Both realtor.com and the housing app Zillow put the average price for a single-family home in Springboro in the mid-$400,000 range, out of reach for many would-be homebuyers just starting out in their careers.
Springboro’s solution? Create a neighborhood specifically for that demographic while simultaneously improving the overall look of the city.
Springboro City Council is considering an ordinance for a Planned Urban Development on East Street on the edge of the city’s historic district to build up to eight single-family homes expressly to sell first-time buyers.
Pozzuto said the plan calls from two-story homes, roughly 1,500 square feet, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and detached garages.
The anticipated asking price is $315,000 to $325,000, below the $450,000 median cost in the city and more than half the cost of new single-family homes under construction now which fall in the $600,000 to $800,000 range and above.
Beyond the financial, there are limitations on who will be eligible to buy in the East Street PUD and what the homes can be used for, Pozzuto said.
Homes will be restricted to first-time buyers and must be owner-occupied, meaning no renters.
“We want to ensure that future residents that purchase these homes live in these homes,” Pozzuto said. “Then if they outgrow the home building a family, they will hopefully move to another home within Springboro and start the cycle over again, attracting first-time home buyers.”
The East Street location is strategic.
Two years ago, the city purchased five homes and properties on a little more than an acre of land between North Street and Market Street, an area Pozzuto said was not very well maintained and caused some blight.
“We were able to demolish the buildings and prepare the site for redevelopment that would add value to the surrounding neighborhood while at the same time maintaining the historic feel of the area,” he said.
Springboro’s Architectural Review Board and Planning Commission approved the plan in late 2025, and City Council heard a first reading of the ordinance at its first meeting of 2026 on Jan. 16.
Council will consider a final plan at a later meeting.
The approach to first-time home buyers is a good one, according to Ron Sweeney, owner and managing partner of Coldwell Banker Heritage and Lingle.
“It’s very hard to get housing in Springboro under $300,000,” he said.
The entire I-675 corridor from Beavercreek to I-75 at the merger of Centerville and Miamisburg is the “hottest” market in the entire Dayton region for single-family homes, Sweeney said, along with growing interest in the Tipp City area.
Buyers are attracted to the region for a variety of reasons including strong school systems, the availability of land in places like Waynesville, local amenities such as park systems and the arts, dining options, and easy access to numerous major metro areas.
“This is the best 90-minute market in the country by far,” Sweeney said. With Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Toledo all within a two-hour drive, people want to be in the corridor.
It’s reflected in the prices they’re willing to pay and the shrinking amount of inventory available.
In 2023, 404 single-family units priced under $400,000 were sold at an average price of $303,000 in the Springboro-Clearcreek Township area, according to Sweeney and MLS figures. 2024 saw 384 units move for an average $315,000 sale price. Last year, units dropped to 367 while average price climbed to $321,000.
Sweeney said 2026 is off to a “brisk” start for listings and sales, a trend he expects to continue this year and into 2027.
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