Hey Ohio – meet Sally Johnson, a dreamer with a big project on her hands in Mid-Sized City, Ohio.
Sally and her husband have just taken the plunge, buying a genuine 1875 brick Italianate fixer-upper on the town’s main street. Their vision? A cozy book and coffee shop on the main floor, paired with two charming residences above – one for themselves and another to rent for some extra income.
They’re new to Mid-Sized City and even newer to Ohio, and they’re diving headfirst into this adventure with plenty of questions. Is their building part of a historic district? If so, what rules must they follow for renovations? Are there grants or funds locally to support projects like this? And what about statewide financial incentives in Ohio – could they tap into those? How can they contact local or state preservation organizations?
Luckily, Mid-Sized City has a great resource: a preservation organization armed with the new artificial intelligence-fueled Ohio Preservation Connection (OPC) and Local Preservation Connection (LPC). Sally simply enters her building’s address into the OPC, and voilà! They discover their fixer-upper is in the heart of the Main Street Historic District, complete with detailed guidelines for renovations. Thanks to the OPC and LPC, Sally and her husband also learn about specific programs offering financial assistance—bringing them closer to making their dream a reality.
But the support doesn’t end there. Soon, they receive links to webinars on these programs and on renovating period brick commercial buildings. One of the webinars introduces them to funding opportunities for small restaurants, prompting Sally and her husband to tweak their plans to qualify. With each new piece of information, their vision becomes even more attainable.
The statewide Ohio Preservation Connection is now live, as is the first-ever Local Preservation Connection in north central Ohio. Complete details can be obtained here — https://poaiopc.ning.com/
