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PrintDublin: Housing
An easy place to call home
Oak Park features a village-style community with two-story and ranch houses.
Bryan Barr
From new builds in communities crisscrossed with scenic trails to resale homes situated on tree-lined streets, houses continue to sell steadily in Dublin. Highly rated schools, an abundance of recreational opportunities, second-to-none city services and a great community spirit combine to make Dublin one of Central Ohio’s strongest draws for house hunters.
The city offers a wide assortment of housing choices—everything from mega-sized estate homes perched on world-class golf courses to condos with affordable price tags to efficiently designed ranches in walkable neighborhoods.
“Dublin has done remarkably well compared to virtually all of the other outerbelt communities,” says Rick Benjamin, a Realtor with RE/MAX Premier Choice and president of the Columbus Board of Realtors. “We’ve remained stable.”
A Dublin resident since 1977, Benjamin attributes Dublin’s appeal to a variety of factors, including its schools, extensive bike paths, numerous parks, exceptional city services and proximity to freeways, shopping and restaurants. From January through July 2011, Dublin homes had an average sale price of $335,102 and spent an average of 107 days on the market, according to data provided by the Columbus Board of Realtors.
In recent years, Dublin’s housing focus has shifted from fast-paced, new-build growth to single-family homes and condo resales. “New builds are continuing to do well, but we don’t have the kind of building we had in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s,” observes Benjamin. “We are a maturing community, but our infrastructure and our ability to attract and retain business is very good.”
“We’ve gone from a community being built to a community being maintained,” says Marsha Grigsby, Dublin’s city manager, “and the good news is, we do have the resources to maintain our streets and parks.”
The city’s highly rated school system is one of the top reasons people choose Dublin. “In Dublin, they’re making their purchases based on the school district, whether they want Jerome High School or Scioto or Coffman,” says Roberta Kayne, president of the Greater Dublin Realtors Association and a Realtor with RE/MAX Affiliates.
Residents say the city’s highly efficient services, from trash collection to snow removal to police protection, rank high among the reasons they stay. And nearly 80 homeowners’ associations increase their sense of community.
Peg Alexis, president of the Riverside Woods homeowners association, says Dublin gives its residents the tools to foster a strong connection to their community. Last spring, the city awarded the Riverside Woods association a 50/50 matching grant to beautify the community’s pond. Most of the neighborhood turned out to plant perennials and arrange rocks. “When we did the pond project, it gave us a great sense of community and a great sense of neighborhood,” says Alexis. “Because of Dublin offering a program like this, it gave us a chance to do something together, as a project. Dublin’s an amazing community to live in.”
Dublin’s abundance of green space is another attraction; the city has a multitude of parks and more than 100 miles of bike trails. “It’s hard not to think of parks and open spaces when you talk about Dublin,” says Grigsby. “They range from the small neighborhood parks that you can walk to from your house to larger-scaled community parks where kids can play baseball and soccer.”
Kayne says the clean lines of the community’s homes and the charm of historic downtown Dublin are among her favorite selling points. “It’s convenient to everywhere,” she adds. “There’s the Dublin Irish Festival and St. Patrick’s Day and the Art Fair and a lot of city activities. There’s always something interesting going on here.”
“Dublin is an easy place to call home, between the schools and the rec center and the bike paths and the parks in each neighborhood,” says Alli Close, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker King Thompson. “You have very much a sense of community in Dublin.”
Close has found she can seal the deal on Dublin when she takes relocating families to see the spacious Dublin Community Recreation Center, with its pools, fitness area, jogging track, gym and theater. “The rec center is a huge selling point in Dublin,” she says, “especially for families with young children.”
She’s also seen first-hand the popularity of the city’s cycling trails. “One thing people love are the bike paths that go from neighborhood to neighborhood,” she says. “You can go through the neighborhoods without hitting a major road. Dublin has a lot of tunnels that go under the roads, so you don’t have to deal with traffic.”
Dublin also is a haven for those who crave gorgeous golf course views. Muirfield Village—home to both the Muirfield Village Golf Club, the championship course where the Memorial Tournament is played, and the Country Club at Muirfield Village—has the look and feel of a golf course community throughout. Homes began selling at Muirfield in 1974, the same year the golf course opened for play.
In Muirfield, you can find everything from a $200,000 condo to a $3 million mansion, but the average home price is around $450,000. One of the community’s best perks: 29 miles of bike paths that wind through the area. As part of their neighborhood dues, Muirfield residents also have access to two pools and two tennis courts.
It was the development of Muirfield and the completion of I-270 in the 1970s that transformed Dublin from a country village into a fast-growing suburb. From 1970 to 1980, the city’s population shot up by more than 450 percent. Since the beginning of the boom, Dublin officials have worked hard to manage the city’s growth. “They have a vision for what they’re doing, and they’ve retained that vision,” says Benjamin.
Dublin has used rigorous building standards to keep the attractive appearance of its communities. “People know that when they come to build in Dublin, residential or commercial, the quality will be maintained throughout the city,” says Grigsby.
