Butler County Growth

December 6, 200618 yr

From the 11/30/06 Pulse-Journal:

Convenience drives area's RETAIL SUCCESS

By Michael D. Pitman and Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writers

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Black Friday catapulted the holiday shopping season. But retailers have long known that moving to Butler County is a way to chase the dollar all year long.

Building the destination

With the recent population growth of West Chester, Liberty and Fairfield townships, developers turned their eyes north, building new shopping meccas like the Streets of West Chester, Voice of America Centre and Bridgewater Falls.

They packed each plaza with the big-name retailers, then encircled them with restaurants, making them destinations.

Since July 2003, 56 new businesses have moved into the VOA Centre on Cox Road.

Joe Hinson, West Chester Chamber Alliance president, said being located off Interstate 75 and in an area with residents with high disposable income, it was expected to see the VOA Centre and UCB succeed and recruit high-profile tenants.

"They're new and surrounded by new development," he said. "In a three-mile radius, you have the largest household income, and that's including Indian Hill. You have money in this area."

Hinson said Bridgewater Falls has the same formula as VOA and Union Centre Boulevard. Ohio 129 provides a convenient access to the development, and it is near growing communities with families with disposable income.

"If you wanted to go eat or go shop, you had to go elsewhere," Hinson said. "Now residents of this area can stay to shop, eat and be entertained."

That convenience is what drives retail success, said Scott Saddlemire, vice president of Brandt Retail Group, which helped land anchor stores for Bridgewater Falls.

The 66-acre shopping center, which draws West Chester and Liberty township residents, has opened 25 stores and two restaurants since 2004. Six new businesses already have signed leases for the center, including Panera Bread, Sally Beauty, Ulta, Huntington Bank, Game Stop and DreamDinners, said Sue Walkenhorst, the center's general manager.

Tri-County Mall was the place to shop when Saddlemire was growing up.

"But now you have all the growth in the northern suburbs and additional retail demand out there. Developers are popping up to meet those demands," he said.

Moving to opportunity

Barnes & Noble moved from the Tri-County area within Cincinnati's Interstate 275 loop and moved to West Chester Twp.'s Union Centre area in March 2004.

"We moved because the new location gave us the opportunity to locate into a project with numerous restaurants and also a movie theater, which we did not have at our old location," wrote Anne Griffey, Barnes & Noble real estate director in an e-mail interview. "The primary benefit for us has been to have the store located in a project with good co-tenants and to take advantage of the growth that is occurring in Butler County."

TJ Maxx moved from Colerain Avenue to Bridgewater Falls in October 2005.

Spokeswoman Laura McDowell said by relocating to Fairfield Twp., TJ Maxx was able to reach a demographic crucial to its business: 25-year-old to 54-year-old women shopping for themselves, their families and their homes.

"We're very happy in our new location and we expect to only increase and improve over the coming years," McDowell said.

'Sea of rooftops'

Retailers dictate where the developments will be, said John Griesmer, commercial real estate agent for Re/Max Acclaimed.

"(Retailers) say, 'We need a store in this general area,' " Griesmer said. "They look for rooftops."

The explosive population growth of Butler County is what's been selling retail development, Griesmer said.

About 90 percent of the county's growth stems from West Chester, Liberty and Fairfield townships and the city of Fairfield, he said.

According to the United States Census Bureau, between 1990 and 2000, the population in Liberty Twp. more than doubled to 22,000, and West Chester Twp. grew by nearly 15,000.

Kimmy Mauney of ABC Early Childhood Learning Center said she and her husband decided to open a Fairfield Twp. location after visiting the area and seeing "a sea of rooftops."

"I think this is going to be the future for a lot of young lives around here," Mauney said.

Hinson said the retail growth potential is still unlimited and believes Bridgewater Falls, Union Centre Boulevard and VOA will continue to thrive.

"I don't think we've reached the tip of the iceberg," he said. "I think in the next 25 to 50 years, this will become the economic hub between the Cincinnati and Dayton markets."

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/29/pjw113006shopshift.html

From the 11/29/06 Enquirer:

Fairfield Echo: Project may require tax hike (11/16/06)

Hamilton JournalNews: Transportation officials talk taxes to fund bypass widening (11/14/06)

Fairfield moves on bypass widening

BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

FAIRFIELD - Design work on a $7 million to $8 million project to widen the city's portion of the Ohio 4 Bypass is expected to begin early next year.

That means construction could begin within two years, said City Manager Art Pizzano.

Proposals to widen the road, which travels through Fairfield, Hamilton and Fairfield Township, have been discussed since early 2001. In Fairfield, the talk is shifting into action.

"We're proceeding independently of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District," Pizzano said.

Last June the city decided not to wait for the county agency once it was learned that construction funding was at least six or more years away, said Dave Bock, public works director.

"That road carries a tremendous amount of traffic every day," Bock said. "We wanted to move forward."

Plans call for the road to be widened from the current two lanes to four between Symmes Road on the north and the southern intersection of the bypass with Ohio 4, near Ross Road, Pizzano said. Turn lanes will be added at key intersections.

On Monday, City Council approved contracts for LJB Inc. to do engineering design work and Fuller, Mossbarger, Scott & May Inc. to do other, technical work on the project.

Bock said it should take about a year for the design work to be done. Construction after that would be contingent on how quickly the city acquires needed rights of way for the widening.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061129/NEWS01/611290374/1056/COL02

From the 11/29/06 Enquirer:

Tylersville Road farm to be developed

BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

The last remains of the Dudley Farm, sandwiched between businesses along Tylersville Road, will be commercially developed next year into retail stores and eateries, a developer confirmed Wednesday.

Midland Atlantic Development Corp. of Kenwood is under contract to purchase the nine-acre Dudley Farm just east of Interstate 75, said Jonathan Silverman, the company’s managing principal.

Midland Atlantic is the developer of most of the new businesses near the former dairy farm, which once consisted of several hundred acres. The fate of the farm had been up in the air since the death last year of owner James Dudley, who lived in the late-1800s home.

