For sale: New townhouses in downtown Sandusky

ouriel@sanduskyregister.comSANDUSKYSandusky officials celebrated the arrival of their newest neighbor, who's poised to construct a $2.3 million residential project.Sadly, they didn't offer him a customary gift basket during Monday's initial meet-and-greet session.But city commissioners gave developer Michael DeCesare something better — permission to proceed with erecting up to nine townhouses smack-dab downtown.DeCesare's plan involves transforming a vacant West Shoreline Drive lot into eight or nine townhouses.Crews would build three-story structures at the former Keller Building site, which the city sold to DeCesare for $77,000 at Monday's meeting.DeCesare, a Cleveland-based real estate builder, who represents Case Development, has overseen numerous successful projects in 22 communities across Northeast Ohio."Every single one of our projects in (a) city has an element to it that we think is unique to our company," DeCesare said.Officials seemed thrilled with the project."I want to thank you for taking a leap and investing in our community," Sandusky ex officio mayor Dennis Murray Jr. said.Added commissioner Nikki Lloyd: "The amount of thought that you and your company have put into this building is amazing. It's not easy to build new in a historic area. You can't create charm. You can't build old. But you are making sure that it fits with the historic downtown. I want to thank you for putting all that effort in and taking a chance on Sandusky. Welcome to the neighborhood." This and thatAmong some other notes about the project:• DeCesare still must receive approval from several city boards, mostly comprised of appointed volunteers, before construction starts. This process is mostly a formality, and he should receive a green light every stage of the way.• After cutting through the red tape, it's expected construction could start in June or July. Completing the work could take anywhere from eight months to one year.• Officials expect DeCesare to invest upward of $2.3 million into the townhouses. As of today, he has not requested any sort of public subsidy.• The project envisions people purchasing a townhouse, which would start out at about $300,000 to own.• Each townhouse would stand three-stories tall, complete with a garage and rooftop deck overlooking Sandusky Bay.An artist rendering shows how the view could appear atop a proposed townhouse at the former Keller Building site in downtown Sandusky. The project calls for a $2.3 million private investment by Case Development, a Cleveland-based real estate developer. An artist rendering shows a proposed project to build several townhouses at the former Keller Building site in downtown Sandusky. The project calls for a $2.2 million private investment by Case Development, a Cleveland-based real estate developer.