For the second consecutive year, the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio's Parade of Homes will shift toward the fall.
The BIA announced last week the annual event will be held from Sept. 3-18 at developer Romanelli and Hughes' Verona subdivision in Powell.
The parade initially was scheduled to start in mid-July and run through the end of the month at the site, formerly home to Shamrock Golf Club.
Jim Hilz, executive director of the BIA, said officials made the change to make sure builders had enough time to present their best work to the public.
"These are going to be very high-end houses," he said.
Sixteen area builders -- the most to participate in the past decade -- will reveal residences expected to range from $700,000 to more than $1 million at the annual showcase.
Beyond spending ample time trying to construct the highest quality houses, Hilz said some of the builders ran into delays while seeking needed labor and permits for their projects. He said "most" of the builders could have met the July opening date, if needed, but BIA officials ultimately chose to be conservative with their scheduling.
The upcoming parade of homes will be the first within Powell city limits since the late 1980s. The Powell area last hosted the event in 2014 at the Trail's End neighborhood in Liberty Township.
The site of this year's parade was located just outside of city limits until last spring, when Powell City Council voted to annex the 114-acre former golf course. The property sits between state Route 750 and Seldom Seen Road just Northeast of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Powell spokeswoman Megan Canavan said the city's role will be mostly limited to helping the BIA "market and promote the event."
Hilz said the location of the neighborhood, which will feed into the Olentangy Local School District, has contributed to a positive buzz about the event.
"I know the builders from day one were really excited about the location and the school district," he said.
Last year, the parade was conducted at the Northstar Community near Sunbury. The event initially was scheduled for June before being pushed back to early fall to give builders more time to work.
This year's parade marks the fifth time in the past six years the event has been held in Delaware County.
