Showcasing Parma Heights

I am pleased to announce that the City of Parma Heights is hosting the Akron Cleveland Association of Realtors (ACAR) at the Cassidy Theatre on Thursday, March 23, 2017, for a pilot program called “Becoming Familiar with Cuyahoga County Municipalities.”  Realtors in attendance will receive one continuing education credit.

“ACAR is excited to launch this new program in Parma Heights. This session is an excellent opportunity for real estate agents to learn what is new in the city, which ultimately helps them better assist home buyers and sellers. We look forward to offering similar programs in other communities throughout Cuyahoga and Summit Counties” says Jamie McMillen, Vice President of Government Affairs.

As Mayor, I am excited for the opportunity to meet with local realtors and promote all that Parma Heights has to offer new residents and families. The idea of getting this information directly into the hands of the people selling homes here is groundbreaking. 

According to a cleveland.com article published on January 2, 2017, the median age in Parma Heights is 40.6, lower than every surrounding suburb. Parma Heights has so much to offer residents of all ages and we welcome the young families that are moving here.  And there is even more good news to report, while our median age has decreased, our property values have increased, and that trend, according to Zillow, is expected to continue throughout the year.

Our homes are affordable, our housing stock is well-maintained, and my city administration prides itself on providing the highest quality of safety and public services. This event with area realtors is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the many recreation amenities, community events, organizations and cultural opportunities in the Greenbrier Commons. Since becoming Mayor, one of the top priorities of my administration has been to provide various interesting recreation programs for residents of all ages, particularly for families with children. Our first “Kids in the Commons” event last summer was a huge success and we are already looking forward to this year’s activities.

Our connectivity to the Cleveland Metroparks and the fact that every resident is within easy walking distance of a neighborhood park is a great selling/buying feature for area realtors. The National Association of Realtors Winter 2017 issue of their quarterly magazine On Common Ground headlined a story about the market demand for “Walkable Neighborhoods” stating that “If a place is more walkable, people will spend more money locally.” This is exactly what we are implementing step-by-step, with a variety of funding sources, as a part of our updated Master Plan. You may have seen the new ADA ramps constructed and paid for with block grant dollars, making Pearl Road more pedestrian and bike/stroller friendly. As we continue to implement the Master Plan’s recommendations, we will be planting the seeds of economic development along the Pearl Road Corridor which will grow and flourish for years to come with endless possibilities. This will undoubtedly increase the quality of life for our residents and spur a continuing increase in home ownership and property values.

For young families, quality education is a key component in every home search. We are proud of the Parma City School District schools within our border, Parma Park Elementary and Valley Forge High School, as well as with the partnerships we have developed with the STEM program at Pleasant Valley Elementary and art program at Greenbrier Middle School. Additionally, there are two charter schools, Pearl Road Constellation and Invictus High School, and two private schools, Incarnate Word Academy and Holy Name High School, located here. We also want prospective residents to know that we are home to a diverse religious population with five different denomination churches serving thousands of residents with ministry services.

Parma Heights is a four-square-mile First Suburb. We are a small community in a big city location with 20,000 residents living on tree-lined streets in neighborhoods where residents really care about one another; and that’s what we want people to know when they consider purchasing a home in Parma Heights.