Waterville’s Largest Complex, Steedman Apartments Opens First Two Buildings

BY KAREN GERHARDINGER | MIRROR REPORTER — As a property manager, Dustin Cress is usually the one doing the welcoming, but he’s experienced a warm reception from the community as Steedman Apartments opened last week.

“This is a business-friendly environment,” Cress said. “Everyone has been so welcoming and accommodating to us.”

Members of the city, the police and fire departments, as well as the Waterville Area Chamber of Commerce, stopped by to say hello as the first two buildings opened.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to have new residents who will no doubt support our area businesses,” said chamber executive director Corina Pfleghaar, who dropped off “Eat, Shop and Visit Local” brochures for welcome packets given to those who move in. 

Located at 1501 Pray Blvd., the Steedman is the largest complex in the 50 years since Anthony Wayne Trail Apartments were built in 1971. Two buildings are finished and four of the first 36 apartments are already rented. Two more buildings are expected to open in a month to wrap up Phase 1 with 144 apartments. Three more buildings with 106 units are planned for the future.

“Our goal is to lease seven apartments a week – so we’ll have both buildings filled within nine weeks,” Cress said. “I think we’ll pull people from Maumee and Perrysburg. This area is the up-and-coming market.”

Being brand new has an appeal, and so does the price: $925 for a one-bedroom apartment and $945 to $1,100 for a two-bedroom apartment. 

“Based on the competition, we’re reasonably priced,” Cress said.

With granite counters and wood-like floors, the open living areas are spacious. Bedrooms have plush carpet and a walk-in closet. The Steedman also has a limited number of barrier-free apartments with a modified kitchen that has shorter counters and a bathroom with grab bars and an accessible sink.

As he led a tour of the apartments, Cress noted that he expects to draw in a variety of residents, including young couples, families, retirees who live in warmer climates during the winter months and those who need a place to stay while waiting to buy or build a new home. 

The Steedman is ideal for those who want a maintenance-free lifestyle without the worries of mowing, shoveling or doing home repairs, and 24-hour maintenance is on-site, he said.

Also on-site is a fitness room with weights, ellipticals, stationary bikes and treadmills. While limited to office hours for now, Cress expects that 24-hour access will be available after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Management Resources Development (MRD), the management company, names all of its complexes after Civil War generals from the area. Waterville’s complex is named after James Blair Steedman, a major general who moved to Ohio in 1818 to work on the Wabash & Erie Canal. His long career included leading a company of gold seekers to California in 1849 and serving as editor of a newspaper, as a member of the state senate and, in 1883, as chief of police for Toledo. In the Civil War, he entered as a colonel in the 14th Ohio Infantry in 1861 and rose through the ranks to major general, then served as the military governor of Georgia after the war until 1866.

For more information about the new complex, visit www.steedmanapts.com or call (419) 679-4724.