From Cincinnati.com, 6/4/07:

 

 

Fairfield Falls reduces housing units in Fairfield Township subdivision

Contributed By Sue Kiesewetter | Enquirer contributor

 

There will be five fewer housing units built in a Fairfield Township subdivision now under construction.

 

Fairfield Falls LLC was given the go ahead to replace some of its planned three-unit buildings with single-family, detached patio homes. That will bring the total number of units to 130.

 

The project is being constructed on 51.5-acre tract located off Liberty-Fairfield Road, between it and the Great Miami River. About 10 families now live there.

 

“We tried to make the detached units the same as the attached only with different elevation,’’ said Steve O’Callaghan, with Fairfield Falls. “The intent is they are going to look similar to what is there.”

 

O’Callaghan spoke with township trustees recently to address concerns of residents living there.

 

“We didn’t want the ambiance changed,’’ said Ron Honerlaw, one of the residents living there. “I don’t think there will be an objection.”

 

Each of the homes planned for the subdivision ranges from 1,300 to 2,200 square feet, depending on the model. Prices vary between $175,000 and $300,000. The homes are targeted to empty nesters.

 

The change in the plan will increase the amount of green space in the project from about 25 percent to 55 percent, O’Callahan said.

 

Construction should continue about five years before the project is completed. It is being built in three phases.

 

http://rodeo.cincinnati.com/getlocal/gpstory.aspx?id=100063&sid=113562

 

From the 6/5/07 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

 

Officials table master plan

Family members will select a developer to help make the new residential plan a reality.

By Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writer

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

 

LIBERTY TWP. — The fate of the largest privately owned plot of land in this burgeoning Butler County township will need to wait at least two weeks.

 

That's because township trustees Tuesday evening tabled a decision regarding the property's rezoning until after a June 12 board of zoning appeals meeting.

 

That's welcome news to Gerry Stoker, who said he supports Marc Terry's site master plan for nearly 331 acres along Ohio 747 just north of Princeton Road, but expressed concerns about several variances Terry is requesting. Those proposed variances include:

 

• A 33 percent reduction of open space.

 

• An increase from 2.125 dwelling units per acre to 2.457 dwelling units per acre.

 

• A 70 percent reduction of side yard setback.

 

"The owner/developer has already been granted a substantial, 25 percent density-increase bonus," Stoker said. "To approve additional variances which deviate from the spirit and intent of the local law and the comprehensive master plan is a disservice to your constituents and degrades the integrity and welfare of the surrounding properties."

 

Terry, 50, said he and several other family members who are now living on the farm are working to select a developer who will ensure the type and quality of development that they are seeking.

 

That led the family to develop a conceptual design that divides the property into varying levels of residential use, including empty-nester homes, single-family attached or detached units, estate lots, family lots and manor-sized lots. The plan also includes 90 acres of mixed use that would include a combination of retail, residential, office and community facilities.

 

"The family's desire is not, per se, in quantity, but in quality," Terry said. "We are not developers. My interest is to see that this farm is developed in a very natural, beautiful environment ... because all the family members are going to remain living on the farm at this time and we want a very nice place. "

 

The township's zoning commission voted last month to recommend that trustees approve rezoning 98 acres of the site to business planned unit development and the remaining 233 acres to residential planned unit development.

 

Trustees voted unanimously to suspend a decision on the matter until their June 18 meeting.

 

For more information, call (513) 759-7500.

 

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected].

 

http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/05/hjn060507libmeet.html

 

Both from the 6/7/07 Pulse-Journal:

 

 

Liberty is township subdivision king for ninth straight year

Residential growth means more retail, medical opportunities for area, realtor says.

By Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writer

Thursday, June 07, 2007

 

For the ninth year in a row, subdivision growth in the wide-open spaces of Liberty Twp. is outpacing all other Butler County townships.

 

The township saw 175 single residency home subdivision lots developed on 80.7 acres last year, according to an annual report released in May by the Butler County Engineer's Office. That growth outpaced West Chester Twp., which saw 144 lots developed on 85.5 acres in 2006.

 

President of developer Monroe Crossings Harry Thomas, Jr., 62, said it's no surprise that Liberty Twp. remains so fertile an area for subdivision development.

 

"It's a wonderful township to work in," he said. "It's got the right ground. It's well serviced by roads... and it has a great school district."

 

For the past 40 years, Thomas has built "scores" of subdivisions of varying scale in Hamilton, Fairfield, Fairfield Twp., West Chester Twp. and Liberty Twp.

 

But with land in most of those areas already platted, the 4,000 acres earmarked for development by Liberty Twp.'s comprehensive land use plan is bound to attract the attention of developers, he said.

 

"There was a bank robber who was caught years ago and they asked him 'Why do you rob banks?' He answered, 'Because that's where the money is.'

 

"Why do you develop in Liberty? Because that's where the land is," Thomas said.

 

Jim Tarter of Re/Max Results Plus in Liberty Twp. said continued subdivision growth in the township benefits the community at large through new hospital facilities, retail development and schools.

 

"There never would have been that commercial growth to benefit all the residents if we never had all this residential growth in our area," he said.

 

Typically, the families that move into Liberty Twp. are upper-end wage earners looking for a lifestyle that benefits their young children, Tarter said.

 

"When people come into our town, the main reason is because they want kids to play with their kids," he said.

 

Subdivision growth last year in Liberty Twp. created 23 streets, or about three new miles of streets in the township.

 

To gauge the effect subdivision growth might have on local roads, officials from the Butler County Engineer's Office estimate that each new household will make an average of 10 trips per day, said BCEO spokesman Chris Petrocy.

 

"So if you have one of these new subdivisions where you're putting in 200 homes, you have 2,000 additional vehicle trips being generated by that subdivision," he said. "You have to look at what impact that has on the surrounding roadways."

 

Liberty Twp. was second overall in county municipalities. The area with the top subdivision lot growth was the city of Monroe, which had 218 subdivision lots, including condominium lots.

 

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected].

 

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/06/pjw060707subdivisions.html

 

^

"So if you have one of these new subdivisions where you're putting in 200 homes, you have 2,000 additional vehicle trips being generated by that subdivision," he said. "You have to look at what impact that has on the surrounding roadways."

 

You also have to look at the impact of all that traffic on existing residents.  A lot of houses along those 2-lane roads are somewhat close to the road, and all that extra traffic brings a lot of headaches to the existing residents - something the existing residents are never compensated for.  Furthermore, the additional (projected) traffic causes the towns to rush to expand roads, which take away front-yard from existing houses, leaving some of them so close to the road that they are virtually worthless.  True, existing residents are compensated to some degree for their lost yard (I do not know the formula), but I suspect when the road gets so close to the house that it lowers the value of the house (some to near zero), I bet the homeowners are not adequately compensated.

 

Continued urban sprawl is not always a good thing.  Local townships and counties around here to a poor job protecting existing citizens from the effects of continued development. 

 

Remember, houses were built along these roads back when the roads were dirt. They were built by farmers who wanted to maximize the land behind the house for farming (a business).  By adding all these new houses, widening roads, etc, you are punishing the very people who worked to feed you. 

From the 6/13/07 Oxford Press:

 

 

Thoroughfare Plan going to Oxford council

By Sean Strader

Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

 

After eight months of hammering out all the details, Oxford Planning Commission recommended the Thoroughfare Plan to city council Tuesday.

 

Amid continued vocal opposition by a large group of citizens who packed the courthouse Tuesday evening, the commission voted 6-1 to put their revised version of the plan into council's hands.

 

Council will begin discussion of the plan July 17 at earliest, said Community Development Director Jung-Han Chen. Council can then adopt, revise or reject the plan.

 

Designed to be a guiding document for future transportation improvements in and around Oxford, the current version includes a bypass running south and west of the city connecting both ends U.S. 27, a route north of the city from College Corner Pike to Brown Road and a bike path that would encircle the city.

 

Other major features include the possible connection of Kehr Road to Main or Locust Street, a possible Amtrak station and an underpass beneath the railroad on Locust Street.

 

The current version of the plan can be found at the city's Web site at cityofoxford.org.

 

The proposed new roads along the outskirts are contingent on city annexation and new development there, said council representative Dave Prows.

 

A thoroughfare plan requires developers to build specific connective roads and prevents only rows of cul-de-sacs leading nowhere, Prows said.

 

"I feel for once we are being proactive and are coming out ahead here," said commission chairman Paul Brady. "We have a legal basis for dealing with these annexation requests coming in and ... requiring connectivity."

 

However, the Thoroughfare Plan has been strongly opposed by a group of Township residents troubled by the potential bypasses, which they say would open up more agricultural land to sprawling residential development.

 

Jenny Gelber, of 5508 Brown Road, said planning new routes in the countryside would encourage development and lead to problems in the future.

 

"A weakness of this plan is it sets the stage for future use of eminent domain. It only works if every parcel decides to develop."

 

Orie Loucks, of 6195 Fairfield Road, said the plan suffered from a lack of both vision and citizen consensus.

 

"There's still no vision as to what the Thoroughfare Plan is that Oxford residents aspire to," Loucks said. "It is not a vision of how we want Oxford to look and function in the future."

