LIMA, OH (WLIO) - A Lima businessman is helping improve the city's housing stock one project at a time.
Joe Croft owns Sky Buildings and Elite Concrete Creations, and his crew is putting the finishing touches on the renovation they did at 825 South Elizabeth Street. Croft says that since 2019, they have invested around 5 million dollars into homes around the city for people to buy, and he expects to invest the same amount over the next few years.
Croft grew up in Lima and has a connection to South Elizabeth Street. He sees the benefits of investing in the south side of the city.
"Everyone wants to concentrate on the west side of Lima or the north side of Lima, but they forget that this was the original Lima area down here. And so many investors forget that. They are like, Why are you building a house next to this house or this house three doors down? If you don't start someplace, you are not going to start at all," says Joe Croft, owner of Sky Buildings and Elite Concrete Creations.
Croft is looking at a lot of vacant lots to build new houses, including two that sit in between two projects he is doing on South Elizabeth.
"They took a chance on the 6th ward and the city of Lima, and I appreciate so much on this. And a lot of people have been calling me about the project here on Elizabeth. They are excited about it. I love to hear that; it excites me more. We are going to make some changes here, and we are going to work very hard to make these changes," says Councilman Derry Glenn, Lima's 6th ward.
While Croft has a few projects in the 6th Ward, he says he is bringing future homes all over the city, and that approach is needed to improve housing in Lima.