The last of the family’s estate - all the belongings and salvage rights to the buildings - were sold in an August auction. The land is expected to fetch big money for commercial development. Silverman declined Wednesday to discuss the sale price.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061129/NEWS01/311290018/1056/COL02

December 8, 200618 yr

From the 12/4/06 Middletown Journal:

City set to award contract for Cin-Day widening

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Orange barrels will be in bloom in 2007 as Middletown continues to widen Cincinnati-Dayton Road north of Ohio 122.

The project will widen the busy road to three lanes from Towne Boulevard north to the Central Avenue/Coles Road intersection with a September 2007 completion date.

According to David J. Duritsch Jr., engineering and environmental services director, an emergency ordinance will come before City Council Tuesday to award the project contract to Sunesis Construction Co. of West Chester Twp. The firm was the best of the seven companies that submitted bids, according to Duritsch's memo.

A planned capital improvement project for 2007, it will cost just more than $1.8 million, which was about 2.6 percent less than the engineer's estimate, according to a memo from Duritsch.

Of that amount, $650,000 will come from Ohio Public Works Commission funding or Issue 2; $100,000 will come from Warren County; $574,315 will come from the city's general capital fund; $256,734 from the city's water capital fund; and $227,940 from the city's storm water capital fund, according to Duritsch's memo.

Duritsch said the city usually allots about $900,000 for capital improvement projects each year.

In addition to widening the road, the project will also include the construction of storm sewers, curbs and gutters, the realignment of Locust Lane with Bavarian Drive at a new traffic signal, and the upgrade of the traffic signal at Central Avenue/Coles Road, according to the memo.

The project will also include the replacement of the existing 12-inch water main running along the road, according to the memo.

Duritsch said a start date for the project has not yet been determined. However, he said the contractor might begin after the holidays with the some of the underground work on the new storm sewers and water main.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or [email protected].

http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/03/mj120406dixie.html

From the 11/30/06 Pulse-Journal:

Mercy opening medical center in Liberty

By Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writer

Thursday, November 30, 2006

One of the region's largest health care providers is adding to the growing local medical corridor.

Mercy Health Partners announced Wednesday it will lease 20,000 square feet of a planned two-story, 40,000-square-foot medical building in Liberty Twp.

Slated for Cincinnati-Dayton Road about a mile north of Ohio 129, The Mercy Center for Advanced Medicine will offer primary care and specialty physician offices, plus comprehensive outpatient and diagnostic imaging center, said Greg Ossmann, director of public relations and marketing for Mercy Fairfield Hospital.

"It's consistent with our overall plan to provide health care that meets the growing needs of our communities," Ossmann said. "We've been in Butler County since 1978 so it's nothing new to us to expand our services and keep pace with the needs of the community."

Mercy Health Partners operates The Mercy Diabetes Center in West Chester Twp.

The health care provider plans to staff its Liberty Twp. location with 10 to 20 Mercy employees, in addition to employees of the physicians' practices that will occupy the center, Ossmann said.

The center will be open to patients in January 2008, he said.

The move to Liberty Twp. was in the works many months before the announcement of two other medical facilities planned for the area, Ossmann said.

A 200,000-square-foot Cincinnati Children's Hospital pediatric outpatient medical center and is expected to open in August 2008, on 65 acres of land between Ohio 129 and Interstate 75.

Tri-Health is expected to begin development on 15 acres of the same land of a 120,000-square-foot medical center within the next 18 months, just east of the Kroger Marketplace in Liberty.

Trustee Vice President Patrick Hiltman said such growth is what he campaigned on last year and exactly what township officials hoped for.

"I think it will steer the community in the direction that we had hoped — a medical hub," he said.

Todd Crawford, managing member of Liberty Falls LLC, said he is excited to bring the advanced medicine concept to Liberty Township in partnership with Mercy Health partners.

"We believe this will bring the latest in medical advancements, coupled with unprecedented convenience to the community," he said.

Crawford also is planning two 10,000-square-foot retail centers for the corner of Cincinnati-Dayton Road and Wyandot Lane. A bank or restaurant on an outlot north of The Jain Center of Cincinnati will occupy the remaining 6,000 square feet, he said.

The entire project will cost $13 million, Crawford said.

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

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/29/pjw113006mercy.html

From the 12/1/06 Oxford Press:

Thoroughfare plan: Public concerns voiced at forum

By Sean Strader

Staff Writer

Friday, December 01, 2006

More than 40 speakers aired a long list of concerns, grievances and frustrations with the existing draft of the Oxford Thoroughfare Plan at a special forum meeting of the Oxford Planning Commission Tuesday.

With nearly 100 area citizens in the audience, the speakers vocalized many concerns about housing development and questioned the necessity and legality of proposed "roads to nowhere" cutting through existing properties. The issue of city control over township planning also was a major concern.

Many complaints stemmed from general frustration about the lack of public input reflected in the planning process itself and unresponsiveness of TetraTech, the firm that released its final version of the plans this November, which will be considered by both Planning Commission and City Council.

"The maps in the draft thoroughfare plan are exactly the same as the maps in the final thoroughfare plan. I thought that all public comments were going to be incorporated into the plan," said Jenny Gelber of 5508 Brown Road.

Oxford Twp. Trustee Larry Frimerman spoke about the need for the city and township to plan together and how the plan will affect many township

residents who say they are being treated like "second-class citizens."

Frimerman said he was concerned that many of the proposed new roads "are outside the city's purview and most of the residents speaking today are outside the city's purview. They are feeling disenfranchised."

Commission Chairman Paul Brady stressed that this meeting represented only the beginning of a long process of public input before the commission presents a recommendation about the thoroughfare plan to city council.

A commission thoroughfare plan work session was tentatively scheduled at 7 p.m. for Dec. 13 at a location to be determined. It will be open to the public.