 

Bill Brewer, the only commission member to vote against recommending the plan to council, cited dissatisfaction with the process and the current plan, while noting the hard work done by the commission.

 

"We have struggled valiantly," Brewer said. "But ... it shouldn't be this way, it shouldn't happen this way and I can't recommend this for council."

 

http://www.oxfordpress.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/13/op061507thoroughfare.html

 

"Amid continued vocal opposition by a large group of citizens who packed the courthouse Tuesday evening, the commission voted 6-1 to put their revised version of the plan into council's hands."

 

The whole process if flawed.  The citizens should vote on the direction of land usage and road usage before any planning group is created.  The voters should set the stage first, then let the planners/engineers work on the details.  Not the other way around!!!!!!

 

From the 6/14/07 Cincinnati Business Courier:

 

 

Liberty Township names economic development director

Cincinnati Business Courier - 2:16 PM EDT Thursday, June 14, 2007

 

A Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber staffer will become Liberty's Township's first economic development director, township officials said Thursday.

 

Caroline McKinney will be responsible for attracting businesses to targeted areas within the township, according to a news release.

 

A Liberty Township resident, McKinney has worked for the chamber for six years, holding several positions in marketing and economic development. Prior to that, she worked for the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Observatory Group, a Cincinnati marketing firm.

 

McKinney earned a bachelor's degree in communications and public relations from Miami University.

 

Liberty Township, which encompasses 28 square miles, has a population of about 32,000, up from about 13,000 in 1994. The township, in southeastern Butler County, has been adding residents at the rate of more than 1,000 per year.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/06/11/daily51.html?from_rss=1

 

From the 6/19/07 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

 

Council may consider thoroughfare plan next month

By Sean Strader

Staff Writer

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

 

OXFORD — After eight months of hammering out details, the thoroughfare plan is headed to Oxford City Council.

 

Council will begin discussion of the plan July 17 at the earliest, said Community Development Director Jung-Han Chen.

 

The Oxford Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend the plan to city council.

 

Amid continued vocal opposition by a large group of citizens who packed the courthouse Tuesday, the commission voted 6-1 to put their revised version of the plan into council's hands.

 

Council will have the option of adopting, revising or rejecting the plan.

 

Designed to be a guiding document for future transportation improvements in and around Oxford, the plan includes a bypass south and west of the city connecting both ends of U.S. 27, a route north of the city from College Corner Pike to Brown Road and a bike path that would circle the city.

 

Other major features include the possible connection of Kehr Road to Main or Locust Street, a possible Amtrak station and an underpass beneath the railroad on Locust Street.

 

The current version of the plan can be found at the city's Web site at cityofoxford.org.

 

The proposed roads along the outskirts are contingent on city annexation and development there, council representative Dave Prows said.

 

A thoroughfare plan requires developers to build specific connective roads and prevents only rows of cul-de-sacs leading nowhere, according to Prows.

 

"I feel for once we are being proactive and are coming out ahead here," commission chairman Paul Brady said. "We have a legal basis for dealing with these annexation requests coming in and ... requiring connectivity."

 

However, the thoroughfare plan has been strongly opposed by a group of township residents troubled by the bypasses, which they say would open up more agricultural land to sprawling residential development.

 

Jenny Gelber of 5508 Brown Road said planning routes in the countryside would encourage development and lead to problems.

 

"A weakness of this plan is it sets the stage for future use of eminent domain. It only works if every parcel decides to develop," she said.

 

Orie Loucks of 6195 Fairfield Road said the plan suffered from a lack of both vision and citizen consensus.

 

"There's still no vision as to what the thoroughfare plan is that Oxford residents aspire to," Loucks said. "It is not a vision of how we want Oxford to look and function in the future."

 

Bill Brewer, the only commission member to vote against recommending the plan to council, cited dissatisfaction with the process and the current plan, while noting the hard work done by the commission.

 

"We have struggled valiantly," Brewer said. "But ... it shouldn't be this way, it shouldn't happen this way and I can't recommend this for council."

 

http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/19/hjn061907thoroughfare.html

 

From the 6/20/07 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

 

Township residents protest Oxford connector

Property owners tell trustees to maintain rural character of Milford Twp.

By Meagan Engle

Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

 

MILFORD TWP. — When Ric Glauser bought his rural township home he planned on settling into a quiet life by his property's pond.

 

He didn't sign on for a bypass running through his backyard, but that is now a possibility.

 

Glauser's property, along with about 24 residential properties in the western edge of Milford Twp., is included in a study area being considered for the construction of a connector road between Ohio 73 and U.S. 27.

 

While the road is earmarked to be built, its location has not been set and is pending the completion of an environmental study.

 

But since the area being studied stretches into Milford Twp., residents say they should have a voice in the decision.

 

More than 30 concerned property owners on Tuesday night met in the Collinsville community center gymnasium to urge the Milford Twp. Board of Trustees to become involved in the road's planning process.

 

They had many questions: What is the benefit of the road? Is it just an additional path to Miami University's football stadium? But their main concern was why Milford Twp. is not represented in the stakeholders committee.

 

"We are concerned that the 'Stakeholder's Committee' created by the city of Oxford has no representation from the Milford Twp. Trustees," resident Jack Cotter read to the trustees from a prepared letter. "The City of Oxford, Miami University, (Ohio Department of Transportation), Gannett Fleming Engineering and the Oxford Twp. Trustees are all present. Why is Milford Twp. left out?"

 

The residents said they want to maintain their community as a "delicate blend of rural and residential."

 

"The rural character of the landscape, the view, sound levels, diversity of plant and wildlife alongside family homes should be thought of as a very specific balance of land use and development," Cotter said.

 

Trustee Robert Ison said he realizes Oxford has heavy truck traffic, but that is Oxford's problem. He suggested widening existing roads or converting the university's existing streets to one-way roads.

 

He expressed concern about Milford Twp. becoming like West Chester Twp. — which not long ago was rural but today is a sprawling urban area.

 

"I'm a trustee, that is not what I want," he said, reflecting the feelings of many in the room.

 

In the end, Ison was selected to represent the township in the road's planning process. The residents also planned to form a subcommittee of no more than 10 people of varying occupations and backgrounds to advise Ison and keep the township residents and property owners aware of the process.

 

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or [email protected].

 

http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/20/hjn062007oxfordconnector.html

 

Haha, Milford Township becoming urbanized like West Chester. I don't see that happening any time soon, even with this bypass. If any township west of the Miami is going to urbanize like West Chester, it'll be a toss up between Hanover and Ross Township, not Milford Township. It would take a lot more than a new road to cause explosive growth in the township.

From the 6/21/07 Pulse-Journal:

 

 

Liberty trustees approve farm's zoning switch

By Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writer

Thursday, June 21, 2007

 

Liberty trustees approved rezoning for of 331 acres to be developed along Ohio 747 just north of Princeton Road. Owned by Marc Terry and his family, the farm is the largest privately-owned plot of land in the township.

 

Terry, 50, spent more than two years developing a site master that divides the property into varying levels of residential use, including empty-nester homes, single-family attached or detached units, estate lots, family lots and seven manor-sized lots.

 

The plan also includes 90 acres of mixed use that would include a combination of retail, residential, office and community facilities.

 

Terry said he was happy to see the community and the board held the same interests as his family.

 

"We can all work together and obtain a very successful, beautiful project," he said.

 

Trustee David Kern said the plan indicated "a premier development."

 

Terry said he and several other family members who now are living on the farm are working to select a developer for the site.

 

Trustees were set to decide on the property's rezoning two weeks ago, but tabled a decision after a resident raised concerns about variances Terry had requested.

 

At a June 12 board of zoning appeals meeting, zoning board members voted to approve several of those variances, including an increase from 2.125 dwelling units per acre to 2.457 dwelling units per acre and a 70 percent reduction of side yard setback.

 

BZA members unanimously voted to deny a 50-foot perimeter setback around north side of parcel A, the west side of parcels A and B and the south side of parcel B. They also failed to approve a variance request for a 33 percent reduction of open space.

 

Prior to development, the site will require a full traffic impact study, a flood study and a storm water study and drainage plan, said Trustee President Christine Matacic.

 

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/21/pjw062107terry.html

---

From the 6/21/07 Enquirer:

 

 

PHOTO: Lakota Schools' Endeavor Elementary on Smith Road in Liberty Township is scheduled to open in August.  The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II

PHOTO: Construction continues on Lakota East High School's freshman campus, while is scheduled to open in August 2008.  The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II

PHOTO: Additions at the front of Lakota West High School in West Chester are nearly finished. New classrooms also were built as part of the expansion plan.  The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II

 

Lakota Schools crowding eases

Two buildings, additions to open in August

BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | [email protected]

 

LIBERTY TWP. - Ohio's seventh-largest school system will soon get bigger.

 

Lakota schools are scheduled to finish construction on two elementaries in August as part of the district's $87.5 million building plan. Also opening in August are large expansions at both Lakota West and East high schools. And construction continues on a freshman school and another elementary, both scheduled to open in August 2008.

 

It's the largest building boom in 15 years for the fast-growing district of 17,900 students that adds about 500 enrollees annually, said Lakota Schools spokesman Jon Weidlich.

