The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
North Ridgeville leads new home sales
North Ridgeville continues to lead the county in new homes built and sold, according to the Lorain County Auditor’s Office.
County Auditor Craig Snodgrass and Chief Appraiser Fred W. Westbrook said the county calculates new home development based on the number of single family homes at least 50 percent finished and sold.
“If it’s sold in 2017, but has been less than 50 percent complete, it wouldn’t show up in our new construction numbers,” Westbrook said.
County records show there were 264 new home sales across the cities, villages and townships last year and those homes were sold for a combined $80,601,553. That averages out to about $305,000 per home. County numbers show North Ridgeville led the area with 78 new home sales, followed by Avon Lake with 41 and Avon with 39.
LaGrange led the county’s villages with 40, followed by Grafton with three and Wellington with one, according to Snodgrass and Westbrook.
Columbia Township had 13 new home sales, followed by Eaton with nine and LaGrange and Pittsfield each with one, according to the county numbers.
Westbrook said there aren’t many completely new builds for businesses, but in 2017, the majority of those were along Chester Road in Avon.
The largest industrial new build is the Riddell production and distribution facility, 7501
Performance Lane in North Ridgeville.
“In those two categories, it’s pretty much around Avon or North Ridgeville,” he said.
North Ridgeville Mayor G. David Gillock said the influx of new residents is both good and not so good for the city.
“It’s a two-edged sword,” Gillock said. “Many of the homes produced new pay income tax when they have working homeowners. Some have retirees, so you’re not getting municipal income tax.
“But there is municipal income tax with that. With that comes increased pressure on the infrastructure.”
Gillock said it’s a dynamic that the city’s always growing and changing a little bit, but that new growth means more people shopping in the city at the restaurants, the gasoline stations and the grocery stores.
“It’s a good thing,” he said.
The city is continually investing in infrastructure and infrastructure improvements to keep up with the growing demand, Gillock said.
“We have a number of new (housing) developments underway, and in those situations, the devel- opers are the ones who in- stall the new infrastruc- ture,” he said.