Mar 8, 2015 4 min read

A recent study on the housing market in Greene County is a source of important information that should be of interest to officials within the region attempting to promote residential development.

The study was completed for the county in September by Delta Development Group, a community and economic development consulting firm based in Mechanicsburg.

It contains insights about the county’s existing housing stock as well as the county’s needs, given local economic factors and trends, including those created by the boom in the natural gas industry.

One of the key findings we found most interesting is in the report’s overview. It states: “The availability of adequate housing stock has been an ongoing issue in Greene County, and the growth in natural gas drilling has magnified the issue.”

The report goes on to define one of the greatest challenges facing the county in regard to housing development – the lack of water and sewer infrastructure. That should be no surprise to anyone who has lived in the county for more than a few years. We can’t think of even one Greene County election for county commissioner or any state office in which the need for infrastructure to promote growth has not been an issue.

The lack of infrastructure is a problem faced by all rural counties, where the costs of extending a water or sewer line is costly because fewer customers would be served by it, and there’s more ground to cover between structures. According to the study, 89.2 percent of Greene County is rural. The county made some progress with infrastructure, mainly through the extension of water lines, but obviously, according to this report, the need continues to exist.

The report also includes a number of fascinating facts about the condition of Greene’s existing housing stock. Even with increased demand for housing with the emergence of the natural gas industry, the county saw a steady decline in the number of new homes built between 2005 and 2013. The study notes 33 percent of the houses in the county were built prior to 1940; 27 percent were built between 1940 and 1970; and only 8 percent were built since 2009.

One of the county’s greatest needs, in the report’s estimation, is housing that is affordable to low-to-moderate income households. The median household income in Greene County is $42,837. Assuming a family at that level could spend 30 percent of that income on housing, it could, with the help of a 30-year mortgage at a 4.25 interest rate, afford a house in the $150,000 to $200,000 range. Only six houses within that price range were listed for sale in Greene County in June 2014, the study said.

Based on industry workforce standards outlined in the report, the natural gas industry brought 2,188 workers into the county. Assuming 39 percent of those workers live within it, 1,334 workers would likely seek local housing.

But because of the transient nature of many of the jobs at well sites, these workers typically require temporary housing, provided by hotels and motels, mobile homes, recreational vehicles and local rental housing.

It has been the demand for rental units that led to escalating monthly rates for tenants. Some have gone up by as much as 65 percent, and rendered some rental units unaffordable to residents who rely on them, the report said.

It recognizes the efforts Greene County and its housing team made to address these issues. But the report also includes a plan of action for further consideration. It says home ownership should be encouraged and additional subsidized housing units should be available. It’s that part of the study that may prove most important to local officials as they attempt to address a problem that probably will not go away soon.