 

"The Lakota community continues to grow, so we must keep building and opening schools to have space for students. We were already more than a thousand students over capacity at our high schools and elementaries," said Weidlich. "The latest series of building projects adds capacity for more than 3,600 students, which will relieve overcrowding at both the elementary and high school levels and give us room to grow for the next several years."

 

To handle the student overflow in recent years, Lakota has placed nearly 1,000 students in "portables," using trailer-like temporary classrooms more than any other Greater Cincinnati school district.

 

Julie Shaffer said she is relieved her fourth-grade daughter will go to the new Endeavor Elementary on Smith Road in West Chester Township, rather than VanGorden Elementary, which she described as "a little crowded."

 

"The new school is great, and it will be nice to have enough classrooms," Shaffer said.

 

In Liberty Township's Summerlin subdivision, Joan Harris is eager to send her kindergarten-age daughter to the new Wyandot Elementary, which sits directly behind her house.

 

"The new school is one of the reasons we built here. Everybody in the neighborhood is very happy about it. There are a lot of young families here," Harris said.

 

Neighbor Bob Myers'daughter will be old enough to attend Wyandot in 2008.

 

"We moved here from Monroe for the Lakota schools. With Lakota growing so fast and to have a part of that growth right in your neighborhood is great," Myers said.

 

Lakota's new schools

The 17,900-student Lakota school system in Butler County will open two new elementaries and two high school additions in August.

 

Next year will see the opening of a new freshman school and another new elementary.

 

School construction projects include:

 

Wyandot Elementary, 7667 Summerlin Blvd., (grades K-1) opens in August with capacity for 800 students. Cost: $13.5 million.

 

Endeavor Elementary, 4400 Smith Road, (grades 2-6) opens in August for 800 students. Cost: $13.5 million.

 

East Freshman Campus, Bethany Road, (grade 9) for 800 students. Cost: $25 million. Opens fall 2008.

 

Lakota West and East high school additions, (grades 10-12) open in August for 600 students at each high school. Cost: $10.5 million at each school. Full additions open in spring 2008.

 

New elementary school at Lesourdsville-West Chester Road site , (grades 2-6) for 800 students. Cost: $14.5 million. Opens in 2008.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070621/NEWS0102/706210417/

 

I have been looking around.  It appears that butler county highway spending has produced 8 to 1 growth ratios.  (every dollar spended leads to eight more invested). 

 

The downtown streetcar has a 15 to 1 ratio.

"I have been looking around.  It appears that butler county highway spending has produced 8 to 1 growth ratios.  (every dollar spended leads to eight more invested). 

 

The downtown streetcar has a 15 to 1 ratio."

 

That is an interesting statistic.  If it is true, then why do you think Cincinnati/Hamilton County has not moved forward on a streetcars?  I'm have no idea myself, just wanting to hear your opinion.

"I have been looking around.  It appears that butler county highway spending has produced 8 to 1 growth ratios.  (every dollar spended leads to eight more invested). 

 

The downtown streetcar has a 15 to 1 ratio."

 

That is an interesting statistic.  If it is true, then why do you think Cincinnati/Hamilton County has not moved forward on a streetcars?  I'm have no idea myself, just wanting to hear your opinion.

 

The streetcar study just concluded in May, and it was a Cincinnati thing.  Hamilton County is not involved in this.  I wouldn't say that they are not moving forward.  I think they are trying to work out funding for it.

Typically, the families that move into Liberty Twp. are upper-end wage earners looking for a lifestyle that benefits their young children, Tarter said.

 

"When people come into our town, the main reason is because they want kids to play with their kids," he said.

 

Interesting quote.  I think there is more to it than that.  THere are kids everywhere, unless they just want their kids to play with kids from upper wage-earning families. 

 

"So if you have one of these new subdivisions where you're putting in 200 homes, you have 2,000 additional vehicle trips being generated by that subdivision," he said. "You have to look at what impact that has on the surrounding roadways."

 

So 10 vehicle trips per house?  Is this per day? 

"I think there is more to it than that.  THere are kids everywhere..."

 

true, there are kids everywhere.  I don't understand the draw of new tract homes either.  A big part of the attraction must be the fact that the house is "New".  These couples perceive that there will be no maintenance (ha, ha - they discover otherwise), part of it is getting the latest amenities (master baths, kitchen islands, etc), but I think the biggest part of it is bragging rights with their friends and family.

 

I'm an old house person.  When I was house shoppint, I looked at a lot of subdivision houses and a lot of older houses.  I found the older houses offered a lot more value for the money.  Of course, my kids can't play in the street with all the other kids around, I can't brag about my master bath or granit coutnertops, and I personally have a bit more maintenance to do.  But when friends and family come over and admire my 130 yr-old woodwork, the 15'x16' bedrooms, sip wine in my park-like back yard, I do not bother to tell them that it cost less than their subdivision houses.

"So 10 vehicle trips per house?  Is this per day? "

 

Yes, that is how these road traffic analysis statistics are presented: - per day!

 

I think the numbers are very high, and there are other studies out that with substantially lower numbers.

 

And if gas prices keep rising, the number of trips per houshold should decrease slightly.  Especially those house far from employment areas (Liberty township may have retail areas, but you got to commute a distance to get a good job)

I was tooling around Liberty Township, Kyles Station Road and roads to the north, a few weekends back, seeing how far the sprawl has extended.  Seems like Kyles Station is the frontier, with new plats every so often on the road.  The road to the north, Hankins or Hawkins, is still somewhat undeveloped.

 

I think this area is developing pretty quick.  Its becoming a patchwork of subdivisions and farms (or vacant land). 

 

 

 

Link contains a photo.  From Cincinnati.com, 6/25/07:

 

 

Local family keeps farm alive with CSA, Farmers' Market

Contributed By Carrie Whitaker | The Enquirer

 

There aren’t too many farmers left in West Chester Township, but one family has stood the test of time, despite steady development in the Cincinnati suburb.

 

The Rosselot family, owners of Gravel Knolls Farm and The Feed Barn, has continued its farming tradition by running a community supported agriculture program – known as a CSA – as well as a weekly Farmers’ Market, welcoming local growers to share in the benefits of growing demands for organic produce and proteins.

 

“It was my idea, that if we got a lot of people depending on the farm (and) something threatened it, people would say, ‘No, we need this farm,’” Jim Rosselot said. Now that the farm has a waiting list for CSA memberships, he feels it has a better chance of remaining a facet in the community, Rosselot said.

 

The 80-acre farm has been in the Rosselot family for three generations. Today it’s farmed by Jim, his father Eugene, his wife Linda, their three children and two Percheron draft horses.

 

The farm has operated as a CSA for nine years, meaning members pay $350 to get fresh vegetables and herbs weekly, for roughly 22 weeks, May through October. Each Wednesday, members pick up a pre-boxed share of crops harvested that week.

 

Unlike some CSAs around Cincinnati, members are not required to help in the garden, but Linda Rosselot, who handles many of the details of the CSA portion of the family’s business, encourages people to get a little dirty and learn about farming.

 

“This is where I feel good,” Linda said. “Come out and see it, work with some tools and get the basics back,” she encouraged.

 

CSA memberships are closed for this year, and the family decided to cut back the number of memberships available from 100 in 2006 to 82 this year. Memberships fill quickly, Linda said, and applications for 2008 will be available in January, online at gravelknollsfarm.homestead.com.

 

“We have repeat customers each year, those who are new and those who have come back to us,” Linda said. “And we allow people to share the membership with family members or neighbors.”

 

The farm also sells brown eggs and farm-raised poultry. The first batch of chickens should be available July 5, according to the farm’s Web site. A list for the poultry can be found on the counter at The Feed Barn.

 

The Farmers’ Market opens every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside of The Feed Barn, 9257 Cincinnati.-Dayton Road, just south of the intersection with Union Centre Boulevard. The market features organic produce, eggs and meats. Locally made handmade natural soaps and raw, local honey and candies, as well as jams and jellies are some of the items available. .

 

For information concerning the Farmers’ Market, call 513-779-6409.

 

As Union Centre construction draws closer to the farm, and the family deals with the widening of Cincinnati-Dayton Road, Linda said she is thankful for those who support the farm, and holds on to her hopes that the farm won’t one day be surrounded by concrete parking lots.

 

“I’ve seen other farms get surrounded,” Linda said. “I hope it doesn’t happen here. I hope there’s still a breeze.”

 

http://rodeo.cincinnati.com/getlocal/gpstory.aspx?id=100227&sid=114505

 

From the 6/27/07 Enquirer:

 

 

Lakota schools plan new levy

District will need new funding by 2009, officials say

BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | [email protected]

 

LIBERTY TWP. - Consider this an early forecast: Ohio's seventh-largest school district is likely to seek a tax increase in 2009.

 

"We know that it is on the horizon as we continue to grow and renovate our classroom space," said Lakota Superintendent Mike Taylor at a school board meeting this week.

 

While it's too early to predict the size of the proposed tax increase, the timing is becoming clearer, said district Treasurer Alan Hutchinson.

 

Lakota is the only school system in Ohio to encompass almost two entire townships - West Chester and Liberty. As more homes get built, the 18,000-student district adds about 400 students a year.

