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Beavercreek presents age‑friendly survey showing strong senior engagement, housing concerns
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Summary
A third‑party needs assessment found high response rates and strong support for the senior center; residents flagged housing costs, social connection and transportation as priorities. Consultants recommended single‑story housing options, expanded low‑cost events and improved pedestrian connections.
Colin Carbel, Beavercreek city planner, introduced a community needs assessment carried out by Measurement Resources Company and said the city and Beavercreek Township each received a $20,000 grant to support the work.
Elizabeth Hafford of Measurement Resources Company told council the survey (conducted in September–October 2025) produced “robust” engagement and an 89% completion rate, and she said, “We did not detect carelessness in the responses.” The study intentionally oversampled older residents to inform an age‑friendly action plan; about 50% of respondents rated Beavercreek a “great” place to live and roughly 72% reported they expected to remain in the community over the next decade.
Hafford said the top concerns mirrored national trends: housing affordability and housing type (respondents preferred single‑story, accessible homes), social connection and the availability and hours of the senior center, parks and bike‑path accessibility, transportation for seniors and people with disabilities, and access to preventive health services. She summarized four recommendations: encourage housing that includes single‑story options and programs to make homes more accessible; expand affordable or free community events and prioritize senior center hours; improve key pedestrian/bike connection points and crosswalk safety; and continue prioritizing access to health and prevention services at trusted community sites such as the senior center.
Council members asked for additional detail on ZIP‑code cross‑tabs and any regression analyses. Hafford said she would check whether the survey collected ZIP codes and that the executive summary omitted some of the regression detail because few statistically significant differences emerged when the team oversampled seniors. Council members requested staff provide the full report appendices and any supplemental tables or regressions to support policy follow‑up.
Next steps noted by city staff include reserving any leftover grant funds for an action plan and convening community partners to turn the report’s recommendations into implementable projects.