City Council Representative Dave Prows said that a question and answer session also was needed so questions from citizens could be directly addressed. The commission did not directly respond to any public comments at Tuesday's forum.

Many of the speakers were affected because proposed thoroughfares were shown to pass through their property as a series of dots on the map.

"My house is directly underneath a dot (on the map), and I would hate to lose my house to a connection between two neighborhoods that don't need to be connected," said Jim Oris, of 35 Hidden Creek Drive.

Many Oxford Twp. residents on Brown Road north of town and Booth Road south of town spoke up about proposed bypass routes through their neighborhoods, arguing it would ruin the rural character of the areas and lead to new housing developments and suburban sprawl.

Charles Stevens, of 5774 Brown Road, said he opposes the plan because he believes it opens up Oxford to development on the scale of the fast-growing Cincinnati suburbs.

"I'm not willing to live in West Chester here. If I wanted to, I could move there," Stevens said.

"Oxford does have a few traffic problems, but ... it does not seem to fix much; it does open up a lot of farmland to development," Stevens said.

Doug Coffin of 81 Lantern Ridge Road said he didn't believe the new roads would improve traffic in the city.

"Just building more roads leads to more development and more people. It doesn't alleviate traffic at all, it only makes it worse," Coffin said. "People who moved here because it is a small town would like to see it remain a small town."

Another major concern dealt with the fact that the thoroughfare plan is being addressed one year before the Oxford Comprehensive Plan is to be reconsidered.

Several speakers said the thoroughfare plan should be tabled until the comprehensive plan is completed and called for moratoriums on city annexation and real estate developments until then.

"The thoroughfare plan happens to be timed extremely awkwardly. It's inappropriate to approve it a year in advance of the next comp plan," said Jim Rubenstein of 1 Oak Hill Drive.

Rubenstein said the level of emotion and criticism shown at the meeting reflect a general frustration with the way the thoroughfare plan has been handled.

"What's happened here tonight shows you that things didn't work quite right in terms of citizen input," Rubenstein said.

http://www.oxfordpress.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/30/op120106forum.html

December 8, 200618 yr

From the 12/5/06 Hamilton JournalNews:

Cincinnati Enquirer: Lakota parents plan to protest redistricting (11/29/06)

Hamilton JournalNews: Feedback could influence redistricting (11/23/06)

Lakota parents petition over redistricting plan

By Lindsey Hilty

Staff Writer

Monday, December 04, 2006

LIBERTY TWP. — Lakota schools are redistricting for the long-term, the board stressed Monday night during an emotion-filled meeting that drew about 100 residents concerned with the district's plan.

Two neighborhoods presented petitions to the board and several spoke of their frustration about the proposed changes, which are expected to be voted on Dec. 18.

"We are asking for a town hall meeting to the board for the whole district to let people voice their concerns for more than three minutes," said parent Richard Martin.

The concern expressed by residents shows how much they care about the schools, said Lakota Local School District Board President Joan Powell.

"It is an absolute wonderful problem that we have in this district that so many people love their schools," Powell said.

However, she stressed that change is necessary to ensure all students get an excellent education and the board meetings are the place people are able to express concerns.

She said even at town hall meetings there are three minute limits.

While many parents are upset with the redistricting plan, Lakota spokesman Jon Weidlich said they are in the minority. Of the 400 parents that responded to the district's survey, the majority approved of the plan developed by 30 parents representing every Lakota elementary school.

The changes have been recommended to eliminate overcrowding issues within the community, district officials have said.

Parent Kristen Smith of West Chester Twp., who was not at the board meeting, said earlier Monday she volunteers in the schools and has known about the process since the district's planning committee was formed.

"To get involved this late in the game and point the finger — it's just unreasonable," Smith said. "If you want to affect change, you need to get involved at the beginning, not the end."

Smith attended the open houses to see what the final result would be, and she said the committee talked to concerned residents.

"Negative people can be very loud, so I guess I would just loudly say, get involved earlier."

That would have eliminated the "knee-jerk reaction" which Smith said led some residents to mistrust the district's decision.

Parent Belinda Billisits, who also did not attend the meeting, agreed.

"We felt like (committee members) were very, very open to listen to us," she said.

Billisits was part of a neighborhood that was concerned with the redistricting change, which would have caused their kindergartners to move four times in four years. There were also some issues with distance and splitting from the rest of the Union Elementary population. She said neighborhood parents met as a group to discuss the subject and then submitted a feedback letter to the committee asking "very nicely" for a re-evaluation. There was a hope it would be considered, Billisits said, but the group agreed to accept the proposal even if no changes were made.

"Part of living in Lakota is accepting change," she said.

The committee did reconsider the neighborhood's problem and made the changes necessary to send the small group of children to another schools.

Billistits said she has lived through multiple redistrictings in the 18 years she has been in the Lakota district.

"Kids handle it awesome," she said. "Parents have a really hard time. There's not a bad school in Lakota."

In other business, the board voted to approve five bids for the construction projects at the east and west high schools.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5067 or [email protected]

http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/04/hjn120506lakboeweb.html

From the 12/7/06 Pulse-Journal:

Cincinnati Enquirer: Liberty business limit is extended (12/2/06)

Pulse-Journal: Liberty raises roof on development (11/23/06)

Petition puts overlay on ballot

Liberty Twp. investigating how signatures were acquired.

By Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writer

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Liberty Twp. residents will get to vote next year on an overlay district approved by trustees in September.

Butler County Board of Elections validated Tuesday enough signatures to put the overlay up for referendum in November, said deputy director Betty McGary.

The Cincinnati-Dayton Corridor Overlay District would have put new, stricter development regulations on top of the township's existing zoning code.

But Steve Miller, manager of SPM Real Estate Georgesville, submitted 1,355 signatures to the township Oct. 17, putting the overlay district on hold until the board of elections could validate those signatures.

The board of elections validated 1,060 of those signatures, McGary said.

Administrator Dina Minneci confirmed that the township's legal counsel is investigating how the signatures on the petitions were acquired.