 

So, even though Lakota voters agreed to raise taxes in 2005 to pay for more schools, more teachers and other expansion, the district's continuing growth means that all the increased funding from the 2005 increase will likely be absorbed by 2009, officials said.

 

"After that, if we push any new levies back to 2010, we'll have to significantly cut our budget," Hutchinson said.

 

District leaders say they are talking openly about taxes now because voters rejected proposed tax increases three times before approving the last one.

 

In 2005, voters passed a combination 7.73-mill ballot issue - that included a 5.6-mill operating levy and a 2.13-mill bond issue - for $84 million of new school construction.

 

That bond issue helped pay for three elementary schools, a new freshman school and additions to Lakota East and West high schools. Yet, come 2009, the district expects to need at least one more elementary school.

 

Longtime school board member Susan McLaughlin said the district learned from its past defeats to start informing residents well in advance about the need for any new school taxes.

 

"A lot of that is educating the public on how Ohio public schools are ... not funded adequately. We can't continue to get new students but not get paid by the state to educate these new students," said McLaughlin.

 

Lakota and Mason school officials recently lobbied - unsuccessfully - to convince state legislators to change a school funding formula in Ohio's next budget that does not promptly credit growing districts for their incoming students.

 

Now, some say local taxpayers could be asked to pick up the burden.

 

"We will be transparent in our conversations around a future levy or bond," said school board member Jamie Green. "We will give the community time to understand the needs of the students we serve and give the district time to listen to the thoughts and ideas our community has about this."

 

Levies often a tough sell

Unlike any other time in its 50-year history, the Lakota schools suffered three straight defeats before voters approved increasing school taxes in 2005.

 

March 2004: Voters shot down an 11.67-mill proposal that included a 9.3-mill operating levy and a 2.37-mill bond issue for new schools.

 

November 2004: Voters turned down a 7.7-mill proposal that called for a 5.5-mill operating levy and 2.2-mill bond issue.

 

February 2005: By just five votes, the public again rejected the proposed 7.7-mill combination levy.

 

November 2005: Voters approved a 7.73-mill combination levy and bond issue.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070627/NEWS0102/706270356/

 

From the 6/28/07 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

 

Offer to Hamilton meant to end dispute over 186-acre property

By Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writer

Thursday, June 28, 2007

 

FAIRFIELD TWP. — Fairfield Twp. officials offered a settlement Wednesday to Hamilton in a bid to end a dispute that has left the specter of annexation looming over the township for more than a year.

 

The proposed agreement, which was hand delivered to Hamilton officials, has three major requests.

 

The proposal stipulates that Hamilton will not accept annexation petitions for any property located in Fairfield Twp.

 

"We're asking them to renew their promise of 11 years ago," said Jack Grove, the township's law director.

 

In April 2006, Graceworks Lutheran Services filed a lawsuit against Hamilton and Fairfield Twp., stating it should have the ability to seek annexation of its 186-acre Fairfield Twp. property on the northwest corner on the Ohio 4 Bypass and Hamilton-Mason Road.

 

The agreement also stipulates that Hamilton and Fairfield Twp. will expand a joint economic development district to include the commercial portion of the Graceworks property, as well as the Butler County Engineer's Office, the Butler County Fairgrounds and a commercial property across from Bridgewater Falls.

 

Hamilton City Council was slated to discuss the proposal in executive session Wednesday night. City Manager Mark Brandenburger said he expects to have a response delivered to Fairfield Twp. trustees within a week.

 

Revenue from the existing JEDD north of Ohio 129 along the Bypass Ohio 4 would be redistributed 50-50, as opposed to the split of 75-25 in favor of Hamilton for one portion and 75-25 in favor of Fairfield Twp. for the remainder.

 

"We're trying to make the best of a bad situation but we're going to try to make it work somehow," said Trustee Steve Morgan.

 

The anti-annexation covenants would remain in effect as long as the JEDD contracts remain in effect, Grove said.

 

The proposed agreement would require Hamilton to pay a share of the Ohio 4 Bypass or Hamilton-Mason roads improvement project.

 

Should Hamilton violate the agreement and annex a property in the township, the net revenue for all the JEDD territory would be adjusted 75-25 in Fairfield Twp.'s favor.

 

"I think we've compromised quite a bit," said Trustee President Mark Sutton, "and I think it's a shame that we're renegotiating something we thought we already had in the original JEDD agreement."

 

Township officials offered a deal to Hamilton in December that would have realigned JEDD revenues and also required Hamilton to not annex township property. The council voted to accept the deal, but passed no legislation to that effect.

 

Now-retired Butler County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Crehan ruled Jan. 4 that Graceworks is able to file an annexation petition. So far Graceworks has not done so. The township's appeal is scheduled for Aug. 13 in the 12th District Court of Appeals in Middletown.

 

http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/28/hjn062807settlement.html

 

From the 7/7/07 Enquirer:

 

 

Liberty Twp. retail/condos on hold

Developer wants to build center, 48 units along Ohio 747

BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

 

LIBERTY TWP. - A request for a zoning change that would add a retail center along Ohio 747 has been tabled for now.

 

The project is proposed for a 10-acre site along the east side of Ohio 747 between Millikin and Kyles Station roads. Behind the 20,000-square-foot retail building, Todd Homes LLC plans to construct 48 condominiums, said Todd Hall, managing member.

 

"We'd like to begin construction in spring 2008 on the residential," Hall said. "The land-use plan calls for transitional in that area so we would put the retail along Ohio 747 and the condos behind it."

 

To do the project the way he envisions it, Hall said, his firm is requesting a zone change from business and residential to planned business and planned residential. The zoning change would allow him more flexibility in the placement of buildings and give the township more say on other aspects of the project.

 

Last month the board of zoning appeals denied Hall's request for four variances related to setbacks and other matters, said Andrew Meyer, Liberty Township's senior zoning coordinator/planner.

 

Until some proposed language changes are finalized, the matter would temporarily remain tabled at Hall's request, Meyer said.

 

"I want to move forward as soon as possible," Hall said.

 

The project, to be called Landings of Liberty Village, would include 48, mostly brick, ranch and two-story condominiums in the $150,000 to $170,000 price range.

 

Buildings would contain two to eight units. Each condo would be 1,600 to 1,800 square feet, containing either two or three bedrooms.

 

About 39 percent of the land would be set aside as open space.

 

A fountain and gazebo are also planned for the site.

 

No tenants for the retail portion have been identified yet, Hall said.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070707/NEWS01/707070397/1056/COL02

 

From the 7/10/07 Enquirer:

 

 

Another Meijer coming to town?

BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

 

FAIRFIELD TWP. – Meijer is interested in building a 200,000-square-foot superstore here, company officials confirmed this morning.

 

The store is planned for the Graceworks property at the intersection of Ohio 4 Bypass and Hamilton-Mason roads, said Roger DeHoek, a real estate manager with Meijer’s Grand Rapids, Michigan home office.

 

No date has been set yet for construction. But if approved, the proposed store and related projects would finally settle a decade-long argument over development at this nearly 200-acre site that included an annexation dispute between Fairfield Township and the city of Hamilton.

 

“This has been a long endeavor. We’re not planning (a start date) until everything is squared away,’’ DeHoek said. “We are interested in being in Fairfield Township at that location.”

 

The first step in the process will be taken today when the Butler County Planning Commission reviews a zone change request that would allow Meijer’s to build at that site.

 

Oberer Land Developer has filed a request on behalf of Graceworks Lutheran Services to rezone 111 acres of a 187-acre site from agriculture to general business. The request also asks that 76 acres be rezoned from residential planned unit development to multiple family.

 

The portion Meijer is interested in would be east of Gilmore, with the residential portion planned for west of Gilmore, said Greg Smith, a project manager with Oberer.

 

Graceworks officials would not say what might be developed on the property, but township officials say there are plans for two "big-box" stores, including a Meijer and possibly a Menards home-improvement store.

 

“Graceworks is keeping all options open, pending the outcome of litigation and zoning requests," said Larry Ramey, spokesman for Graceworks.

 

Nearly two years ago, plans for a Meijer superstore on the Graceworks property were withdrawn. Last year, Fairfield Township appealed a court decision allowing Graceworks to request annexation into Hamilton despite a 1996 agreement prohibiting annexation.

 

No annexation request has been filed and oral arguments on that appeal are scheduled for Aug. 13.

 

Earlier this month, trustees sent a proposal to Hamilton that would put a halt to most annexations and provide a plan for both communities to share equally income tax receipts from certain commercial properties. They expect a response later this week.

 

Trustee Joe McAbee said it was his understanding that Meijer is interested in the Graceworks property. He also said he was in favor of the rezoning.

 

“I’ve not seen anything from the township perspective that would make me against this," McAbee said. "In an ideal situation, we can work something out that's fair to everybody."

 

Township Administrator Michael Rayhall said representatives of Oberer and Vandercar Holdings Inc., which is also involved in the Graceworks project, met with township officials at the Butler County Engineer's Office to discuss road improvements that would be needed at the site should Meijer locate there.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070710/NEWS01/307100054/

---

From the 7/10/07 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

 

Bypass Ohio 4 project funding short

ODOT is providing less than anticipated for engineering phase.

