Haney: Berea building boom not slowing down

In response to a high demand for housing in Berea, construction of single-family homes continues to increase, according to Codes and Planning Department Director Amanda Haney.

Haney briefed the Berea City Council last Tuesday, noting that applications for single-family home projects have risen to 118 as of November, up 25 percent or about 30 additional homes compared to 2023.

Fifty-five homes are under construction in the Stoney View Subdivision, which is next to Stoney Creek Subdivision fronting Richmond Road. Additionally, developers have received rezoning approval for the West Park Subdivision, located off Menelaus Road. A project of KJC Properties, West Park will include 50 single-family homes with one car garages. That development will also feature a storage unit facility, which will be near Terrace Nursing and Rehabilitation. The homes may cost between $200,000 and $209,000, according to KJC builder Jared Carpenter.  The property had been zoned I-2 industrial, but the council approved its reclassification to R-1A after a June 25 recommendation by the Berea Planning Commission. The new zoning allows for a more compact development in which homes are built on smaller lots.

Berea City Councilman Jerry Little made note of a new home building project on Water Street and Madison Street, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. He said the eight new homes under construction are made possible by the fact that they were approved long ago to be constructed on 50-foot lots. The city recently revised its lot size from 100-foot frontage to 80-feet in the hope builders will be able to construct more homes on less land. Little said the city’s move to revise the Land Management Ordinance is a step in the right direction when it comes to encouraging contractors to build houses people can afford.

“If we talk about affordable housing, we’ve got to cut the lot size down,” Little told fellow council members last week. “Those eight houses would not have been built if they weren’t on 50-foot lots. They were approved on 50-foot lots,” Little said.

Haney noted her department continues to stage seminars for planning commissioners, helping them learn about steps the city can take to create more affordable housing. Haney said housing will also be an important issue in the drafting of Berea’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan, a document that is typically revised every five years.

In the meantime, she said she was pleased to see some progress on Water/Madison Street. “We’re definitely happy to see some improvement in that area and some new structures,” Haney said. New townhomes are also under construction at the corner of Oak Street and Morning View, she added.  

Haney said that 689 building permits were issued this year so far, exceeding last year’s total. That includes commercial businesses and industrial expansion.  Overall, 22 commercial building permits were issued, including projects at Berea College such as the new Edwards Building, and renovation projects at Hutchins Library, the Frost Building, the Stephenson Building and Evans House on Estill Street.

New industrial projects include a clean room at Hitachi for very high-tech processes, a Hitachi medical office, as well as a break room expansion. Novelis has a number of projects underway, Haney said, along with a renovation planned at Circle K, the State Farm building, and the EQI facility in the industrial park is doubling the size of their facility. Haney added Starbucks was another high-profile commercial project this year.

According to Haney, over 2,100 inspections were conducted this year, and 246 nuisance complaints were addressed by her department, or, nearly one complaint per business day.

Councilmember Katie Startzman asked how codes and planning is doing following the installation of the OpenGov software, an offering that enables builders and citizens online access to services 24/7, such as obtaining permits or tracking the progress of a building application. Haney noted the program is working very well, after which Mayor Bruce Fraley thanked Haney and her staff for their efforts in making the administrative process more convenient and user-friendly.

“I really appreciate you and your staff being business friendly, really making a conscious effort to try to help businesses that are renovating or getting started to be successful and to be able to do those things the right way and guiding them through the process. We’re known as being business friendly now so I’m grateful for that,” Fraley said.

Haney, in turn, thanked her colleagues in her department. “I want to compliment our codes and planning staff. I just could not ask for five better people to work with than the people I work with every day. They are professional, knowledgeable and efficient. I know I couldn’t do it without them.”