"Due to the complaints and concerns we received from dozens of residents, we just feel more investigation is needed to ensure their rights are being protected and the information provided to them was accurate," Minneci said.

A moratorium on development in the proposed district that began in July remains in effect. Set to expire Nov. 23, trustees last month extended the original 120-day "time-out" an additional 60 days until Jan. 22.

The "time-out" freezes all development within the district, except for existing office space and retail businesses or properties already in various stages of the zoning process.

SPM was working with Procter & Gamble this summer on a prototype car wash for the Liberty Commons shopping center when trustees enacted the 120-day "time-out," Miller said. The township's zoning department then denied his two applications for zoning permits that were filed under the old code.

Trustee President Christine Matacic said the overlay district is part of the township's efforts to plan for the next 15 years so it can afford the services businesses and residents need.

"We're trying to balance the growth, so the impact of the tax burden on residents is not as great," she said.

Four new overlay districts approved by trustees Monday are scheduled to go into effect Jan. 4. The new overlay districts — which start at Princeton Road and extend south until Hamilton-Mason Road — include all the land included in the original overlay district.

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

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/06/pjw120706petition.html

December 9, 200618 yr

From the 12/7/06 Pulse-Journal:

Trustees fine tune commercial area

By Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writer

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Mark Sennet spent $220,000 last December for a Hamilton-Mason Road home in the hopes of marketing the half acre of land it sits upon for an oil change business.

But the developer's property is now part of The Highway Commercial/Entertainment District Overlay — one of four overlay districts trustees approved Monday.

Each overlay district places new, stricter development regulations on top of existing zoning codes.

While the other three overlay districts prohibit any type of auto related retail and service uses, The Highway Commercial/Entertainment District Overlay simply prohibits "auto repair not in conjunction with auto sales."

The districts, which extend in part along Cincinnati-Dayton and Hamilton Mason roads, are scheduled to go into effect Jan. 4, 2007.

With Hamilton-Mason Road scheduled to be expanded to five lanes, Sennet suggested trustees look to how business developed along a similar wide road – Union Centre Boulevard.

"We're not going to compare Union Centre to any of this because we only have 18 percent of our township that we can develop into commercial development," said Trustee Vice President Patrick Hiltman. "And the whole point and tone of these overlay districts is to maximize the potential use of that commercial district."

Hiltman also said placing an oil change business in the area would not contribute enough "bang for the buck" in a recently implemented joint economic development district.

The special tax district collects 1.5 percent of worker earnings and business revenues.

Trustee President Christine Matacic said the township needs to watch for the "right mix" of businesses that will best contribute to road maintenance revenues, she said.

"And if we don't, what's going to happen to everything around us?" Matacic asked. "Values are going to start dropping and things are going to change."

Trustee David Kern noted what he perceived as contradictions in the list of allowed services.

"You have car washes, you have discount retail stores, bars, nightclubs, drive-throughs, all those fuel stations, but no, you can't have (an oil change business)?" Kern said. "It just doesn't jive."

Township officials said Sennet could use a site plan review process to enable the zoning department to waive requirements for the site and allow oil change businesses.

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

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/06/pjw120706libmeet.html

From the 12/8/06 Hamilton JournalNews:

Public outcry prompts special meeting on Oxford throroughfare plan

By Sean Strader

Staff Writer

Friday, December 08, 2006

OXFORD — Public concern over a proposed thoroughfare plan has led the city's planning commission to schedule a special work session on Wednesday at the Central Fire Station, 217 S. Elm St.

Commission Chairman Paul Brady said one of the main goals of the meeting is to decide what to do with the outpouring of public concerns about the proposed plan that incorporates various new and altered roadways around the city and township.

"We've got all kinds of issues to deal with," Brady said. "Moratorium issues, what development is coming and what isn't, the public comments we've got so far."

The public is welcome to bring input to the Wednesday meeting, and there will be another public forum scheduled sometime in January.

Brady said the role of the planning commission is to end up submitting a recommendation to city council on how to proceed.

"We will take the technical report and align it with public comment as best we can," Brady said. "What we're doing is taking all the legal and technical aspects and putting it into a package that the city council can decide on."

With something as large and complex as the thoroughfare plan, the planning commission's part in the process will probably take several months before anything gets forwarded to council, he said.

The planning chairman said he couldn't officially comment on the concerns brought up at recent forums, but said he recognized the difficult position the city and township were in.

"I think the people in both the city and the township aren't interested in a lot of growth," Brady said. "But when the Census Bureau tells you there's going to be growth, it's our responsibility to plan for it. It might not happen but you have to plan."

http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/08/hjn120806planning.html

December 15, 200618 yr

Butler faces $2M budget 'hole'

'Financial crisis' must be solved by year's end

BY JENNIFER BAKER | [email protected]

December 15, 2006

HAMILTON - Butler County faces a potential financial crisis because its projected $83 million budget for 2007 has a $2 million hole, officials said Thursday.

The announcement came during a budget workshop with the Butler County Sheriff's Office. Butler County commissioners must balance and pass the budget by month's end.

"It is going to be tough decisions here as we move forward," commission President Greg Jolivette said. "We have our work cut out for us in the next couple weeks."

County officials say they aren't sure how much money they can expect from a deal with Hamilton County to house up to 300 jail inmates a day. Butler County anticipates receiving about $2.5 million from the arrangement, but Hamilton County can opt out of its contract with a four-month notice.

"If something happens to that contract where we don't get a full year, that could have a dramatic impact on the financial status of the county," said Tim Williams, Butler County's assistant administrator. "I think we are looking at a potential deficit of over $2 million that we have to somehow contend with in this budget. ... Quite frankly, we are in a financial crisis."

County commissioners plan to hold another budget workshop next week and pass their 2007 budget Dec. 28.

Last year, commissioners passed and repassed temporary budgets from December 2005 to March 2006 while they held public hearings to increase the county's real estate transfer tax. They later rescinded the increase when Realtors gathered enough signatures to force the issue onto the fall ballot.