By Tim Tresslar

Staff Writer

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

 

HAMILTON — Local communities likely will have to shoulder a larger share of the engineering costs for the proposed Bypass Ohio 4 widening as the state grapples with limited funds for transportation improvements.

 

Engineering for the proposed project will carry an estimated $2.7 million price tag, said John Fonner, director of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District. Local officials had hoped the Ohio Department of Transportation would kick in about $1.3 million for that phase, but now anticipate receiving less than that, Fonner said after Monday's TID meeting.

 

During the next two to three months, local officials will be working with ODOT to determine how much it can provide for the engineering of the $32 million widening project, Fonner said.

 

"I think going into the fall, we'll really know where we stand," he said.

 

ODOT's Transportation Review Advisory Council doles out funding for major improvement projects such as the bypass widening. But the council has too many projects vying for too little money, said Scott Varner, an ODOT spokesman.

 

In addition, the legislature has required the council to fund first tier projects — those close to construction with identified funding sources, Varner said. During the next five years, the agency faces a $1.5 billion deficit as it pays for projects at that stage.

 

Fonner said a loss of state and federal money wouldn't derail the project but could force local communities to pay a bigger share of engineering fees and also lengthen the time the project will take.

 

"It's not unusual for projects like this to get done in phases over a multi-year period," he said.

 

TID officials also hope to receive ODOT approval by August for a preliminary engineering report for Bypass Ohio 4, Fonner said. The report needs the state's OK before engineering consultants, M-E Companies, can begin design work, Fonner said.

 

Also at Monday's TID meeting, the board approved a measure calling for the agency to buy six parcels of property needed for the Liberty Interchange project. The total for the acquisitions can't exceed $7.1 million.

 

Fonner said the purchases should close within two weeks, giving the county about 70 percent of the right of way needed for the project.

 

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2122 or [email protected].

 

http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/07/10/hjn071007TID.html

 

From the 7/11/07 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

 

County planners reject land use changes

Issue goes before Fairfield Twp. zoning commission next week.

By Tim Tresslar, Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writers

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

 

HAMILTON — A proposed rezoning of 187 acres in Fairfield Twp., ensnared in a legal battle for more than a year, was rejected Tuesday by the Butler County Planning Commission.

 

However, the commission's unanimous rebuff of zoning changes proposed for two parcels located at the northwest corner of Hamilton-Mason Road and Bypass Ohio 4 doesn't end the issue. The changes are scheduled to go before the township's zoning commission for consideration July 18.

 

Graceworks Lutheran Services wants to rezone a 76-acre parcel currently zoned as a residential planned-unit development to multi-family housing. It also wants zoning for a neighboring 111-acre parcel changed from business planned unit development to general business use.

 

The county's planning staff had recommended that the county planning commission reject the changes because they go against the current land-use plan for the property.

 

However, Michael McNamee, an attorney representing Graceworks and developer Oberer Cos., said his clients are negotiating a possible out-of-court settlement with the township and Hamilton to end legal wrangling over the property.

 

He said the proposed agreement calls for the commercial acreage to operate under a tax-increment financing agreement, a joint-economic development agreement and zoning rules. All these factors would help control the property's future development, McNamee said.

 

Michael Rahall, township administrator, read a letter to the commission expressing the township's support for the proposed zoning changes. After the meeting, he said the proposed changes are consistent with current zoning because they still will be earmarked for residential and business uses.

 

"It's not a use change," he said.

 

Following a Fairfield Twp. trustees meeting Tuesday night, Rahall said the planning commission turned down the zoning request with the township's best interests in mind.

 

"They felt that because it was such a large parcel, that the township deserved some protection as far as what was going to be there and how it was going to be developed," Rahall said.

 

The property has been tied up in litigation since April 2006, when Graceworks sued Hamilton and the township for the right to seek annexation into the city.

 

Earlier this year, now-retired Butler County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Crehan ruled Graceworks could request annexation.

 

Graceworks has not filed such a request.

 

The township has appealed the decision and the 12th District Court of Appeals in Middletown will hear oral arguments Aug. 13 in the case. Rahall said he hopes a settlement can be reached before the appeals process begins.

 

Graceworks officials declined to say what might be developed on the site.

 

"We don't have any definitive plans for the property, pending the outcome of litigation and the zoning process," said Larry Ramey, spokesman for Graceworks.

 

Fairfield Twp. Trustee Joe McAbee said the Butler County Engineer's Office already hosted a meeting between township officials, Vandercar Holdings and Oberer Land Developers to work out preliminary infrastructure improvements on the site.

 

"If the township is going to be involved in it, it's going to be something that's good for the whole region," McAbee said.

 

In November 2005, Vandercar Holdings nixed plans to develop the site for a 207,000-square-foot Meijer store.

 

The township's zoning commission approved the plan in the summer of 2005 and scheduled a hearing, but Vandercar submitted a letter to township officials withdrawing its plans without explanation.

 

In late June, trustees hand-delivered a proposal to Hamilton officials that, if agreed upon, would forbid most annexations and allow both entities to equally divide tax revenue from specific commercial properties.

 

Hamilton City Council is expected to respond to the proposal this week.

 

http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/07/11/hjn071107planning.html

---

From the 7/11/07 Oxford Press:

 

 

City, Oxford Twp. discuss thoroughfare plan

Council to hear first reading of plan Tuesday.

By Sean Strader

Staff Writer

Friday, July 13, 2007

 

With the controversial Thoroughfare Plan on its way to Oxford City Council, a number of issues with the plan were raised at a joint work session between council and the Oxford Twp. Trustees Tuesday.

 

The two governing bodies met before the first reading of an ordinance to adopt the plan goes to council on Tuesday, July 17.

 

Trustee Larry Frimerman said that while the trustees supported Oxford having a plan for future roadways, there were concerns with a "loop road" that extended into the township.

 

The west side connector would potentially link U.S. 27 from south of town to College Corner Pike, connecting from there to Brown Road.

 

"We believe it actually would contribute to sprawl," Frimerman said. "It has set off a lot of unwarranted fears about what may be coming down the road."

 

Frimerman urged council to table that part of the plan and engage in more discussion about other options while the city and township work on their comprehensive plans.

 

"Delay consideration of the loop road until we go through our planning process and can work through whatever issues we have," Frimerman said. "Have your first phase be within Oxford and the next phase be within the areas that connect up."

 

Vice Mayor Prue Dana said council would discuss these proposals at the July 17 meeting and possibly come up with "a mutual timeframe" to deal with the contentious parts of the plan.

 

However, Councilman Dave Prows said taking links off the west side connector would not make sense from a planning perspective.

 

"I would ask how one would incorporate one key parcel of ground and only plan for that parcel of road and then stop," Prows said. "Without this plan, ... when annexations come we cannot express our desire as to where to put the roads."

 

Trustee Gary Salmon said that many township residents were also alarmed because the plan indicated the road corridors as lines of dots that, in some cases bisected properties.

 

"When they saw the lines on the maps, it was a reaction where they thought the bulldozers were coming next week ... but not all of these are going to be built."

 

Councilman Ken Bogard said that population projections showed that some growth may be coming to Oxford in the next 20 years, so planning for areas that might be developed soon is crucial.

 

"We need to get away from the concept of 'not in my backyard,' " Bogard said. "We have to look at it from the perspective of the entire region."

 

Councilman Alan Kyger said it troubled him when the west side connector is referred to as a "bypass" because it would be built for providing access to developments if the city limits expand in the future, Kyger said.

 

"At one point Locust Street and Sycamore street were our bypasses," Kyger said, "It's a way to get from one side of town to the other side of town."

 

Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139 or [email protected].

 

http://www.oxfordpress.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/07/11/op071307trustees.html

 

From the 7/12/07 Pulse-Journal:

 

 

ODOT shortfall: cost for community likely to rise

State agency won't be contributing expected amount to fund Bypass Ohio 4 widening project.

By Tim Tresslar

Staff Writer

Thursday, July 12, 2007

 

Local communities likely will have to shoulder a larger share of the engineering costs for the proposed Bypass Ohio 4 widening as the state grapples with limited funds for transportation improvements.

 

Engineering for the proposed project will carry an estimated $2.7 million price tag, said John Fonner, director of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District. Local officials had hoped the Ohio Department of Transportation would kick in about $1.3 million for that phase, but now anticipate receiving less than that, Fonner said after Monday's TID meeting.

 

During the next two to three months, local officials will be working with ODOT to determine how much it can provide for the $32 million widening project, Fonner said.

 

"I think going into the fall, we'll really know where we stand," he said.

 

ODOT's Transportation Review Advisory Council doles out funding for major improvement projects such as the bypass widening. But the council has too many projects vying for too little money, said Scott Varner, an ODOT spokesman.

 

In addition, the legislature has required the council to fund first tier projects — those close to construction with identified funding sources, Varner said. During the next five years, the agency faces a $1.5 billion deficit as it pays for those projects.

 

Fonner said a loss of state and federal money wouldn't derail the project but could force local communities to pay a bigger share of engineering fees and also lengthen the time the project will take.

 

"It's not unusual for projects like this to get done in phases over a multi-year period," he said.

 

Fairfield Twp. Administrator Mike Rahall was unsure how an ODOT shortfall would affect their portion of the funding. "We're the smallest player in the group compared to Fairfield, Hamilton and the county, so we'd have to see what we're going to need to do as a group," he said.

