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Stark County housing study: presenter tells Louisville council a 13,000-unit shortfall and urges zoning, permitting and partnership changes
Summary
Todd Hock of the Stark Economic Development Board told Louisville council that Stark County faces a roughly 13,000-unit housing shortfall and a widening affordability gap, and recommended streamlined permitting, preapproved infill plans, land banking, and a regional housing summit to attract developers.
Todd Hock, representing the Stark Economic Development Board, presented a county housing study to the Louisville City Council on July 20, saying the data show a significant affordability gap that local officials must address.
Hock summarized the study's core findings: the median household income used in the 2024 study was about $63,000 and median sale prices were roughly $200,000 (a gap that produces an "affordable" price nearer $135,000). He told the council more recent numbers put median income near $69,000 while listing and sale prices rose 14'25 percent; a cited median new-construction price was about $524,000. "The most recent median new construction price in Stark County is 524,000," Hock said, highlighting a mismatch between typical wages and housing costs.
Using household "personas," Hock walked the council through take-home pay and typical expenses (housing, childcare, car payments, utilities) and showed many household types would be operating with monthly shortfalls under current market costs. He recommended several actions for municipalities: streamline permitting (the county is implementing a unified permitting system to reduce turnaround time), adopt smart zoning and smaller infill housing models (duplex/triplex plans preapproved by the state building department), package vacant parcels for developers via RFPs, consider land banking and demolition where appropriate, and host a Stark County Housing Summit to draw regional and national builders.
Hock also flagged funding tools and partnerships, including programs from the Ohio Housing Finance Authority (for example, down-payment assistance up to 3'3.5% forgivable over five years for recent graduates), USDA lending where eligible, and local incentive packaging (tax abatements or local down-payment assistance) to improve feasibility. When council members asked what Louisville could do locally, Hock recommended assessing city-owned properties for land-banking or demolition, revising zoning setbacks and lot-size rules where appropriate, and convening developers to identify permit or infrastructure bottlenecks.
The presentation concluded with an invitation to council to engage in the county working groups and learning sessions; Hock said he would share the full study and additional materials on request.
