Stark economic-development leader urges Louisville to prepare shovel-ready sites and income-aligned housing

Stephen McKenzie, president and CEO of the Stark Economic Development Board and Strengthening Stark, told the Louisville City Council on Feb. 16 that the county must accelerate preparation of shovel-ready industrial and housing sites and pursue income-aligned housing to keep employers from bypassing the region.

McKenzie said the county has combined several local economic-development functions and is pushing a three-part approach: attract and retain employers, expand entrepreneurship supports and prioritize workforce housing and site readiness. He described an ongoing county site-inventory to catalog developable parcels of roughly 20 acres or larger and to identify what each site needs to be made shovel ready — zoning, utilities, road access or environmental remediation.

Why it matters: site readiness and housing availability affect whether firms choose a location. "By the time they call you, they've already evaluated you online twice," McKenzie said, arguing that delays or unclear site status raise risk for prospective employers.

McKenzie highlighted findings from a county housing study to show the scale of the housing gap. He said median household income in Stark County rose to about $69,000, average sale price was about $223,000 and the median price for new construction was approximately $542,000 — a threshold that places new homes out of reach for most local workers. "Starting from scratch, 89% of Stark County residents are priced out," he said, and the board has identified a need for roughly 13,000 "doors" (homes or apartments) affordable to workers earning between roughly $35,000 and $100,000 in the next five years.

On workforce and entrepreneurship, McKenzie outlined programs to connect trainees to jobs, a pilot loan program called "Pathway to Bankability" intended to help small businesses build creditworthiness, and efforts to coordinate local training programs with employers. He also cited partnerships with Team NEO, JobsOhio and regional land-bank and funding partners to assemble sites and to pursue grants that could lower infrastructure costs.

McKenzie described an industry-targeting study that narrowed 90 candidate sectors to clusters where the region has competitive assets, including advanced aerospace components, bio-based polymers, energy management, smart manufacturing, agri-food and data centers. He said the board closed nine projects last year and has a pipeline of prospects for the current year.

Council members asked about private-site ownership and annexation dynamics; McKenzie encouraged collaborative agreements and joint economic-development strategies rather than adversarial annexation moves that could create the appearance of dysfunction to outside investors.

McKenzie said the board will return for follow-up briefings and to share the finished site inventory and housing scenarios with municipalities.

The presentation was followed by brief Q&A with council members and staff. No formal council action was taken during the presentation.