The projected 2007 budget for Butler County is about 6 percent higher that last year's budget of $78.2 million.

The biggest expense will be the sheriff's budget. That department expects to spend $32.2 million in 2007.

Officials also propose spending an additional $250,000 on staff for a new, seventh Common Pleas Court judge; an expansion needed to keep up with rising caseloads.

Meanwhile, the county is projecting lower income from its transfer tax and building permits because the new-housing market is slowing down, Williams said.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS01/612150352/1056/COL02

December 15, 200618 yr

Funny how one of the fastest growing places in Ohio in terms of new jobs can't pay its bills - could it be because so much of it has been low density suburban sprawl? :?

December 15, 200618 yr

[glow=red,2,300][/glow]

Funny how one of the fastest growing places in Ohio in terms of new jobs can't pay its bills - could it be because so much of it has been low density suburban sprawl? :?

:clap: [glow=red,2,300]BINGO![/glow] :clap:

December 15, 200618 yr

I would say this problem falls more on Hamilton county than Butler county. Hamilton county needs jail space and I doubt a solution will be found before this budget is set. Butler county will end up getting money from Hamilton county until a new jail is built.

December 21, 200618 yr

Fairfield says no to annexation

Hamilton has designs on land

BY CARRIE WHITAKER | [email protected]

December 21, 2006

HAMILTON - Fairfield Township trustees made a public declaration Wednesday night to not allow a piece of township land to be annexed by the city of Hamilton.

Until now, Trustee Joe McAbee said, the board had been careful to not take a stand.

"We've been dealing with this for a while. (Hamilton officials) say one thing one day and another the next," McAbee said. "But these are the most important properties we have left."

The fight is over more than 100 acres in Fairfield Township owned by Graceworks Lutheran Services, a nonprofit group in Dayton. In April, Graceworks filed a lawsuit against the township and the city, claiming the property should not be part of the joint economic development district established by Fairfield Township and Hamilton.

Hamilton Mayor Donald Ryan has said the city would allow the annexation if a judge rules in favor of Graceworks. A ruling is expected soon.

The joint district, which is binding until 2086, says that "Hamilton will not accept any annexation petitions for any property located in Fairfield Township ... or assist property owners to annex their property located in Fairfield Township to Hamilton or any other municipal corporation."

The resolution passed Wednesday would fight for every acre, accept no less than 50 percent of any revenue generated in the district's properties, and pursue legal action if the city of Hamilton does not comply.

Hamilton and Fairfield Township had an annexation dispute in 1996 that called for the mutual development of 222 acres in Fairfield Township.

It ended in a similar battle - one that Fairfield Township won.

Hamilton officials could not be reached for comment.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061221/NEWS01/612210356/1056/COL02

December 27, 200618 yr

Butler County faces budget deficit

Vote Thursday about $2M hole

BY JENNIFER BAKER | [email protected]

December 27, 2006

HAMILTON - With Butler County facing a $2 million hole in its projected $83 million budget for 2007 for the second year in a row, even some of the county's top leaders say they are uncertain how much their departments will get.

Butler County Sheriff Rick Jones said he won't know what his budget will be until Butler County commissioners vote on a 2007 spending plan in a special 4 p.m. meeting Thursday.

"I am kind of used to it. For the past five years, it's been this way, in a crisis," Jones said. "We are at their mercy. We have to wait and see what they give us."

County officials have been uncertain how to balance the budget, saying they aren't sure how much money they can expect from a deal with Hamilton County to house up to 300 jail inmates a day.

Butler County anticipates earning about $2.5 million annually from the arrangement, but Hamilton County can opt out of its contract at any time with a four-month notice.

If Butler doesn't receive a full-year's pay from that contract, it will have a "dramatic impact," the county's assistant administrator, Tim Williams, has said.

"I think we are looking at a potential deficit of over $2 million that we have to somehow contend with in this budget," he said. "Quite frankly, we are in a financial crisis."

Budget woes are nothing new in Butler County. This year, commissioners passed and repassed temporary budgets from December to March.

During that time they held public hearings on a proposal to increase the county's real estate transfer tax.

They later rescinded the increase when upset Realtors gathered enough signatures to force the issue onto the fall ballot.

The projected 2007 budget for Butler County is about 6 percent higher that last year's budget of $78.2 million.

Butler County's biggest expense this year, as usual, will be the sheriff's office. That department expects to spend $32.2 million in 2007.

Commissioners also will consider spending $250,000 on staff for a new, seventh Common Pleas Court judge; an expansion officials say is needed to keep up with rising caseloads.

County commissioners also must decide by March whether to extend a temporary sales tax increase.

The county raised the tax from 6 percent to 6.5 percent in October 2005 to fund a $25 million radio system for police, fire and emergency medical communication. The old system was plagued with problems.

The sales tax increase was to end in the spring, when the $25 million is to be collected. The upgraded system is to be in full use by 2009.

But now a committee overseeing the project wants to spend another $8 million on more enhancements for the radio system.

INCOME LOOKS WEAK

The county is projecting declining income from its transfer tax and building permit fees because the new-housing market is slowing.

Butler County Commissioner Greg Jolivette wants the county to earmark $1.5 million in the 2007 budget to add to its $8 million reserve fund. Jolivette said the reserve fund ideally should be at about $15 million.

If the fund isn't bolstered soon, the county's bond rating could suffer, Jolivette said. That means the county - ultimately taxpayers - would pay higher interest on money borrowed.

But Williams has told commissioners that other demands in the budget may prevent the county from adding to the reserve in 2007.

The county also hopes to drum up more income by spending some money on a jail renovation. The county plans to spend about $700,000 to renovate and reopen its old jail in downtown Hamilton.

If approved, the reopened jail would collect fees to house prisoners from several non-county sources.

