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Canfield Township and Canfield City are wrapping up 2023 with two very different outcomes on zoning. The township is turning over low numbers compared with recent years while the city topped the charts with the best year in the past 17 years.
In the city, Zoning Inspector Mike Cook has logged in a record 328 permits issued and a total valuation of $18,934,222. Prior to this year, the best valuation was in 2021 at $11,623,157. That year included commercial additions at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center and Star Extruded Shapes.
Topping the city's list for 2023 was the Farmers National Bank commercial addition on state Route 46 on the Village Green, which came in at $10.5 million.
The other big number came from a building addition at IES Systems, 464 Lisbon St., which is a nearly $1.9 million project.
On the residential side, the city had eight
single-family home permits pulled. That was not the best year, but Cook said it was good. The best year was 2006 when the city saw 27 new home starts. Also a factor is the price of new homes.
"In 2015, the average cost of a new home in the city was $250,000," Cook said. "Today the average is closer to $450,000."
In looking over the past decade, Cook said the big factor has been COVID-19. In 2020, the total valuation of the 266 permits issued was $3,165,219. Prior to the pandemic in 2020, the average number of garage sale permits issued each year averaged 169. It dropped to 65 permits during 2020 as residents tried to figure out how to distance while selling their goods.
After COVID, garage sales stayed low with 107 in 2021, 133 in 2022, and 112 this year.
"Once COVID hit, garage sales went away," Cook said. "It is still not back to where it once was."
On the plus side, the city did see a large increase in home improvement permits.
"People started doing more around their home," he said.
He said roofing permits are going up in number. The city started issuing roof permits in 2017. That first year, 66 permits were issued. In 2019, prior to COVID, the permits hit a high of 81. In 2020, it dropped to 58 and has been slowly rising since. For 2023, there were 73 permits pulled for new roofs.
Cook said his final year as Canfield city zoning inspector has been a great year, and he said he feels like a coach who is retiring after his best season ever.
TOWNSHIP NUMBERS
In the township, it seems like an opposite picture. Total valuations for 2023 are at $8,788,814. Of that amount, the majority ($6,323,553) came from residential permits.
"We knew coming into this year that things were going to slow down," Zoning Inspector Traci DeCapua said.
She said the developments in the township are filling up fast and the available building lots grow scarcer each year.
The cost of a new home is also changing. In 2021, there were 50 home starts with a value of $12,658,035. In 2022, those numbers went to 39 new home starts with a valuation of $11,472,372. This year, there were only 24 new housing starts at a value of $5,982,193.
While that final figure doesn't show it, DeCapua said the average home costs are rising. From 2022 to this year, she said the average home cost is going from $265,000 to $450,000.
"A lot of things change in just five years," DeCapua said. "That is why we need to revisit our zoning and our Comprehensive Plan to make needed adjustments."
The township issued 76 permits for things like fences, garages and pools. That number was down from the 103 issued last year and the 117 from 2021.
Canfield Township Trustee Brian Governor said, "The new property assessments and the high interest rates were factors. It is not surprising to see the numbers drop."
He said in 2024, he expects things could rebound if predicted interest rate reductions happen and the new property assessments are known.
DeCapua said there is one possible addition to this year's numbers. She said the new Aldi that is going to be built in the Westford Development off U.S. 224 has not yet pulled its permit. Aldi will add another $1,590,800 to this year's total or to kick off 2024. DeCapua said all the forms are completed and ready for the check. Whether it happens this year or at the start of next year is not yet known.
For 2024, the township will have a new challenge.
"We are going to crack down on junk vehicles," Governor said. "Our residents want to see them cleaned up."
On a bright note, the township paid the city for the sign permit for its new digital sign at Township Hall. That sign is up and running and Governor said it is the first digital sign for the Village Green.