Local housing, growth issues under study

ST. MARYS - Community leaders met with bankers, real estate experts and leaders in the local construction market on Wednesday to discuss the need to increase population and community development in Mercer and Auglaize counties.

Auglaize and Mercer county commissioners and economic development leaders from both counties hosted the meeting in the St. Marys Memorial High School auditorium to review the results of a survey of area employers conducted in February.

Auglaize County Commissioner Doug Spencer presented the results as attendees nodded in agreement and voiced specific instances of needs and local trends.

"We confirmed what we speculated going in that there is definitely a need for housing developments and apartment needs and not just high-end," Spencer said, noting the major need in housing is in starter homes and mid-level housing, according to the survey results.

Along with housing priced at less than $150,000, the area's needs also include solutions for those unfamiliar with the most desirable areas in a county and for those who have just changed jobs.

"We have a definite need for apartments, maybe at a $700-a-month cost," Spencer said.

Auglaize and Mercer counties have two of the lowest unemployment rates in Ohio and many quality jobs are available. However, the population is not growing, and the obvious answer seems to be a lack of good housing for new and potential workers, Spencer said.

Attendees indicated not only a lack of housing but also a lack of land for housing development. Farmland is generally not for sale to people wanting to develop residential areas.

"What we learned is there are barriers. There is not just a snap-of-the-fingers panacea that is going to come about, but with putting the right people in the room and working with the state Legislature, potentially we'll be able to come up with some solutions for rural areas such as Auglaize County and Mercer County who are looking to satisfy their housing needs," Spencer said.

The old model of buying an acre or two and building a home is not working any more. The lack of possible locations and a limited number of builders interested in providing homes are restricting options, according to discussion among several attendees.

District 82 Ohio Rep. Craig Riedel, R-Defiance, also attended the event to try to determine the feasibility of any state solutions to the issue. Attendees were told the group will continue the discussion via email before gathering again in the next few weeks.

"It's going to be an exciting time with all these collective heads together in the same room thinking about how can we potentially mitigate the issue at hand, which is the lack of proper housing needs for the two-county area?" Spencer said.