Meanwhile, commissioners will hunt for ways to trim expenses, including maintaining a payroll freeze that has been in place since June, and a 10 percent cut in office supplies.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061227/NEWS01/612270331/1056/COL02

January 3, 200718 yr

Liberty Twp. zoning encounters protests

BY JENNIFER BAKER | [email protected]

January 3, 2007

LIBERTY TWP. - The controversy over new zoning and development standards for businesses in this fast-growing Butler County suburb has flared again.

"It gets frustrating. You just want to keep moving forward," said Jon West, the township's planning and zoning director.

A second request for a referendum to try to halt new rules along Cincinnati-Dayton Road was filed Tuesday afternoon with the township.

It comes less than a week after officials asked for a protest hearing before the Butler County Board of Elections over a first referendum attempt filed in October.

Steven Miller, manager of SPM Real Estate Georgesville in Cincinnati, is behind both referendums. He is a developer upset his plans for a car wash are blocked by the new rules.

His first referendum attempt essentially kept the rules from going into effect last year on 415 acres along Cincinnati-Dayton Road between and around Hamilton-Mason and Princeton roads.

The new standards for streetlights, landscaping and building exteriors would limit what kinds of businesses could be in that area.

In December, the township passed new, similar rules to trump the referendum effort.

The second set of rules was to go into effect Thursday. But Tuesday, the second referendum effort emerged in the form of 35 petitions of residents' signatures requesting a public vote.

This time the referendum request is just over a portion of Cincinnati-Dayton Road between Hamilton-Mason Road and Liberty One Drive, not the entire area.

The petitions were filed with just over 1,500 signatures.

Miller says he won't back down from his plans to build the car wash on 2.4 acres on the northeast corner of Cincinnati-Dayton Road and the Butler County Veterans Highway.

"I think I should have a right to use my property," he said. "They changed it without notifying me."

Township officials also launched an investigation into how residents' signatures were gathered in the first referendum effort.

They say several residents complained that the true intent of the new development standards was misrepresented by those circulating the petitions.

Last week, the township and three residents asked the Butler County Board of Elections for a protest hearing over the matter. That hearing has yet to be scheduled.

The township investigation into how the 1,345 signatures were gathered for the first referendum attempt concludes that "fraudulent tactics" were used, the township's lawyer wrote to the elections board.

The township also claims that at least half the signatures, which were filed in October, should be thrown out for other reasons.

Miller has previously denied problems with the first set of petitions and said Tuesday he believes the second set of signatures will withstand scrutiny, too.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070103/NEWS01/701030353/1056/COL02

January 3, 200718 yr

I'm sure we have some developers behind this petition. What a shame that this developer or developers can't see the forest of opportunities in front of them because they are so busy looking at their own feet. Quality design brings higher value for square footage and attracts more shoppers. He my find that the zoning is the least of his concerns if he used fraudulent tactics to get his petition signed.

January 10, 200718 yr

W. Chester to spend $12M on fire HQ

BY JENNIFER BAKER | [email protected]

January 10, 2007

WEST CHESTER TWP. – To keep up with rising numbers of emergency calls, officials plan to spend as much as $12 million to build a new fire headquarters and emergency communications center.

The “Public Safety Campus” would rise next to the township hall on the corner of Cincinnati-Dayton and West Chester roads, trustees agreed late Tuesday.

Construction could begin this fall and be complete in fall 2008 if final plans are approved, consultants told trustees.

About 60,000 people live in West Chester, a figure that the township projects will grow to 80,000 by 2020.

Rising numbers of residents and businesses already have resulted in higher demand for emergency service.

Calls to the fire department have grown 27 percent from 4,037 in 1999 to 5,135 in 2005. About 73 percent of those calls were emergency medical runs, not fires.

A key part of the project will be replacing the aging Station One firehouse with a larger one to hold more staff, equipment and an emergency management center to handle disaster response. Station One, built in 1963 and expanded in 1977 and 1990, serves several miles of homes and businesses along Cincinnati-Dayton Road.

“Public safety is our core competency,” Trustee President George Lang said. “It is one of the main reasons why we exist and businesses come out here. They know they will be safe and well taken care of.”

Trustees voted late Tuesday to hire Michael Schuester Associates, of Cincinnati, for architectural, engineering and construction services. Trustees also agreed to hire other consultants to study staff and equipment needs for the township’s communications department.

Money for the project would come from business property tax revenues in the Union Centre Boulevard area.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS01/301100035

January 12, 200718 yr

Fairfield Twp. keeps fighting for prime land

Court's annexation ruling favors neighboring Hamilton

BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

January 12, 2007

FAIRFIELD TWP. - Township trustees vow to keep fighting to prevent the owner of a prime spot for commercial development from seeking annexation into the neighboring city of Hamilton.

At issue: which government keeps jurisdiction - and gets the tax money - from whichever new businesses get built on 186 acres at Ohio 4 Bypass and Hamilton-Mason Road.

Township trustees say they will appeal a judge's decision last week that would allow the property owner, Graceworks Lutheran Services, to request annexation into Hamilton.

"We have the resources and we're willing to spend them," Trustee Joe McAbee said. "We're more committed than ever to keep the property in the township."

So far, no annexation petition has been filed. The site - once envisioned as a Meijer superstore - is less than half a mile from the new Bridgewater Falls shopping complex, and is expected to attract significant development.

"There are a host of development issues that need to be worked through, including zoning and utilities. These are all tied to the jurisdictional issues that must be determined," said Willis Serr, Graceworks' president and CEO.

The conflict between the two governments over annexation issues has been going on for several years, but had been improving. This situation became complicated when the property owner sued last spring to protect its option of becoming part of Hamilton.

In an attempt at compromise, township and city officials recently agreed to try to add the Graceworks site to a Joint Economic Development District. Such a district would allow Hamilton to collect a city income tax on the land without annexing it, then share some of the money with the township. In Ohio, townships cannot impose income taxes.

The proposal, introduced by Fairfield Township, included an agreement from Hamilton not to annex the site.

