Condominiums: Downsizing To Stay In Area
Mason, Deerfield Find Affordability New Factor
By Jeff McKinney - The Cincinnati Enquirer

Deerfield Twp. - A Mason developer hopes to score big again with 102 condominiums it is building on Wilkens Boulevard. The $30 million development, called The Woods on Wilkens, will offer ranch-style condos that include two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two-car attached garages and extra storage space.

Cliff and Elizabeth Klutts are buying a condo at The Woods for roughly $300,000. The couple plan to move into the condo by year's end after selling their two-story, five-bedroom home in Lebanon. Cliff is 67 and Elizabeth is 65.

"The main thing that appealed to us about the condo was the convenience it offered to such things as shopping and entertainment," Cliff says.

"We also made the investment because we're confident the value of our condo will increase significantly over the next three years."

The condos, clustered in 26 buildings, will run from $250,000 to $300,000 and range from about 1,700 to 2,000 square feet, says Peggy Singson, general manager at Gridiron Development Inc, the project's builder and developer.

The Woods illustrates how developers are willing to gamble on new condo developments in Deerfield Township and Mason, though single-family home construction is down and land is scarce for condo development in those areas.

Bill Heckman, president of Builder Resources, a Blue Ash-based real estate brokerage and consulting firm, said several factors are driving the trend:

- Deerfield Township and Mason are maturing meighborhoods where land prices have risen to a point where builders are encouraged to provide attached housing that tends to be more affordable.

- There are a growing muber of households withough children who are attracted to the recently adaded amenities in the neighborhoods, including the new Deerfield Towne Center.

- Now that many of their kids are off to college, some residents who moved into those areas a dozen years ago are often downsizing to condos to remain in the neighborhood.

Requests for zoning permits for condos in 2006 were 107, up from 99 in 2005, said Ronnie Caldwell, the township's enforcement officer. Through April this year 39 permits were requested, up from 32 from the same last year.