Council clears $26M–$30M adaptive-reuse housing project for Mansfield veterans and seniors

Mansfield City Council unanimously cleared a key land-use hurdle Sept. 1 for a proposed $26 million-to-$30 million housing development near 665 Lexington Ave. that would create 61 independent-living apartments for veterans and seniors.

After a public hearing at its Sept. 1 meeting, council waived additional readings and voted 8–0 for Bill 26-149, rezoning three parcels for the project.

The vote advances the Mill Iron Foundation’s plan to convert the 120,000-square-foot Old Phone Company Building into housing for veterans and seniors. The adaptive-reuse project is expected to cost between $26 million and $30 million.

Council’s action settles the zoning question. Financing, rents, resident eligibility, construction approvals and an opening date still must be worked out.

From offices to housing

Council changed the roughly 10-acre property from office-service zoning to the city’s B-2 district. The Mansfield Planning Commission had unanimously recommended the rezoning.

The project grew from Brightspeed’s August 2025 sale of the former Brightspeed/CenturyLink office building at a substantially reduced price. The company treated the discount as an in-kind contribution toward affordable housing for veterans and seniors.

Brightspeed’s initial concept called for as many as 75 living units, plus community areas and small-business space. The plan that went before council now calls for 61 apartments.

The proposed conversion also would include a small clinic, a barber or hair salon, a gym and event space. Those amenities could put health, personal-care and gathering space in the same building as residents’ homes, but they remain part of the development plan rather than operating services.

Services and affordability

The Mill Iron Foundation has discussed having the Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging manage the facility and provide resident services. The two organizations have not yet completed an operating agreement for the Lexington Avenue project.

The Ontario-based agency serves Richland County by connecting older adults and their families with community-based services and in-home assistance.

The foundation’s plan also calls for deeding the property to the Area Agency on Aging after roughly 10 years. That transfer would come later in the project.

For veterans, older residents and their families, affordability remains a central practical question. Rent levels, income requirements, tenant-selection rules and an application date have not been announced.

Money and next steps

The foundation is pursuing historic-preservation tax credits as part of the financing. Council supplied the zoning change, not the money needed for the estimated $26 million-to-$30 million conversion.

Karl Milliron, vice president of the Mill Iron Foundation, has set a late-2026 target for beginning work and a 2028 goal for opening.

“We'd like to get started on this by the end of this year, either November or December. We would like to plan to have a grand opening on the Memorial Day weekend of 2028,” Milliron said.

To reach that construction target, the foundation must assemble the financing, including tax credits, and secure any city development approvals required beyond rezoning. Before prospective residents can apply, the operating agreement with the Area Agency on Aging must be finalized and the project must settle its affordability, eligibility and tenant-selection rules.

Council has decided what the Lexington Avenue property may become. Those remaining decisions will determine whether the 61 planned homes open on schedule — and whether the veterans and seniors named in the proposal can afford to live there.