STATUS: PENDING
The Liberty Township Zoning Commission is currently reviewing a proposed PUD to be located at Heimberger Lane and Stoudertown Rd. The developer is proposing the construction of 131 single family homes plus 20 acres of patio condos and 2.7 acres of yet to be specified commercial buildings on the Roshon property. The development will have central water and sewer as well as three retention ponds and 30% green space. It is believed that this development will place a 250-student burden on the Pickerington School District. The proposal has been sent to Regional Planning and kicked back for changes four times. Now, the Zoning Commission is being asked to review the preliminary proposal. Do we want Liberty Township to become another Violet Township????
What will high impact, high density housing do for Liberty Township? About what it did for Violet Township... but we have the vote and the law on our side. - PROPERTY DEVELOPERS DO NOT PAY FULL COST of building, servicing and maintaining homes... so they do not have the exclusive right to do whatever they want with their land. The community has the right to know the full cost of sprawl and to direct the development to where it costs the community the least and provides the greatest benefit. Attaching to our septic system is just one of the many public subsidies that taxpayers will have to pay.
- $5,000 - $10,000 PER HOME is the estimated cost in property taxes.
- WHEN PICKERINGTON'S HIGH SCHOOL OPENS, it is expected to be at full capacity and some anticipate that trailer classrooms will be needed for the opening. Why? Because high-density development increases the number of students in the schools at a rate that taxpayers cannot sustain or afford. 237 units x 2.3 children = 545 new students that need a school.
- TRYING TO BUILD JUST OVER THE VIOLET TOWNSHIP LINE (in Liberty Township) allows them to escape and totally disregard the expressed goals of the majority of Violet Township citizens that have voted on numerous referendums to control the quality of their schools. Developers' total disregard for that community has resulted in recall vote of their city council and mayor and the development of a building moratorium until a reasonable, responsible development plan can be developed.
- RETAIL AND HIGH-DENSITY CONDOMINIUMS... in the middle of an established low-density, single-family residential area is completely inconsistent with our neighborhood and the reason people moved to this area.
- MISLEAD... our community was told in numerous meetings that the new septic system would be at almost full capacity and could only handle 50 to 70 more houses as the area developed... and that this would not facilitate high-density, high-impact development. Were we mislead??? How can we trust them to be honest with us?
- SEPTIC SYSTEM... they say they will "add on" to our brand new septic system that we are all presently paying to build. Why did they wait to "add on"? How are the costs shared? Can the system really handle 237 units and retail demands? Will it be like the sewage problems that Dublin has with its new development... having to fix it every year?
- OTHER COSTS... 237 units plus retail... 237 x 2 to 3 cars per unit = 600 to 700 cars and delivery trucks for retail each morning and evening on Heimberger Lane and Stoudertown Road!!!
- INCREASED TAXES... it is clearly established that high-impact, high-density development increases the demand for many township, county and state services. Increased police and fire services, road widening and continued road maintenance, stoplights, road signage, septic system costs and increased property taxes.
- QUALITY OF LIFE... issues such as congestion, traffic, crime, noise and air pollution and the loss of green space, crowded schools all add up to one thing... LOWER PROPERTY VALUES and a lower quality of life for our neighborhood.
- WHY NOT RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT? Why not 2-acre lots that is consistent with our neighborhood and our vision of our community and most of the surrounding area. Fifty 2-acre lots at $45,000 will fetch you well over $2 million. They want to put 237 units plus retail on 200 acres (after taking away easements under power lines, etc.). You have 70 acres divided by 237 = 0.29 average per acre... closer to ¼ acre when you consider putting streets into the equation. Of course, they want to separate houses from condos to confuse the issue.
- WE HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT to vote on local zoning, but if we miss that opportunity, then other land use regulations like subdivision regulations and building codes, text and map amendments that could change the developments make up drastically do not require a vote of unincorporated township residents.
- HOME RULE… where new residents would have to share in all of the new costs of new development is another option that New Albany, Granville and Pickerington are involved with to help control growth…and we should all look into this option.
- WHO TO CALL… Liberty Township Zoning Commission…ask about our right to vote.
- IF NECESSARY, there are legal and septic experts that we can all contribute to hiring that would be far less expensive than the long term costs of high-impact, high-density development!
- ATTEND MEETINGS!!! See the Meetings Calendar page for more information.
- MAKE YOUR VOICE COUNT!! Please call, write or e-mail the Zoning Commission, Regional Planning Commission, County Commissioners and Township Trustees. You may also write the Ohio Ethics Commission, the Attorney General's Office and many anti-urban sprawl organizations are available to help us fight this problem.
- LEARN MORE about PUDs! Read the following article:
Optional Approaches To Planned Unit Development Zoning PDF
(published by the County Commissioners Association of Ohio)
- O.R.R.D. obtained the following copy of a letter from September 2003 to the Roshon's attorney Mike Shannon from Donna Clerk, Liberty Township Zoning Commission Clerk regarding the Zoning Commission's review of the Roshon P.U.D. plan:
Dear Attorney Shannon:
Monday, September 8, 2003 Liberty Township Zoning Commission reviewed the Roshon P.U.D. plan with concerns in these categories. Lot sizes; 3/4 quarter of an acre equals 30,000 sq. ft. The smaller lots seem to be a question. Size has not been determined by members. One exit on Elsie Drive is not adequate or accepted and is impossible for the back drive to accommodate the traffic flow. Concern for more entry ways for safety and emergency vehicles. The green space is designated with high tension wires in the vicinity where children will be present. Elimination of the commercial space and condominiums were expressed. Surface water, drainage and retention ponds are in question as to the ability to hold the volume of water necessary. Integrity should be shown on Stoudertown Rd. If you have any questions please contact our Chairman Tom Shreyer, 740-862-6969 or Zoning Inspector Billy Phillips 740-862-6615. Our next meeting will be October 13, 2003 with the place and time to be announced later. Thank you,
Donna King, Clerk
740-862-1907
To view the actual letter in PDF format, click HERE to download.
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