E.5 Housing Profile Introduction The quality and condition of housing are extremely important to the growth and prosperity of a community. Attractive, affordable housing that is well maintained will assure a sound tax base that will continue to appreciate in value and provide residents with one component of an environment that is conducive to a healthful and pleasing life. Where substandard or deteriorated conditions exist, public and private action is necessary to prevent the spread of these conditions and to restore these areas to a sound state. By analyzing existing and historic housing characteristics, those areas and needs of the region which require attention can be identified and suited with appropriate actions. Data collected on housing can be used in conjunction with demographic characteristics and population projections to determine the amount and types of homes that will be needed to accommodate the current and future projected population. People of different ages and lifestyles will choose their housing based on different factors including the size of the property or structure, location, affordability to their specific income or living situation, required maintenance, structural layout, and nearby amenities. In many ways, homes that are located in boroughs and urban settings have the potential to appeal to a diverse demographic. Older adults may appreciate the proximity to services and the ability to walk to reach their daily needs. Young families with school aged children may appreciate neighborhood parks and sidewalks in the community that increase safety for children. Boroughs often contain an older housing stock, which may be attractive to young adults and first time home buyers that may not be able to afford a new home. This chapter will analyze the types and location of housing in the Imagine West Shore region and investigate recent trends and their impacts on the housing stock and its ability to provide for and appeal to the existing population. Description of Terms The following terms are found throughout this chapter and are listed as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Household – A household includes all of the people who occupy a housing unit as their usual place of residence. Housing Unit – A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a mobile home or trailer, a group of rooms, or a single room occupied as separate living quarters or, if vacant, intended for occupancy as separate living quarters. Manufactured Home – A mobile housing unit. Multi-unit structure (multi-family unit) – A building that contains more than one housing unit, for example, an apartment building. Owner-occupied housing unit – A housing unit is owner-occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid. Renter-occupied housing unit – all occupied units which are not owner occupied, whether they are rented for cash rent or occupied without payment of cash rent, are classified as renter-occupied. Single unit, attached – a one-unit structure that has one or more walls extending from ground to roof separating it from adjoining structures. In row houses (sometimes called townhouses), double houses, or Imagine West Shore represents a collaborative planning effort among Camp Hill, Lemoyne, and Wormleysburg to build upon our location, promote our diversity, and encourage opportunities for revitalization to realize our vision of serving as the gateway to the West Shore. E.5-1 Final Draft - January 9, 2009 Imagine West Shore houses attached to nonresidential structures, each house is a separate, attached structure if the dividing or common wall goes from the ground to the roof. Single unit, detached – a one-unit structure detached from any other house; that is, with open space on all four sides. Such structures are considered detached even if they have an adjoining shed or garage. A one-family house that contains a business is considered detached as long as the building has open space on all four sides. Mobile homes or trailers to which one or more permanent rooms have been added or built also are included. Two or more units – Units in structures containing two or more housing units, further categorized as units in structures with 2, 3, 4, 5 to 9, 10 to 19, 20 to 49, and 50 or more units. Vacant housing unit – a housing unit is vacant if no one is living in it at the time of enumeration, unless its occupants are only temporarily absent. Units temporarily occupied entirely by people who have a usual residence elsewhere at the time of enumeration are also classified as vacant. Year structure built – the date the building was first constructed, not when it was remodeled, added to, or converted. The data on year structure built were obtained from both occupied and vacant housing units. The data relate to the number of units built during the specified periods that were still in existence at the time of enumeration. Historic Housing Unit Construction This section analyzes the age of the housing stock and recent building trends as they pertain to the Imagine West Shore region. Structural age is compared to the age of units in nearby boroughs, Cumberland County, and the state. In general, boroughs in the state were settled and developed prior to development in the townships. Many times, the oldest housing stock in a county is found in its boroughs. Figure E.5.1 and Figure E.5.2 are discussed in this section and represent the year of construction for housing units that were standing in March of 2000. Housing units that were previously constructed, but have since been demolished, are not included. Imagine West Shore represents a collaborative planning effort among Camp Hill, Lemoyne, and Wormleysburg to build upon our location, promote our diversity, and encourage opportunities for revitalization to realize our vision of serving as the gateway to the West Shore. E.5-2 Final Draft - January 9, 2009 Imagine West Shore Figure E.5.1. Year and Number of Housing Unit Construction in the IWS Region, March 2000 2,500 2,000 Camp Hill 1,500 Lemoyne Wormleysburg 1,000 500 0 Built 1939 or Built 1940 to Built 1950 to Built 1960 to Built 1970 to Built 1980 to Built 1990- earlier 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 March 2000 Source: Cumberland County Planning Commission Figure E.5.2. Year and Number of Housing Unit Construction, March 2000 Pennsylvania 50 45 Cumberland County 40 Camp Hill 35 Lemoyne 30 Wormleysburg 25 Mechanicsburg 20 New 15 Cumberland 10 5 0 Built 1939 Built 1940 to Built 1950 to Built 1960 to Built 1970 to Built 1980 to Built 1990- or earlier 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 March 2000 *This represents the year of housing unit construction for units currently standing as of March 2000 Source: Cumberland County Planning Commission Imagine West Shore represents a collaborative planning effort among Camp Hill, Lemoyne, and Wormleysburg to build upon our location, promote our diversity, and encourage opportunities for revitalization to realize our vision of serving as the gateway to the West Shore. E.5-3 Final Draft - January 9, 2009 Imagine West Shore Trends in Pennsylvania and Cumberland County • Pennsylvania contains a large stock of older homes. Over 30% of the total units were constructed prior to 1940. • Housing units constructed in the 1950s and the 1970s comprise the second and third largest percentages of the housing stock in the state. • Although Cumberland County has a lot of homes that were constructed prior to 1940, this percentage is not nearly as large as that in the state. • Cumberland County has a larger percentage of more recently constructed units than the state. Approximately 70% of the homes in the county were constructed in the 1960s or later, compared to 45% in the state. Imagine West Shore Regional and Municipal Trends • Most of the housing stock in the region was constructed prior to 1940. Considering the region as a whole, a similar percentage of units were constructed prior to 1940 as in Pennsylvania, but development patterns in the individual boroughs differ. • Lemoyne Borough has the largest percentage of housing units constructed prior to 1940. The percentage of units constructed each decade since 1940 decreased until the 1970s, when the borough saw a slight increase in the number of units constructed. The percentage decreased again in the 1980s, but increased slightly between 1990 and 2000. • Although Camp Hill has nearly 24% of its housing stock comprised of units constructed prior to 1940, the largest decade of construction in Camp Hill was during the 1950s. The amount of units constructed since 1950 decreased each decade until a slight increase was seen in the 1990s. • Wormleysburg Borough has the newest housing stock of the municipalities in the region. The largest decade of housing unit construction was the 1960s, and the borough has a lower percentage of housing units constructed prior to 1940 than all of the other comparable geographies, except Cumberland County. • Development trends in Camp Hill have been similar to those that occurred in New Cumberland in most decades. • Mechanicsburg and New Cumberland have an older housing stock than the boroughs in the IWS region, with the exception of Lemoyne. Table E.5.1 Year of Housing Unit Construction, March 2000 Built 1990- Built 1980 to Built 1970 to Built 1960 to Built 1950 to Built 1940 to Built 1939 or March 2000 1989 1979 1969 1959 1949 earlier Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Pennsylvania 546,277 10.41 531,986 10.13 709,768 13.52 595,897 11.35 752,400 14.33 522,749 9.96 1,590,673 30.30 Cumberland County 14,302