 

Trustee Joe McAbee said the township pledged $1.5 million nearly two years ago toward the $10 million expected to come from local sources, including – at that time – the cities of Hamilton and Fairfield, as well as the county.

 

The Butler County Engineer's Office applied last month for a maximum $2.5 million grant from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments on behalf of the township. That money would help fund a $5.5 million intersection improvement project that will add several turn lanes and widen the intersection at Bypass Ohio 4 and Hamilton-Mason Road.

 

"We pledged $2.5 million" toward those intersection improvements, McAbee said. "You can't fix Hamilton-Mason without putting more lanes on the bypass and vice-versa."

 

OKI will announce grant awards by August.

 

TID officials also hope to receive ODOT approval by August for a preliminary engineering report for Bypass Ohio 4, Fonner said. The report needs the state's OK before engineering consultants, M-E Companies, can begin design work, Fonner said.

 

Fairfield Public Works Director Dave Bock said the city of Fairfield is still proceeding outside of this joint project in hopes of getting its portion of the project done before the rest of the bypass.

 

The preliminary engineering still needs ODOT's stamp of approval, Bock said.

 

http://www.fairfield-echo.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/07/11/pjw071207tid.html

 

From the 7/14/07 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

 

Townships looking to share tax revenue

Hamilton, Fairfield also could share infrastructure improvements costs.

By Eric Schwartzberg and Cameron Fullam

Staff Writer

Saturday, July 14, 2007

 

Hamilton and Fairfield Twp. officials are one step closer to an agreement that would block the transfer of most township land and see the two entities sharing tax revenue and the cost of infrastructure improvements.

 

Hamilton City Manager Mark Brandenburger said the city is looking to enter into two separate agreements — one regarding joint economic development districts and the other regarding annexation.

 

"JEDDs bring in money. Annexations bring in land," Brandenburger said.

 

Hamilton officials signed a letter of intent Wednesday and delivered the letter to the township today, modifying several sections of the township's June 27 proposal.

 

The modifications include clarifying Hamilton's pledge for infrastructure improvements. The city would either pay $2 million for Bypass Ohio 4 improvements instead of the $2.5 million proposed by the township, or pledge one-fourth of project costs for improvements to Hamilton-Mason Road, not to exceed $1.5 million.

 

The letter also adds language requiring Hamilton to be reimbursed for its contributions if the township receives tax increment financing revenues from properties in the tax districts. In addition, anti-annexation covenants would not go into effect until several new JEDDs are put into place.

 

Also revised by Hamilton is language that redistributes JEDD revenues if either party violates a JEDD agreement. The township's original proposal only included language specifying what would happen if Hamilton violated such an agreement.

 

Graceworks Lutheran Services filed a lawsuit against Hamilton and Fairfield Twp. in April 2006 stating it should have the ability to seek annexation of its 186-acre Fairfield Twp. property on the northwest corner on the Ohio 4 Bypass and Hamilton-Mason Road.

 

Now-retired Butler County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Crehan ruled in January that Graceworks is able to file an annexation petition. So far, Graceworks has not done so.

 

The township's appeal is scheduled to be heard Aug. 13 in the 12th District Court of Appeals in Middletown.

 

Trustee Mark Sutton said township officials would hold a special meeting sometime next week to discuss Hamilton's letter.

 

"It's important enough, depending on everyone's schedules, if we can meet and try to get this resolved without waiting for our next meeting (on July 24)," Sutton said.

 

Trustee Joe McAbee said the changes would require an in-depth discussion.

 

"It's still some movement, but it's a long way from the offer we sent them," McAbee said. "They put things in that have never been in throughout the whole discussion."

 

Brandenburger said he remains optimistic things can be ironed out between the two sides.

 

"I think we're very close and I feel confident that we can get this done," Brandenburger said.

 

http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/07/14/hjn071307graceworks.html

---

From the 7/14/07 Enquirer:

 

 

PHOTO: An artist's rendering shows what Lakota Local Schools' new Union Elementary School will look like when completed next year.  PROVIDED ILLUSTRATION

 

New Union Elementary begins to take shape

BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

 

LIBERTY TWP. - West Chester resident Kathy Baur's property sits right behind the new Union Elementary School being constructed along LeSourdsville-West Chester Road.

 

As she watches the site change from week to week, Baur likes it more and more, even though all four of her now-grown children attended the existing Union Elementary, built in 1916.

 

"I'm getting excited about it now,'' Baur said after a meeting Thursday to update residents on the school's construction.

 

"It's a little sad. But they need it. It will be a beautiful school for my (19-month-old) granddaughter. Hopefully she'll get to go to Union like her mother."

 

All the school's driveways and parking lots are paved, said Eric Galaas, Turner Construction Co.'s construction manager for the project. Foundation work is expected to be finished in the next two weeks. By the end of the month, crews will begin work on the load-bearing walls.

 

"Our goal is to be enclosed by Jan. 1," Galaas said. "It will look like a school by Jan. 1, and we'll do inside work.''

 

Although construction is slightly behind schedule, the school is still on target to open in August 2008, Superintendent Mike Taylor said.

 

The 800-pupil school will be nearly identical to VanGorden, Lakota's newest elementary school. The only change is the octagon-shaped feature in front will not have a silo top as VanGorden does, architect Mike Dingeldein said

 

The 86,000-square-foot building will have 37 classrooms, a specialty room for music and a media center. Students in grades 2-6 will be assigned to the school.

 

"It looks like a nice school,'' said Judy Ulmer, whose three children will attend classes there. "They've been very accommodating to all our requests."

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070714/NEWS01/707140396/1058

 

From the 7/16/07 Hamilton JournalNews:

 

 

Trustee: 'Loop road' would contribute to spawl in township

Oxford City Council to hear first reading of plan Tuesday.

By Sean Strader

Staff Writer

Monday, July 16, 2007

 

OXFORD — With the controversial thoroughfare plan on its way to Oxford City Council, a number of issues with the plan were raised at a joint work session between the council and the Oxford Twp. Trustees.

 

The two governing bodies met before the council is set to hear first reading of an ordinance to adopt the plan Tuesday.

 

Trustee Larry Frimerman said that while the trustees supported Oxford having a plan for future roadways, there were concerns with a "loop road" that extended into the township.

 

The west side connector would potentially link U.S. 27 from south of town to College Corner Pike, connecting from there to Brown Road.

 

"We believe it actually would contribute to sprawl," Frimerman said. "It has set off a lot of unwarranted fears about what may be coming down the road."

 

Frimerman urged the council to table that part of the plan and engage in more discussion about other options while the city and township work on their comprehensive plans.

 

"Delay consideration of the loop road until we go through our planning process and can work through whatever issues we have," Frimerman said. "Have your first phase be within Oxford and the next phase be within the areas that connect up."

 

Vice Mayor Prue Dana said the council would discuss these proposals Tuesday and possibly come up with "a mutual time frame" to deal with the contentious parts of the plan.

 

However, Councilman Dave Prows said taking links off the west side connector would not make sense from a planning perspective.

 

"I would ask how one would incorporate one key parcel of ground and only plan for that parcel of road and then stop," Prows said. "Without this plan ... when annexations come we cannot express our desire as to where to put the roads."

 

Trustee Gary Salmon said that many township residents also were alarmed because the plan indicated the road corridors as lines of dots that, in some cases bisected properties.

 

"When they saw the lines on the maps, it was a reaction where they thought the bulldozers were coming next week ... but not all of these are going to be built."

 

Councilman Ken Bogard said that population projections showed that some growth may be coming to Oxford in the next 20 years, so planning for areas that might be developed soon is crucial.

 

"We need to get away from the concept of 'not in my backyard,' " Bogard said. "We have to look at it from the perspective of the entire region."

 

Councilman Alan Kyger said it troubled him when the west side connector is referred to as a "bypass" because it would be built for providing access to developments if the city limits expand in the future, Kyger said.

 

"At one point, Locust Street and Sycamore Street were our bypasses," Kyger said. "It's a way to get from one side of town to the other side of town."

 

Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139 or [email protected].

 

http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/07/15/hjn071607trustees.html

---

From the 7/15/07 Enquirer:

 

 

FAIRFIELD TWP.

BRIDGEWATER FALLS GAINS CLOTHIER, COPIER

 

Two new tenants have signed leases to move into the Bridgewater Falls Shopping Center along Ohio 129.

 

The tenants are Boutique Allie and FedEx Kinko's, says Sue Walkenhorst, the center's general manager.

 

She says Boutique Allie, a ladies' clothing store, plans to lease 2,394 square feet and open by October.

 

Walkenhorst says FedEx Kinko's, the printing, copying and binding services company, plans to lease 2,000 square feet and is expected to open by August.

 

She says Bridgewater Falls is about 85 percent occupied with 33 retailers and restaurants. Another seven tenants are expected to open within two months.

 

Contact: 513-895-6800.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070715/BIZ01/707150344/

 

Meijer store rezoning withdrawn

BY SUE KIESEWETTER | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

August 9, 2007

 

FAIRFIELD TWP. – A rezoning request for 110 acres that would have been the site of a Meijer store has been withdrawn by Oberer Land Development and Graceworks Lutheran Services.