But last week, Judge Matthew Crehan of Butler County Common Pleas Court ruled the no-annexation deal could not be enforced because the law in place in 1996, when the tax district was formed, did not provide such authority.

Since 1996, however, the law has changed and now allows anti-annexation language. So now, officials are discussing forming a new tax district that would include the Graceworks land.

While the legal dispute continues, plans for the land remain in limbo. And so does a high-priority road project.

"We're all waiting to see what (Graceworks) is going to do next," Hamilton Mayor Don Ryan said.

Five of Hamilton's seven council members unofficially agreed last week not to accept any annexation petitions from Fairfield Township. But no legislation to that effect has been passed.

Township officials decided Tuesday not to proceed with plans to improve the intersection at Ohio 4 Bypass and Hamilton-Mason Road until the matter is settled.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS01/701120369/1056/COL02

January 18, 200718 yr

300 acres freed for development

BY JENNIFER BAKER | [email protected]

January 18, 2007

LIBERTY TWP. - A nearly six-month-long building ban was partly lifted this week, freeing about 300 acres for development along a main business artery in this growing Butler County suburb.

But commercial development remains frozen for the next four months on Cincinnati-Dayton Road near the Butler County Regional Highway as a dispute over tougher development rules for that area continues.

The end of the ban means two stalled construction projects can move forward: a business park on Wyandot Lane and an office condo behind the former Kroger building on Cincinnati-Dayton Road, said Jon West, township director of planning and zoning.

The end of the ban also helps remove obstacles to two big proposals.

The $13 million Liberty Falls medical office and retail development along Cincinnati-Dayton Road is scheduled to break ground in February.

An architect for Mark Williams Ford contacted township officials Wednesday about opening a dealership on the southwest corner of Interstate 75 and the Butler County Regional Highway, behind Tri-County Heating & Cooling.

However, development remains on hold along Cincinnati-Dayton Road from Hamilton-Mason Road to just north of Liberty One Drive.

That's where a controversy has emerged over the township's new, stricter standards for commercial development along Cincinnati-Dayton Road.

The new rules would block plans for a car wash just north of the Butler County Regional Highway on Cincinnati-Dayton Road. The developer, Steven Miller, manager of SPM Real Estate Georgesville in Cincinnati, has tried twice since October to gather enough signatures to force a public vote on the new rules.

The township is challenging the validity of the first set of petitions. The second set of petitions have been passed along to the Butler County Board of Elections for review.

If those petitions stand, a referendum vote could be held during the May 8 primary.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070118/NEWS01/701180337/1056/COL02

January 19, 200718 yr

I'm curious, how rapidly growing is Butler County really? The Census Bureau estimates that the population went from 333,000 in 2000 to 350,000 in 2005. That's only 5% and does not put Butler in what I could consider a high growth profile. Given the magnificient interstate access there and ample undeveloped land, I would have expected higher. Is Butler County experiencing outmigration from its southern tier by any chance?

January 19, 200718 yr

I'm curious, how rapidly growing is Butler County really? The Census Bureau estimates that the population went from 333,000 in 2000 to 350,000 in 2005. That's only 5% and does not put Butler in what I could consider a high growth profile. Given the magnificient interstate access there and ample undeveloped land, I would have expected higher. Is Butler County experiencing outmigration from its southern tier by any chance?

Butler County's growth rate was much greater in the 90's. Since 2000 it has really slowed down.

January 20, 200718 yr

BUTLER COUNTY POPULATION HISTORICAL TRENDS
Total CountywideButler County Population 
2004 estimate 346,560 
2003 estimate 343,207 
2002 estimate 340,543 
2000 official 332,807 
1998 estimate 330,428 
1996 estimate 323,579 
1994 estimate 316,115 
1992 estimate 305,041 
1990 official 291,479 
1980 official 258,787 
1970 official 226,207 
1960 official 199,076 
1950 official 147,203 
1940 official 120,249 
1930 official 114,084 
1920 official 87,025 
1910 official 70,271 
1900 official 56,870

January 21, 200718 yr

From the 12/19/06 Enquirer:

Cincinnati Enquirer: Lakota boundary-line plan up for approval (12/17/06)

Hamilton JournalNews: Lakota schools construction projects timely (12/15/06)

Lakota Schools leader leaving

Successor approved along with redrawn boundaries

BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | [email protected]

LIBERTY TWP. - On a night when the superintendent unexpectedly resigned, Lakota's school board approved a plan that will cause about 4,000 elementary students to change schools in August.

The board unanimously approved the sweeping plan Monday evening to redraw school attendance zones.

The surprise change in leadership was announced by board members during the meeting. Superintendent Phil Ehrhardt has resigned and Assistant Superintendent Mike Taylor was promoted to the top job.

About one-third of Lakota's 12,000 elementary students will move next year under the redrawn attendance lines.

The goal is to redistribute students more evenly.

Ehrhardt said the redrawing of attendance zones "will provide quality academics and is very cost effective and a long-term solution" to more evenly spread students and resources around the fast-growing 17,800-student district.

Taylor said that when a planning committee began looking at the district in January, it realized that several elementary schools in the south and central parts of the district had stable or declining enrollment.

A handful of parents - most from Liberty Township - complained this month that their children were being sent to elementaries of lower quality than their neighborhood schools.

Ehrhardt, in resigning, cited his family's desire to be closer to his grown daughter in Chicago.

Ehrhardt has accepted the superintendent position with Benjamin School District No. 25, a public system in suburban Chicago.

He was hired in summer 2005 and was in the final year of his two-year contract.

Taylor was unanimously appointed to replace Ehrhardt.

"Lakota is in the midst of a tremendous transition. Mike's leadership and passion for Lakota are always evident, and we are delighted to have him to guide Lakota into the future," said board President Joan Powell.

Taylor's contract, unanimously approved by the board, pays $135,000 annually through July 31, 2009.

