By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wood County saw nearly 300 new homes built last year, with the average new home valued at $240,000.
Most of the housing growth occurred in the northern part of the county, according to Wood County Chief Building Inspector Mike Rudey.
While it’s not a building boom, the new housing numbers continue to grow steadily. Last year, 297 houses were constructed, compared to 284 in 2018, 250 in 2017, and 240 in 2016.
“We are up slightly,” Rudey said.
“Concentrated growth, especially in residential, is up in the Perrysburg area,” he noted Thursday during his annual report to the Wood County Commissioners. “Sporadic” housing growth is being seen elsewhere in the county, he said.
Rudey isn’t sure what to expect from this year, since builders tend to be a little more conservative when there is uncertainty about election results.
The county building inspection office also saw a spike last summer in permit revenue. The jump was due to construction of the Amazon fulfillment center being built in Rossford. So far, the building permits from Amazon have brought in $220,000 to the building inspection office – and more is still coming in, Rudey said.
“We need another Amazon, hopefully soon,” Rudey said.
The expansion of the Walgreens site in Perrysburg Township also brought in some hefty permit revenue.
“It was very positive for the year for 2019,” Rudey said.
The total number of permits was actually down for the year – with 1,333 for 2019, compared to 1,344 for 2018. But the revenue for the building inspection office was about $100,000 more than the year before.
Following are some of the statistics from the year-end report from the building inspection office:
RESIDENTIAL:
- New single-family homes: 297 in 2019, up from 284 in 2018.
- Additions to homes: 345 in 2019, up from 322 in 2018.
- Residential garages and carports: 90 in 2019, up from 73 in 2018.
- Manufactured homes: 47 in 2019, up from 39 in 2018.
- Multi-family residences: 39 in 2019, up from 27 in 2018.
COMMERCIAL:
- Amusement and recreational buildings: 10 in 2019, down from 31 in 2018.
- Churches and religious buildings: 2 in 2019, compared to 1 in 2018.
- Commercial storage buildings: 28 in 2019, down from 31 in 2018.
- Hospitals and institutions: 3 in 2019, up from 1 in 2018.
- Industrial buildings: 13 in 2019, up from 7 in 2018.
- Office, bank and professional buildings: 13 in 2019, up from 8 in 2018.
- Parking garages: 5 in 2019, compared to none in 2018.
- Public works and utilities: 5 in 2019, down from 10 in 2018.
- Restaurants: 2 in 2019, down from 6 in 2018.
- Service stations and repair garages: 6 in 2019, up from 4 in 2018.
- Schools and educational buildings: 2 in 2019, down from 7 in 2018.
- Stores: 6 in 2019, up from 2 in 2018.
- Structures other than buildings: 54 in 2019, down from 58 in 2018.
- Commercial additions and alterations: 405 in 2019, down from 431 in 2018.
