Economic development director says three sites cleared for JobsOhio site-certification review; regional housing production remains below demand

Bellefontaine’s economic development director reported three city sites have advanced through JobsOhio’s site-certification vetting process and will host a mock site visit and community presentation on Sept. 12 to explain site-selection criteria to local leaders.

Director Mr. VRA identified the three candidate sites as Peak Industrial Park, a property at the corner of State Routes 32 and 47 adjacent to Peak Industrial Park, and Link Industrial Park. He invited council and community leaders to attend the afternoon presentation with JobsOhio and Insight Consulting to learn how site selection works.

Separately, the director summarized a recent Columbus-region housing report from the Building Industry Association showing housing production in 2023 was substantially below the level needed to match population growth — the transcript cited a regional production shortfall and said the Columbus region had median home values that year above $300,000 and median rents near $1,300. He said Bellefontaine/Logan County remains slightly below regional median rental rates but urged council support for measured local housing growth.

No formal motions accompanied these reports; the director offered to share the cited materials with council members.