Hamilton County has finalized the sale of a large Downtown building. The former Alms & Doepke building at Central Parkway and Main Street currently houses county offices, including Job and Family Services.
County Administrator Jeff Aluotto says since those offices are moving to Bond Hill, the 147-year-old structure was declared surplus, and sold for $12.1 million.
“The Board has been very clear, very intentional, about the fact that they wanted to make sure that we wanted to do more than just sell our buildings to the highest and best bidder,” he says. “To be clear, we’re getting a very good price for this property. But the Board also had some policies they wanted employed as well.”
Those included a desire to see it turned into affordable living space.
“So this property is a mix of workforce housing and market rate housing,” Aulotto says.
Workforce housing is designed for people who make too much for subsidized housing, but cannot afford market rate. That’s roughly 80% to 120% of area median income.
Stough Development and Chavez Properties plan on 150 apartments, and two commercial spaces on the ground floor.
Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas welcomes the sale.
“We are starting to think outside of the box. This was an obsolete building that can be used for another purpose,” she says. “I’m just really glad that we were able to work very hard and get some additional money for revenue.”
That revenue will go toward the county's consolidation of offices in Bond Hill. Job and Family Services is expected to make the move in 2026, along with Developmental Disabilities Services, Public Health, Environmental Services, the Office of Addiction Response and the Veterans Service Commission.
Project completion is expected in 2028.
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