Fremont looks to keep moving ahead with 10-year economic development plan
FREMONT — With the city almost one-third of the way through its 10-year Think Fremont economic development plan, city officials are still looking to attract people to Fremont, build more housing, and break ground on at least one new industrial park.
These are tall tasks for the city.
Bob Gross, the city's economic development director, said Fremont has met some of its goals with the 10-year plan as the end of 2021 draws near.
Median household income has reached $41,305, a 21% increase from 2010.
And there have been several new homes built in Fremont, with 49 homes either completed or started in 2021.
Gross said he and city officials went back 30 years and couldn't find a year when there was construction started on more than 20 homes.
Fremont gained 13 residents from 2019-2020
There was even a modest population gain of 13 residents in Fremont from 2019-2020, an increase in contrast to recent U.S. Census figures that showed declines in both the city and Sandusky County.
Gross delivered an update on the THINK plan and its goals Thursday at Fremont City Council's economic development committee.
The strategic plan projected a population growth of more than 3,400 residents in Fremont, and 5,000 including the city and Ballville and Sandusky townships, by 2028.
Those projections were based on city officials anticipating a population growth of 1% in the first five years of the plan and 2% in years 6-10 of the plan.
The plan also included the creation of two new industrial parks and continued improvements in downtown Fremont as long-term city goals.
Population growth, new housing two key goals for Fremont
Gross said the 2020 U.S. Census showed Fremont's population at 15.930, a decrease of more than 450 residents from the previous 2010 count.
He said the city's per capita income rose about 11% from 2010 to 2020, with the number of residents considered to be in poverty dropping from 4,097 to 2,851 in that time period.
Columbus-based DiSalvo Development Advisors contracted with the city in November 2020 to conduct a housing analysis study.
It found Fremont's market could support up to 210 rental housing units and 90 single-family, for-sale units.
Gross said the city's expansion of its Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) and the commissioning of the DiSalvo housing study were keys in attracting housing developers.
New housing being built in Fremont includes 20 units at the Blue Heron development on Fangboner Road, which Gross said will eventually be built out to 147 units.
There were seven new homes completed in 2021 at the Meadow Creek development off of Smith Road, as well as four homes at Fairway Vista on Pinehurst Trail.
Gross said the Sunset Meadows development on the city's east side had 16 homes built in 2021, with more planned for 2022.
In the THINK plan, the city's housing advisory board listed several possible locations for new housing in the Fremont area, including the Hayes Elementary School site, Clauss Cutlery site, Eastside Plaza, the downtown area, Anderson Field, the Poorman site and the Meadow Creek Housing Development.
2 new industrial parks are part of the plan
Some of the THINK plan's industry goals included building a new industrial park within five years and developing a second new park by 2029.
Also mentioned in the plan's industry section was the need to build a new 80,000-square-foot spec building near rail within the next four to five years.
Local businessman Tom Kern, who took part in the development of the THINK plan, said the city's Fremont Development Corp. — a group of private sector individuals assisting city officials with economic development — were trying to help the city meet its 10-year goals.
Members of the Fremont Development Corp. include Kern, Gross, Downtown Fremont Inc. executive director Kristie Bilger, Mosser Construction president Brian Geffe, Pam Jensen and a representative from Croghan Colonial Bank.
Kern said the city is still working to acquire land for a new industrial park site and had three properties in mind for that acquisition.
He acknowledged the city had been lagging in getting its new industrial park site.
Kern said the city had been seeing a lot of requests for 15-20 acre building sites, with those companies having employee ranges of 50-150 workers.
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Fremont looks to make progress on 10-year economic development plan
