At home and at work, Barberton fashions a new, post-B&W future

Next month, Barberton City Council will take a look at a new 120-acre housing development that would bring about 206 homes to the city.

The project has already received the recommendation of the city’s Planning Commission and gone through public meetings with Council and residents present.

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The property is part of land near Coventry Township that the city annexed about 30 years ago; it sits about a half-mile west of a $5 million road-and-infrastructure project along South Van Buren Avenue.

Together, the two are part of a series of home, business and infrastructure additions carving out a post-Babcock and Wilcox future for the city of 25,191.

The $35 million Trucen Farm development would add 56 single-family homes and 150 ranch-style townhouse rentals to the city’s housing stock and would be the largest such development for the foreseeable future.

In a public meeting April 25, Barberton Planning Director Trevor Hunt said the two parcels represent one of the last properties developable for housing within city boundaries.

In an interview May 11 at the Municipal Building, Hunt said demand for housing in the city remains strong and a residential project already underway in the city has been popular with homebuyers. Ryan Homes is building four or five homes a month in the western section of the long-term New Haven development, he said.

“They’re selling like hotcakes,” he said.

Mortgage rates a wild card

Tayler Thompson, a Council member who served on the city’s Planning Commission, said Wednesday that she’s hopeful the project will bring.

“I hope to see some more higher-end homes come in,” she said. “The way that I see it, it seems to be similar to what we have in Austin Estates,” she said. “What I like about Austin Estates is that all the homes are different, but they work well together.”

Nationally and locally, home prices have surged recently as homebuyers shake off the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic. But some economic conditions suggest demand, sales and affordability make take a hit in coming months.

The Trucen Farm project, for instance, comes at a time when mortgage rates are on the rise, increasing monthly payments for homebuyers and limiting the number of individuals who can qualify for a mortgage. On Thursday, the National Association of Realtors reported sales of existing homes fell for the third month in a row in a row, slipping 5.9% compared to April 2021.

Barberton has an advantage over most neighboring communities, with a lower median sales price than New Franklin, Coventry Township and Norton, according to Rockethomes.com. Only Akron has a lower-priced housing stock.

Hunt said interest rates may have a short-term effect on the city’s housing market, but doesn’t anticipate changes to developers’ long-term plans.

“The biggest thing is the mortgage rates,” Hunt said. “That might put a brief slowdown in the market post COVID-19.”

Along with the 206 homes proposed in the Trucen Farm project, another 69 homes are under development in other residential projects in the city.

An aging stock of rental units in city

Hunt said the rental units proposed in the Trucen Farm development address a need for such housing identified in a recent study. It’s been 40 years since new market-level rental housing was developed in the city and more than 1,000 renting households in Barberton have an annual income above $50,000.

“[There is] significant pent-up demand for market-rate rental housing,” he said.

But with developable land scarce in Barberton, the city is focusing on downtown near Lake Anna.

“[Trucen Farm] is the biggest project for the foreseeable future,” he said. “There’s nothing of that size [left]. Knowing that, we realize the potential downtown and want to focus there in the future.”

On a scale much smaller than the Trucen Farm plan, a proposal to renovate the adjacent Powell and Barberton Herald buildings on West Tuscarawas Avenue for nine or 10 extended-stay units could begin soon with cleanups of the two structures. The plan includes extended-stay units connected across the second floor of the two buildings. Commercial establishments would operate on the ground floor.

Hunt said the units would be ideal for corporate executives relocating to the city or a doctor with a residency at Summa Health System’s Barberton campus.

Long-term, the recent rental market study recommended development of about 100 rental units on a downtown parking lot site known as Block 7. The recommendation called for a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom rentals to meet demand.

Business is better

The city’s efforts to attract new businesses post-B&W is also showing results.

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Last year, Copart Inc., a multi-billion dollar online salvage auto auction company, received approval for a location that straddles 90 acres in Barberton and Norton. The location’s offices will be inside Barberton, while land used to park vehicles that are being auctioned lies in Norton. The company is currently grading the site.

Thompson said the recent decision of a big employer to relocate to the city is a sign of Barberton’s rebound from the negative mileau created by B&W’s departure. Industrial Commercial Properties, which describes itself as an “commercial and industrial rehabilitation and economic redevelopment partner”, controls about 16 acres of the former B&W campus.

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“I think we are definitely on our way,” she said. “One of the biggest things is Barberton Tree is moving back to Barberton [with] 65 plus employees.”

Test America, an environmental lab testing concern, recently located on South Van Buren Avenue, drawing more than 100 employees to the site.

The additions to Barberton’s business lineup include recent and upcoming retail establishments that have created social media buzz. They include the addition of Marc’s Stores to the Magic City Plaza. The discount store is expected to open at any time.

Big Lots recently moved into expanded quarters in the same shopping center.

“We’re all very excited about Marc’s,” Thompson said. “Big Lots opened today, and it looks awesome.”

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Barberton carving out a post-Babcock and Wilcox future