 

Fairfield Township Trustees said they don’t believe the project is dead but are uncertain whether landowner Graceworks will move to annex the land to the city of Hamilton.

 

“I think the fight now is going to be whether it’s in the city of Hamilton or Fairfield Township,” said Fairfield Township trustee Joe McAbee.

 

McAbee said the township received a letter this week from Meijer that said the Michigan-based retailer was still interested in putting a store at the intersection of Ohio 4 Bypass and Hamilton-Mason Road.

 

Graceworks spokesman Larry Ramey would not say what the plans are for the property and Meijer representatives did not return a phone message.

 

“We’re exploring all of our options,” Ramey said Thursday.

 

Oberer had requested the land be rezoned from a business planned unit development to a straight commercial zone. Both the Butler County Planning Commission and Fairfield Township Zoning Commission rejected that request.

 

Trustees, who have the final say, had scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday. That has been cancelled.

 

This is the second time a zoning request for the site has been withdrawn. It is a large and strategically located piece of real estate less than a mile from the Bridgewater Falls shopping center.

 

Two years ago another developer withdrew a similar request, also with a Meijer store as the primary tenant.

 

Meanwhile, discussions with Hamilton on expanding a joint economic development district that included the Graceworks property continue.

 

“We haven’t achieved a settlement with Hamilton or Graceworks yet,” said Jack Grove, the township’s attorney. “We’re approaching this with an open mind. We haven’t closed the door on it.”

 

Last year, Graceworks filed a lawsuit and a judge ruled it could petition to annex to Hamilton. That prompted officials from Hamilton and Fairfield Township to begin renegotiating development district agreements, including an anti-annexation clause.

 

Fairfield Township appealed the ruling and oral arguments are scheduled to begin Monday in the Twelfth District Court of Appeals, Grove said.

 

Graceworks has not filed petitions to annex the property into Hamilton.

I'd just prefer the settlement with Fairfield Township; redo all the JEDD's to the proposed 50/50 split and expand it into other commercial areas in the township.

Liberty Twp: Office-condo project debuts

BY MIKE BOYER | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

August 22, 2007

 

LIBERTY TWP. – An open house Thursday will mark completion of the first phase of the $70 million mixed-use office-residential development here between Hamilton-Mason Road and Ohio 129.

 

North Ridge Realty Group of West Chester Township will show local officials the first of two, 75,000-square-foot office-warehouse buildings it is leasing on the 75-acre site while Columbus home builder Jimenez-Haid Customer Builders is starting work on the first phase of a planned 130-unit condominium community on the western edge of the site.

 

No office tenants have been announced, but George Flynn, North Ridge general manager, said negotiations are under way with several prospective occupants.

 

North Ridge, which announced the Liberty Office Park project more than a year ago, said future plans include a possible 100,000 square-foot medical office building and office-condominiums and support services such as day-care and restaurants on lots along Hamilton-Mason Road.

 

The project is welcome news for this township of almost 34,000 residents where officials are putting a new emphasis on commercial development to help balance the tax base from its rapid residential development.

 

Flynn said the construction or planned development of several medical facilities nearby and construction of the $50 million Liberty interchange with I-75 starting next year is expected to fuel demand for commercial office space. To accommodate the traffic, the township is planning to widen Hamilton-Mason Road next year.

 

Meanwhile, site development has started on Liberty Grand Villas, Jimenez-Haid’s community of two and three-bedroom condominiums priced from $250,000. The 25-acre community will feature a private club house with a fitness center, media-room and swimming pool.

 

As a custom-builder, Jimenez-Haid said it will offer options including upstairs suites and a choice of four different kitchen layouts for the attached, two-car garage condominium units.

 

The company expects to complete the first four-unit building in the project and the clubhouse by early next year.

two and three-bedroom condominiums priced from $250,000

 

 

2-bedroom condos starting at $250k in Liberty township.

 

20% down  = $50k

$200k mortgage - 30yr fixed @ 6.75% = (approx) $1350/month

Taxes - approx $300/month

Insurance - approx $50/month

HOA - I don't know

Total monthly payment with 20% down - $1700 + HOA

 

 

To afford that price, a couple would need to be earning around $85k/yr, with no major debt (student loans).  Probably not a big demand for these condos among the young of Liberty township. 

 

An older couple could afford these, so that must be their target market.

To afford that price, a couple would need to be earning around $85k/yr, with no major debt (student loans).  Probably not a big demand for these condos among the young of Liberty township. 

 

An older couple could afford these, so that must be their target market.

 

I wonder what type of demand there is for condos in Liberty Township.  Most people I know who live out there do so because they wanted the big house with the big yard. 

I wonder what type of demand there is for condos in Liberty Township.  Most people I know who live out there do so because they wanted the big house with the big yard

 

 

Excellent question!

 

I was kind-of pointing out something similar with my sarcastic comments.  If you are a married couple making $85k/year, you are probably ready to start a family.  Not that everyone has a family, it just seems to be that most 30-year-olds around here do start the family. So a condo isn't for them.  A single person, or a divorced person, probably isn't going to be able to afford one.  You need to be either a duel income professional couple or an empty-nester.  And if you are a duel-income professional couple without children, then as yous ay, why pick Liberty Township?

 

The other possibility is that corporations could buy/rent the condos for traveling employees.  But I'm not sure the demand is there for that type of service either.

 

I would have thought that entry-level condos ($130-$180k) would be a better choice.  But what do I know about planning and building?

 

On a related note, I have noticed that everything that gets planned these days in always referred to as "high End"/"Luxury"/"High-paying jobs", etc.  But often what gets build is the opposite.  I wonder if the builder will do a 'bait-n-switch' here like so many others do.  Sell the project to the public and zoning boards as desirable 'high-end', then claim 'market conditions have changed', and build lower-end.  Just a thought. I doubt many zoning approvals have a clause that financially penalizes the builder or negates the approval if the builder puts in low-end stuff.

two and three-bedroom condominiums priced from $250,000

 

 

2-bedroom condos starting at $250k in Liberty township.

 

20% down  = $50k

$200k mortgage - 30yr fixed @ 6.75% = (approx) $1350/month

Taxes - approx $300/month

Insurance - approx $50/month

HOA - I don't know

Total monthly payment with 20% down - $1700 + HOA

 

 

To afford that price, a couple would need to be earning around $85k/yr, with no major debt (student loans).  Probably not a big demand for these condos among the young of Liberty township. 

 

An older couple could afford these, so that must be their target market.

 

you also have to have two cars adding another $8000 a year. if you are downtown you can spend 4500 a year on a car and a bus pass, thats 300 a month savings, basically your taxes.  you probably drive less as well saving wear and tear and gas costs. 

 

and if you were downtown you would probably have a nice abatment for 10-15 years, plenty of places to walk to so you are probably healthier, a diverse enviroment, and ample nearby entertainment options. 

 

and you could golf at cincy municiple courses for $21 dollars a round with cart saving a few grand on country club membership.

 

and if you lost the ability to drive you wouldn't be shipped off to a nursing home.

 

it seems like retirees are the target demo, but I have no idea why anyone would retire outside of the urban core.

 

 

From the 4/24/08 Journal-News:

 

Menards cements plans for Fairfield Twp. site

By Eric Schwartzberg

 

FAIRFIELD TWP. — A home improvement giant is setting its sights on the southwest corner of Princeton and Gilmore roads.

 

Plans submitted to Fairfield Twp. late last week show Menards anchoring a 52.8-acre shopping center dubbed "The Fountains of Fairfield Township," which would include nine out lots between 1.4 and 7.8 acres ringing a 144,107-square-foot Menards. Five lots would be located along Princeton, three of them along Gilmore and one along Ohio 129.

 

Menards signed with Rickey Joseph of Jomar Properties and Anthony J. Michel of Stone Chapel Holdings late last month.

 

"Without Menards, then we wouldn't really have a project started," he said. "Obviously with Menards being a destination location, it will help the out lots, also."

 

The store's new location is nearly 35 percent larger than a tentative previous site at the corner of Bypass Ohio 4 and Princeton Road. Development of that center stalled with property owner Graceworks Lutheran Services, the city of Hamilton and Fairfield Twp. enmeshed in an annexation-related lawsuit.

 

Joseph said Menards officials first looked at the Princeton-Gilmore site eight months ago, courtesy of local real estate agent Joan Daughtery.

 

"They looked at the other site, they looked at ours and they looked at a third site but they chose ours due to the visibility from Princeton Road and (Ohio) 129," Joseph said.

 

Plans call for two phases of development. The first phase would include Menards and eight of the out lots. The second phase includes the one out lot along Ohio 129.

 

Before construction on the Princeton-Gilmore site can occur, the Butler County Planning Commission must review a zoning change during a May 13 meeting, said Joe Schmidt, senior planner for the commission.

 

Fairfield Twp. Zoning Commission is scheduled to hear the case May 19.

 

http://www.middletownjournal.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/04/23/hjn042408menards.html

Plans submitted to Fairfield Twp. late last week show Menards anchoring a 52.8-acre shopping center dubbed "The Fountains of Fairfield Township," which would include nine out lots between 1.4 and 7.8 acres ringing a 144,107-square-foot Menards. Five lots would be located along Princeton, three of them along Gilmore and one along Ohio 129.

