzer Prize for “Beloved” in 1987.“We hope to develop one of those piers into a park dedicated to Toni Morrison,” Mayor Bradley says.“Her actual sorority has been in contact with me, and they’re interested in putting a bronze statue of Toni Morrison in that park and then having a walking path with maybe quotes from some of Toni Morrison’s books.” HOUSING GROWTH AND COMMUNITY BUILDING Lorain’s residential development strategy addresses market-rate housing demand and affordable homeownership opportunities. The Meister Road project will be the city’s largest new construction initiative.“That is an exciting project. It’s going to be focused basically on two income households, twobedroom units, but with some amenities there for young professionals or retirees that want to transition from home ownership to something that they can still own, yet a little less maintenance,” Mayor Bradley explains. The 260-unit townhouse development targets residents seeking ownership alternatives with reduced maintenance responsibilities. Municipal policy changes further enhance housing options.“Just at our last council meeting on Monday we passed an ordinance to permit manufactured homes to be built and placed in the city of Lorain. They had been previously outlawed in the city, but we know that manufactured homes have come a long way since that ordinance was originally passed,” Mayor Bradley states. Modern manufactured housing differs significantly from earlier mobile home designs, featuring permanent foundations and construction quality that often exceeds site-built homes in similar price ranges. Federal funding supports homeownership initiatives after years of administrative challenges.“Our Building Housing and Planning Department was able to secure some funds from HUD that had been frozen for about seven or eight years because of some mismanagement in prior administrations,” Mayor Bradley notes. “These resources will support home rehabilitation projects and provide down payment assistance for first-time buyers.” The programs particularly target residents who have been excluded from homeownership opportunities.“We’re going to give them that chance with some down payment assistance,” Mayor Bradley adds. Habitat for Humanity partnerships complement these efforts through infill housing construction on vacant city lots. LOOKING FORWARD: INFRASTRUCTURE AND TOURISM VISION Lorain’s infrastructure investments focus on supporting current residents and anticipated growth. “We’ve been looking at constructing a new water purification plant here in Lorain. Our water purification plant needs to be updated, and so we’re currently working on trying to find a location. We 244 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 09

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