ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio has entered the final phase of a $4 million capital campaign to build a new Zanesville campus, with leaders hoping construction will be under way in 2027. The ReStore & ReVitalize campaign is anchored by a $2 million lead gift from the J.W. & M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation, according to a community announcement reported by the Zanesville Times Recorder.
The campus is planned for two acres near Putnam and Woodlawn avenues. Plans call for a 17,000-square-foot Habitat ReStore and a separate 3,000-square-foot annex building that would house staff offices, construction equipment storage, community meeting space and a training center modeled after the organization’s facility in Millfield.
The project follows more than a decade at Habitat’s current Zanesville ReStore location in Sunrise Center. The organization said that site faces a leaking roof, limited climate control, energy inefficiencies and inadequate storage space, problems the new campus is designed to leave behind while giving the ReStore room to operate more efficiently.
“Constructing this new campus in Zanesville allows us to improve ReStore operations, streamline our construction and home repair programs across Muskingum County, and offer dedicated resources that directly empower local residents,” said Ken Oehlers, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio. He said community support will be crucial in the home stretch of fundraising to help the organization break ground in 2027.
Beyond the store itself, Habitat officials said the campus will serve as a regional operations center and expand educational opportunities for residents across Muskingum County. The planned community training center would offer hands-on classes in home maintenance and repair skills, including drywall repair, painting and basic upkeep, intended to support long-term housing stability and homeownership success.
The organization also plans a neighborhood revitalization initiative focused on the Putnam Avenue area. Habitat said it intends to work with neighbors, businesses and nonprofit organizations to identify and address priorities raised by community members, tying the new facility to the neighborhood around it rather than treating it as a stand-alone retail project.
Susan Holdren, president and executive director of the Straker Foundation, said the foundation’s investment will enrich the Putnam neighborhood and extend home-care and home-repair education to people throughout Muskingum County. Community members, businesses and civic organizations can support the campaign through tax-deductible donations, multiyear pledges and naming opportunities within the planned facility, with more information available at habitatseo.org or by calling 740-249-1449.
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