Ehrhardt will continue to work with Lakota as a consultant through the end of his contract on July 31 at his current $135,000-a-year salary.

Lakota changes schools for 4,000 elementary students

The Lakota Board of Education approved a sweeping plan Monday evening that will switch about 4,000 elementary students to new schools beginning in August.

Details include:

Redistributing students in 14 elementaries for the 2007-2008 school year. Most of the student transfers will be from fast-growing Liberty Township southward into the more built-out communities of West Chester Township, where schools have stable or declining enrollments.

Lakota last changed its attendance zones in 2003.

The attendance zone information for each school is available on the district's Web site at www.lakotaonline.com.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/NEWS0102/612190316/1058/NEWS01

From the 12/23/06 Enquirer:

Overcrowding in new Monroe school

Some kids spilling over into old elementary

BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

MONROE - Just two years after opening a single K-12 building, the Monroe Local School District is running out of space.

Elementary classrooms are so scarce that preschool and kindergarten classes will likely move back to the old Monroe Elementary School for the 2007-08 school year, freeing up space in the new building for other grades.

"We started with 600 kids in the elementary and we're up to 1,200 now," said Superintendent Arnol Elam. "We expect another 100-200 kids next year and most of those will be in the elementary school."

Since the district was formed six years ago, enrollment has increased from about 1,400 to just under 2,200 - a 57 percent increase.

Next month, a task force will begin studying enrollment trends and the need for a ballot issue - possibly as early as 2008 - to construct another building on the site. Until then, Elam said, officials will monitor enrollment and systematically move a grade level at a time to the old elementary building.

"We all knew it was going to happen, but just not this quick," Elam said of the enrollment growth.

The former elementary building now houses district offices and three programs run by the Butler Technology and Career Development Schools. A new contract between Butler Tech and the Monroe Board of Education will move those programs to the former Lemon-Monroe High School over the summer.

"Moving to the high school gives us the ability to expand the program and add more students," said Edmund Pokora, chief financial officer for Butler Tech. "It's better situated for high school students. There's an auditorium there, gymnasium and everything is sized for high school students."

The five-year agreement calls for Butler Tech to pay $10 per year in rent, maintain the building and pay for custodial help. It takes effect Jan. 1.

Elam called the agreement a "win-win" for Monroe and Butler Tech.

"It would have cost us between $150,000 and $200,000 each year to mothball that building," Elam said. "We consider it an even swap."

E-mail suek1@fusenet

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061223/NEWS0102/612230345/1058/NEWS01

From the 1/7/07 Enquirer:

Lands Landing seeks to sell remaining lots

LIBERTY TWP. - A Whitewater Township developer hopes to sell the remaining 55 lots at the new Lands Landing subdivision in the next three to five years.

Cheviot-based Ameritek Custom Homes is the latest builder with plans for the development off Cincinnati-Dayton Road at Kyles Station Road.

Ameritek agreed about a month ago to buy two lots at the subdivision and has the option to buy more lots depending on how sales go, said Jeff Hayes, land development manager at Welsh Development, the project's developer.

The entire subdivision will include 112 lots.

The Ameritek homes will run from $280,000 to $420,000 and range from 1,800 to 4,000 plus square feet, said Terry Sojda, Ameritek's director of sales and marketing.

Crestview Hills-based Fischer Homes has already agreed to build 55 homes at Lands Landing.

Those homes will be priced from around $280,000 to $340,000 and range in size from 1,800 to 3,700 square feet and be geared toward move-up buyers, said Giles Patterson, division manager at Fischer Homes.

He said the homes will include a mixture of one- and two-story houses with three to four bedrooms, side-entry garages and full basements on lots that average about a half acre.

Fischer Homes has completed a model home at Lands Landings.

It expects all of its homes to be completed by late 2009.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070107/BIZ01/701070302/1001/BIZ

January 22, 200718 yr

From the 1/18/07 Fairfield Echo:

Township denies zoning change request

By Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writer

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Fairfield Twp. trustees nixed a zoning change that would have allowed construction of 186 single-family homes in the southern portion of the township.

Khosrow Mohammadi said he planned to build the homes on 100 of the 127 acres of land he owns at 3985 Tylersville Road, just east of Seward Road.

To do so, he needed trustees to vote unanimously to approve a zoning change from light industrial to planned residential. Trustees instead voted unanimously against the change Jan. 9, citing the township's land use plan and recommendations against the change by the Butler County Planning Commission and the Twp.'s zoning commission.

Trustee Joe McAbee said he has "strong reservations" about approving the construction of a couple hundred more homes in the area.

"From a township perspective, our job is to look 30 years out," McAbee said. "Not that we haven't done it, but it would be hard to take commercial property and turn it to residential, especially in this area where the land use plan calls for (light manufacturing)."

"The school district needs it, the township needs it and the county needs it," he said.

Sibcy Cline realtors Harold and June Zimmer said they contacted about 40 area developers, as well as industrial developers in Columbus and Dayton areas.

The property generated interest from several residential developers, two of whom extended contract offers, June Zimmer said.

Harold Zimmer said it was disheartening to hear trustees talk about continuing to wait.

"If it's (the land) been sitting idle for 15 years, that would tell them that there's not been an interest," he said. "I have (a) problem understanding when someone says 'Well, you just have to sit and be patient for businesses to move your way.'

While Mohammadi said the amount of property tax generated by the homes would be "substantial," McAbee said residential developments do not make the township any money.

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

http://www.fairfield-echo.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/01/17/fe011807zoning.html

From the 1/12/07 Enquirer:

Fairfield Echo: Road improvements put on hold (1/11/07)

Fairfield Echo: Fairfield Twp. offers Hamilton deal (12/21/06)

Fairfield Twp. keeps fighting for prime land

Court's annexation ruling favors neighboring Hamilton

BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

FAIRFIELD TWP. - Township trustees vow to keep fighting to prevent the owner of a prime spot for commercial development from seeking annexation into the neighboring city of Hamilton.