Urban Partners: Clermont County needs about 11,600 housing units over 20 years; affordability gaps rising

Urban Partners presented the results of a countywide housing study to the Clermont County Board of Commissioners on July 9, estimating the county will need approximately 11,600 new housing units over the next 20 years to accommodate projected population and household trends.

Isaac Kwan, principal at Urban Partners, said the total 20-year need breaks down to about 9,800 owner‑occupied units (including about 1,000 targeted for seniors) and roughly 1,800 rental units. Urban Partners said the annual build rate implied by the projection is about 580 units per year but that the demand comes in waves; they estimated steeper needs in some five-year windows.

Urban Partners summarized the county's recent trends and market dynamics: county population growth of roughly 18% since the baseline cited in their report (they reported the county moving from about 178,000 to nearly 210,000 residents over the study period), concentrated growth in three townships (Batavia, Union and Miami), and a West submarket that contains roughly half of county population and most multifamily development. Urban Partners reported the county's 2023 median household income at just above $83,000 and said about a quarter of county households — roughly 19,000 households — are cost‑burdened (paying more than 30% of gross income for housing), with cost-burden prevalence of about 17% among homeowners and about 37% among renters.

The firm documented a sharp run-up in for-sale prices: median sale price in Clermont County rose from just over $200,000 in 2019 to about $287,000 in 2024 (an approximately 41.5% increase over six years). Urban Partners also reported low vacancy rates across county submarkets (well under the 4% vacancy typically considered a healthy market), with the West submarket containing the bulk of new multifamily units and the North and South submarkets showing little multifamily presence.

Urban Partners recommended five cross-cutting themes and several short- and long-term actions: (1) build community support for a more diverse housing stock (including smaller single-family and mixed‑use/multifamily options), (2) direct development toward high‑demand, infrastructure-ready areas, (3) preserve and rehab older housing stock and strengthen rental code enforcement, (4) expand senior housing and allow accessory dwelling units and home modification programs to aid aging-in-place, and (5) reduce barriers for first‑time homebuyers through down payment assistance and employer-assisted housing programs.

Specific short-term steps the consultant recommended include identifying publicly owned parcels suitable for housing, improving review and permitting efficiency, prioritizing water/sewer/road investments in growth corridors, expanding rehabilitation and weatherization programs, and marketing county assets to targeted industries and developers. Urban Partners also recommended longer-term policy options such as inclusionary zoning or density bonuses in high‑demand corridors and incentives for lower‑maintenance senior housing.

Commissioners and staff asked questions about submarket patterns and next steps. Urban Partners said it is preparing a public-facing "story map" (an online, interactive summary) to present the full study to residents and stakeholders. The consultants said the study is intended as a toolkit for county leaders to prioritize infrastructure, zoning adjustments and targeted incentives where they would most accelerate production of attainable housing.