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Housing starts raise prospects in Geauga
(by Joan Demirjian - January 18, 2012)
Housing starts raise prospects in Geauga
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Home building in Geauga County is on the rise, according to data and information from the Geauga County Building Department and the Geauga County planning commission.
Michael Mihalisin, chief building official for the county, said new home starts in 2011 numbered 122 countywide. The count does not include South Russell Village which has its own building department. In 2010, there were 90 housing starts in the county, and in 2009, the figure was 61.
"Our office is busier than the year before. It's all over," Mr. Mihalisin said of the building in the county.
Bainbridge Township had the most housing starts in the county last year with 30, which was up from 13 in 2010.
Mr. Mihalisin noted that 13 houses were built in Munson Township off Auburn Road, where two contractors are working in the area.
Auburn Township had 12 housing starts in 2011, compared to eight in 2010.
It's looking up, but it won't be the same as it was in the 1970s and early 1980s, according to Mr. Mihalisin. "During that time, they were building like crazy. They were averaging 400 homes, putting subdivisions everywhere."
The current building activity is good for real estate taxes and property values in the county, Mr. Mihalisin said. "It's looking very promising."
Geauga County Planning Director David Dietrich said most of the activity has been in Bainbridge, with Pulte Homes in the Canyon Woods subdivision.
"Most of the building has been in the second and third quarters of 2011," he said.
Historically, home-building activity has taken a roller coaster course, with figures high in the 1970s. In 1978, records show, 804 houses were built in the county. Activity dipped to 135 in 1982 and climbed to 588 in 1996. In 2009, building dipped to 63 across the county.
Mr. Dietrich said he thinks building will remain stable, with good mortgage rates and employment on the rise. "Everyone is cautiously optimistic," he said.
Auburn Zoning Inspector Frank Kitko said building picked up from last year. The township had 130 zoning applications for the year, including zoning variances and conditional uses, he said.
Russell Zoning Inspector Richard Machnics said he just issued a permit for a new house on off Caves Road. Development in the Rivendell subdivision off Caves Road is starting to move, with lots being sold now, he said.
The year ahead looks promising, Mr. Machnics said. "It's good for the local economy."
South Russell has its own building department. In 2011, one house was built in the village, according to county planning commission figures, and two houses were built in 2010.
While activity for additions and patios has picked up, South Russell does not have that many building lots left to develop, according to Mr. Machnics.
In Bainbridge, 29 permits for additions were issued in 2011, according to township Zoning Inspector Shane Wrench.
Beyond the single-family houses, permits were issued in the South Franklin Circle retirement community.
Things look positive for building activity, Mr. Wrench said. Most of the activity has been off Bainbridge Road in the Canyon Woods subdivision, he said. Building also is under way in Canyon Lakes, on the north side of Route 422, and in the Stone Ridge subdivision off Pettibone Road.
"I think there are pretty strong numbers, with two new houses starting this year," Mr. Wrench said.
However, Bainbridge is running out of properties for building, unless farmland is sold off, he said.
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