Belmont County Natives Work to Rebuild Bellaire Neighborhood
Belmont County natives who now live in Rock Hill, South Carolina – Donn Sinclair, who grew up in Bellaire, and his wife, Kristin Wright Sinclair who grew up in Barnesville – are giving back to their home county through the Sinclair Foundation.
Their first major project will bring new housing to the Rose Hill neighborhood in Bellaire where they will construct five new homes through their program “BellAire: Bolder Visions Better Outcomes!”, the first new construction in the area in over 50 years.
The Sinclairs chose the Rose Hill neighborhood in part because of Donn’s personal connection to the area.
“I have very fond memories of growing up in this neighborhood and playing sports over at the school grounds and sled riding down 33rd Street,” Donn said. “It was just a great place.”
“We’ve concentrated on housing because there’s such a need,” Donn said. “And it’s not just Bellaire or the state of Ohio. It is a national shortage. We’re about 4 million homes short of what we need in this country. And this is what we’re trying to come up with, a formula for private, public partnerships to tear down blighted, distressed housing and build new homes.”
Kristin said demand influenced the home designs. “In a one-story home, most people want two bathrooms,” she said.
Home design plans can be viewed at BellAire1.com.
Kristin added that many homes in the village are either vacant or rented.
“They rent the home, and they are probably paying as much in rent as it would cost them to have their own,” she said. “They don’t have the funds to obtain a home, but we can help them with that.”
Construction is expected to begin in April, with the first home ready for occupancy in August. A second round of homes is expected to be available by December.
Contractors will construct new houses on vacant properties in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Bellaire. ©Barnesville Area News Company Photo.
Tommy Breeden of Tom’s Construction has already demolished five existing structures on the properties and is preparing the sites for construction.
Matt Davis of Davis Homes Inc. has been contracted to build two of the homes, with additional contractors expected to complete the remaining residences.
“They’re going to be identical designs, but reversed, and they will look completely different on the outside in terms of their color schemes, and on the inside they will have different colors as well. So, although the design is the same, the actual appearance of the homes will be different,” Davis said.
The couple believes new construction will encourage nearby homeowners to take pride in their own properties.
“It’s the reverse of the broken windows theory,” Donn said. “What will happen is people will start fixing up their homes, and it just catches on.”
While the foundation is funding most of the project, they have applied for an Ohio Welcome Home Program grant requesting $55,000 per home from the state. If the grant is approved, up to 12 homes could be constructed in the neighborhood.
When completed, each home is expected to have market value of around $250,000.
Bellaire Mayor Robert Dodrill is excited about the project.
“They contacted me before I was actually in office,” he said. “They knew I was running and if I won, they wanted to work with the village, to beautify it and build new homes and try to get people in here.”
He added the project will give families an opportunity to raise families in Bellaire.
The Sinclairs established the Sinclair Foundation two years ago to give back to communities that contributed to their success.
The foundation’s mission is “to promote and support charitable, educational, scientific and religious activities that benefit the public and their communities”.
They have already donated $300,000 in the two communities for food pantries, churches and schools, including major support for Barnesville District school libraries.
For more information, residents can contact the Sinclair Foundation at 803-329-0609.
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