 

I presume this is the natural spring water source for "Bridgewater Falls" located right across the street. :wink2:  These names belong on bottled water.

 

Don't forget Indian Springs Shopping Center in between!

Don't forget Indian Springs Shopping Center in between!

 

lol, I fell out my chair.

Does this type of suburban trash pollute the water in those springs?

I was thinking we needed more retail in this area. 

Yeah, right.

http://www.citykin.com/2007/06/who-needs-another-old-navy.html

 

 

Jskinner, that article is about Colerain and 275, and this is about a development near 129. They're probably 20 minutes away from each other.

 

Also, there is at least one natural spring in the area, hardly enough for all the naming, but it is why the area is/was called Indian Springs. It's on Tylersville Road, near Bypass 4. Of course it's not even in a natural state anymore, and theres a sign on the spigot that says you're not supposed to consume the water, so perhaps this type of suburban trash does pollute the water. I've never been to the spring, just by it.

Subdivision trumps memories

Township OKs plans for 100 new houses

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080709/NEWS01/807090395/1055/NEWS

it seems like retirees are the target demo, but I have no idea why anyone would retire outside of the urban core.

 

Empty nesters, including retirees, are the target market for a lot of the new multifamily "patio homes" south fo Dayton, like Yankee Vinyards and other places.

 

This might seem counterintuitve that this demographic would prefer suburbia, but not if you think that their life experinece would be "city = bad/crime" vs the younger generation, who might not have that historical & cultural baggage.

 

Subdivision trumps memories

Township OKs plans for 100 new houses

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080709/NEWS01/807090395/1055/NEWS

 

What? A subdivision? A new subdivision, and not just a new phase of an existing plat? Wow... that's a rarity in Butler County.

 

NOTE: Absolute sincerity exists in the above statement. The housing collapse has really, really affected subdivision applications in Butler County, and that's all I'll say to that.

West Chester retail opens up new artery

Tylersville Farm project extends Dudley Drive

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/08/18/focus7.html

 

Among the most attractive features at the developing Tylersville Farm project, along with the restaurants and exercise facility it will include, is the route one will be able to take to get there.

 

The 80,0000-square-foot retail center, in West Chester on Tylersville Road, will include an access route that will extend from the well-traveled Tylersville Road up toward Cox Road. That street, Dudley Drive, now dead-ends just off of Tylersville Road at the Home Depot that sits west of the Tylersville Farm project. But when the project is done, by early 2009, it will cut along the east side of the home improvement store, up past several office buildings, and connect to the West Chester Medical Center.

 

“That road will all of a sudden connect a bunch of east-west running streets,” said Bill Mees, development manager at Midland Atlantic, which is building the project. “As you can imagine of Tylersville Road, everybody’s concern is traffic.”

 

More than 50,000 cars travel that section of Tylersville Road daily, said Matt Loeffler, Butler County traffic engineer.

 

The Tylersville Farm center is among the last remaining parcels of the former Dudley family farm, which extended along the north side of Tylersville Road from Interstate 75 to Cox Road. Midland Atlantic several years ago helped the family sell off some of the parcels, where Walgreen and Starbucks now stand. The Tylersville Farm project, which will be anchored by an L.A. Fitness and include a couple of restaurants and other tenants, will occupy the last 10 acres, where the family farm house had stood.

 

L.A. Fitness, which will occupy 45,000 square feet of the project, is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2009. The rest of the project should be ready a month or so sooner, Mees said. The remaining 28,000-square feet of retail and two outlots will house restaurants, an electronics store and a medical facility.

 

Extending Dudley Drive, though the work will be done by Midland Atlantic, is a collaborative effort. The road will cut through part of Home Depot’s parking lot, so the retailer had to agree to reconfigure its space for the extension to occur, said Bryan Behrmann, West Chester township planner.

 

It was not a hard sell. A lot of shoppers at Home Depot have to travel back to Tylersville Road, east to Cox Road, and then north again if they want to get to the offices, medical center or other nearby restaurants sitting just north of the home improvement store.

 

“I think a while ago they wanted to make that happen, just because it would make their property more accessible,” Behrmann said. “There’s a lot of congestion on Tylersville Road and this connection will alleviate that.”

 

Last Bastion

• The Tylersville Farm project develops one of the last pieces of the former Dudley family farm.
  
• The 80,000-square-foot center occupies 10 acres and will include a fitness center and several restaurants.
  
• Dudley Drive will be extended past an existing Home Depot and toward Cox Road, connecting several east-west streets in the process.
  
• The project should be completed in early 2009.
  

West Chester Twp.

Demographics planning spurs the growth of retail centers

 

By Matt Cunningham

Staff Writer

 

Thursday, August 21, 2008

 

Two of West Chester Twp.'s retail centers, the Union Centre Boulevard district and the Highlands retail center on Cincinnati-Dayton Road, have experienced visible growth in the past year, with new buildings and new businesses changing the landscape. According to officials familiar with the areas, this is no fluke; the growth of these areas is the result of planning meeting up with predicted growth patterns.

 

"If you were looking for two words that would give you a reason, it might be 'critical mass,'" said West Chester Twp. director of community development Brian Eliff. He said that anchor tenants such as Wal-Mart at Highlands and the Marriott Cincinnati North on Muhlhauser Road established themselves and attracted secondary "junior anchors" to the areas, a successful mix that is now attracting additional businesses.

 

"It just has been building and building," said Eliff, "and this last year and a half, we're seeing results."

 

Public, private investment boost Union Centre Boulevard area

 

Rob Fischer, president of the Union Centre Boulevard Merchants Association, said the very visible developments in the district over the past year are the result of groundwork laid by developers and local government.

 

"A lot of effort has been put into making this an attractive place for business, an d businesses are seeing that," he said.

 

Along with office development in the Centre Pointe office complex and new retail/multi-use space in the Towne Centre Square development, the district has seen government projects take root, in both The Square @ Union Centre, the township's 2-acre urban park, and initial construction on the new West Chester Library building.

 

"It's all coming together," said Fischer.

 

Convenience a key to Highlands' growth

 

Susan Chapin is the marketing director for Neyer Properties, the developer behind the Highlands retail development. She said the old real estate adage location, location, location has been a factor in the development's growth over the past year.

 

"That convenience is drawing more shoppers to the area," she said, noting that the Cincinnati-Dayton Road corridor has less traffic than the Tylersville Road area. "Residents know that they can get their products and get in and get out."

 

The location has drawn businesses ranging from fitness chain Fitworks to small restaurant The Double Decker, and construction is underway on The Learning Tree Academy, an early education center, and Highlands Market Square, a 15, 750 square-foot mixed use retail plaza. Chapin said the developer is confident of the plaza's success.

 

"We've got a lot of interest in the area," she said.

 

http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/08/21/pjw082108retail.html

^^

 

And they want to build a mega-retail project at I-75 & sr 129 (Fox Highway) ?????????????

 

With the Tylersviller Rd projects listed above less than a mile away????

 

And the Highlands shopping area listed above only 1.2 miles away???

 

The the mega retail center called Bridgewater Falls is just 5 miles down the road ????

 

I think the place is nearly over-saturated now. 

 

BTW - I'm not exactly impressed by the stores that they list - Walmart, LA Fitness Centers and Fitworks, and small restaurants.  This is what they brag about?

 

Sure, the proposed mega retail project is actually a mixed-use project, and supposidly contains high-end retail that differentiates itself from the current retail centers that are within spitt'n distance, but based on The Green in Dayton, we can expect a lot of mall-style shoe stores.

And they named a highway after this guy.  :lol: It's still an utopia out there at half the price.

 

Butler County Official Faces Foreclosure

Reported by: Deb Silverman

Email: [email protected], Last Update: 7:46 pm

 

The foreclosure crisis has hit home for the head of Butler County Children Services.

 

Former Butler County Commissioner Mike Fox, who made a career change to reform the agency, is at risk of losing his home.

 

Mike Fox tells 9News his money problems started before he took the job at Butler County Children Services and now if he can't make a new deal with his mortgage company he'll loose his home on Creekside Way in Fairfield Township.

 

"This is struggle. It's a challenge. It's embarrassing," he said.

 

To read more: http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Butler-County-Official-Faces-Foreclosure/4BgBEvCkGkKKsCvZHs6phQ.cspx

 

I'm speechless!!!

If anyone cares.... (by the way, this is my 99th post  :clap: )

 

Friday, February 20, 2009

Butler County cuts economic development department

Dayton Business Journal - by Jon Newberry DBJ Contributor

 

 

Butler Co. has eliminated its three-person economic development department as a cost-cutting measure to help close a $7 million budget shortfall.

 

Bruce Coughlin, the county’s economic development director, said functions are being shifted to the department of development, which overseas building and zoning, community development and planning.

 

The decision to cut the economic development department was made two weeks ago. Other departments, including water and sewer and records also were affected, Coughlin said.

 

Mike Juengling, director of development, said his staff is currently working on transitioning the economic development functions. “We are in the process of finding out the status of everything that’s going on.”

 

Coughlin said he’ll be looking for a new job.

 

 

 

E-mail [email protected]. Call (937) 528-4400.