And city officials continue to plan ahead. In the future, those seeking an urban lifestyle will be able to find it in Dublin’s Bridge Street Corridor, a neighborhood just east and south of I-270 to Sawmill Road. The area, currently being rezoned, encompasses the city’s existing historic district, which will be preserved throughout development.
Planners envision the Bridge Street Corridor as a mixed-use community with the look and feel of an energy-filled downtown. Residents will be able to stroll to shops, restaurants, entertainment and work. Housing options will include the styles you would expect in a higher density, urban environment: condos, lofts and townhouses.
“What’s going to be really special about the Bridge Street Corridor is that it will have really great green space to help tie the urban network together,” says Rachel Ray, a planner with the city of Dublin.
If you’re on the hunt for a new house in a more traditional suburban setting, Virginia Homes is building single-family homes at Tartan West starting around $360,000. The houses feature attractive lots that back up to ponds, woods and the Riviera Golf Course. Virginia Homes also is building in the Dublin neighborhoods of Wedgewood Glen and Bishop Run.
Buyers can find a good range of resale homes at Tartan West. Created in the mid 2000s at Hyland-Croy Road and Corazon Drive, Tartan West features a mix of uniquely styled condos, including townhouses, mid-rise units and patio homes, along with single-family homes. The community is built on rolling, wooded land, and its walking paths lead to nearby Glacier Ridge Metro Park. The condos, from builders such as Truberry Group and Newbury Homes, are priced from the low $300,000s and up.
Tartan Ridge, site of the 2009 BIA Parade of Homes, is another good bet for newly built homes in a beautiful neighborhood. Developed by the Edwards Land Company and located off Jerome Road, Tartan Ridge features a 10-acre park and curving, tree-lined streets. Homes are priced from $360,000 to $900,000 and up.
Bob Webb Homes builds single-family houses in Dublin neighborhoods such as Tartan Ridge and Ballantrae. “Dublin brings a lot to the table as far as its school system and amenities,” says Neil Rogers, vice president of Bob Webb Homes. “It’s a great place to live.”
You don’t need a large-scale budget to live in Dublin or the Dublin school district. For example, homes at Heather Glen, located off Woerner Temple Road, are in the $175,000 to $225,000 range. Heather Glen homes were built in the mid 1990s, have three or four bedrooms and average around 1,850 square feet.
For buyers in the market for an affordably priced condo, Kayne recommends Greystone Mews, a new community built by M/I Homes. Located off Sawmill Road, Greystone Mews has two-story, Energy Star-certified homes ranging from 2,446 to 2,668 square feet and priced from $250,000 to $290,000.
Another well-priced subdivision is Brandon, located off Dublin Road, where a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home costs between $250,000 and $350,000. “It’s got lots of bike paths and trails and a lot of mature trees,” says Close.
Bristol Common, off Brand Road, is a move-up neighborhood with an especially convenient location. Priced from $350,000 to $500,000, the houses are all two-story. “It’s a very comfortable neighborhood, built in the mid ’90s, so the homes still have a lot of the amenities,” says Close.
One of Dublin’s most unique communities is Ballantrae, an Irish-themed, master-planned community built around a public, links-style golf course. Located off Woerner Temple Road, the community is in Dublin, with Hilliard schools. Ballantrae is set apart by its rustic, hand-stacked stone fences and an entry park with a whimsical dancing hares sculpture. It features single-family houses, condos and patio homes priced from the $300,000s to $700,000s.
Ballantrae, site of the 2002 Parade of Homes, was in the spotlight again this year when Fischer Homes built the St. Jude Home of Dreams there. The house was raffled off in October, with proceeds benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Fischer Homes’ owners are strong believers in the St. Jude mission and have previously built five other homes outside of Central Ohio that were sold to benefit the research hospital.
Fischer Homes also builds houses in the $400,000 range in Dublin’s Riverside Woods, and the company plans to build in Jerome Village. “Dublin continues to be one of the, if not the, most desired locations for new homes in Central Ohio,” says Jon Jasper, vice president/division manager at Fischer Homes. “We always try to find communities people would be thrilled to live in, and everything about Dublin applies to that. Dublin is a phenomenal place and people love to live there.”
One community in Dublin that reflects today’s changing market demands is Oak Park, built by Hallmark Homes. A village-style, master-planned community that broke ground in 2008, Oak Park has two-story and ranch homes that range from 2,400 to 3,500 square feet and are priced from the mid $300,000s to mid $400,000s.
“We’re finding out that today’s buyers do not want larger homes with excess space,” says Bill Hayes, Hallmark Homes owner’s representative and manager of building and sales at Oak Park. “They are looking for quality, usable square footage.”
At Oak Park, ranches are 2,400 to 2,800 square feet. “The ranch plans we came up with fit the entire demographic, from empty nesters to young families, with an abundance of living space but nothing wasteful,” says Hayes. “And we can provide it at a price point that people are comfortable in buying.”
Bordered by Hyland-Croy Road and Mitchell Dewitt Road, not far from Jerome High School, Oak Park was designed for walkability. Forty percent of the community has been reserved as open space for parks, ponds and walking paths.
“We love the Dublin community,” says Hayes. “It’s a close-knit, well-organized, very proud community, and we love being part of it.” n
