1 hour ago, TIm said:

Yeah it's such a tricky situation. The entire reason that area is desirable for new expensive builds is because it's Newark City taxes and Granville school district. Literally best of both worlds in that sense.

 

It's a pretty funny thing for developers to advertise "Granville Schools, Newark Taxes".

 

Park Trails/Park Ridge residents pay the same school taxes as everyone else in GEVSD (which is the bulk of it). Newark City income taxes are actually higher than Granville Village (1.75% vs 1.5%). Township residents don't even pay that.

On 12/20/2023 at 4:24 PM, mrCharlie said:

 

It's a pretty funny thing for developers to advertise "Granville Schools, Newark Taxes".

 

Park Trails/Park Ridge residents pay the same school taxes as everyone else in GEVSD (which is the bulk of it). Newark City income taxes are actually higher than Granville Village (1.75% vs 1.5%). Township residents don't even pay that.

What about property taxes? Gotta imagine those are higher in Granville.

8 minutes ago, TIm said:

What about property taxes? Gotta imagine those are higher in Granville.

 

I'm not sure how to find out the actual exact tax rates for each location, but spot comparing a few houses of roughly equal value they are no more than $200 different from each other.

 

School taxes are by far the largest % of each bill, and everyone in the district pays the same rate (and same income tax). Granville Village has a higher Fire/EMS levy percentage-wise than Newark City, and has a (small) green space levy. All pay for the Granville Rec district (it's the school district boundary), and everything else is the same.

 

Park Trails also pays a non-trivial special assessment for (I think) the first 20 years after each house is built to help pay for the new Intermediate School the development forced Granville to built. This more than offsets any other tax savings to be had by living there. My understanding (this was before I lived here) is that this was a concession offered by the developer after the initial fight. To me, this seems like an extremely fair compromise so all the current district residents don't have to feel like they are fully subsidizing these new developments. I feel like if similar concessions were offered for each proposed project (it has to be voluntary on the developer's part, and that probably means cutting into profits) you would see a lot less pushback for every project.

In "things I never thought I would type", Granville will be getting a Chipotle on South Main St - along with multiple other retail spaces. Also Denison is building a 70-unit housing development on New Burg St for faculty and staff, across from the High School.

 

https://www.thereportingproject.org/mill-district-development-annexation-plans-move-forward-in-granville/

 

Yes there has been some token complaining in the usual places about chain restaurants and traffic, but largely I've seen the South Main development met with acceptance. Chipotle certainly isn't my very favorite place to eat, but I do like it and it fills a food niche (cheapish, fast, not a bar or sit-down) that is very underserved in the village. I also like that the particular development is pedestrian-friendly - it's certainly walkable from my house. Can't wait to see what goes in the other spaces!

 

South Main St really is really becoming an established second business/dining district for the village - excellent since downtown doesn't have much vacancy or additional parking capacity on a busy night. In addition to both Station and Harvest opening in the last year or so, a new restaurant called Seven 4 Zero opened in the old Knuckleheads (good riddance) space in the IGA parking lot. It's owned by the owners of Day y Note, serving burgers, chicken tenders, and ice cream. Another excellent  "cheap and quick" option for village, we've gone there at least weekly since it opened.

 

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/granville/2023/12/15/seven-4-zero-serving-up-ice-cream-chicken-tenders-in-granville/71856173007/

 

And one other thing which I'm also super excited about - One Love Bike Shop & Cafe was just approved by the planning commission to open up in one of the old lumber yard building on South Main, next to Station (and the bike trail). They plan to offer bike sales and service, rentals, and be a place to meet for rides. I'm a cyclist and have been saying since we moved here that this town is very overdue for exactly this kind of place.

 

https://northpointohio.com/granville-bike-shop/

23 hours ago, mrCharlie said:

In "things I never thought I would type", Granville will be getting a Chipotle on South Main St - along with multiple other retail spaces. Also Denison is building a 70-unit housing development on New Burg St for faculty and staff, across from the High School.

 

https://www.thereportingproject.org/mill-district-development-annexation-plans-move-forward-in-granville/

 

Yes there has been some token complaining in the usual places about chain restaurants and traffic, but largely I've seen the South Main development met with acceptance. Chipotle certainly isn't my very favorite place to eat, but I do like it and it fills a food niche (cheapish, fast, not a bar or sit-down) that is very underserved in the village. I also like that the particular development is pedestrian-friendly - it's certainly walkable from my house. Can't wait to see what goes in the other spaces!

 

South Main St really is really becoming an established second business/dining district for the village - excellent since downtown doesn't have much vacancy or additional parking capacity on a busy night. In addition to both Station and Harvest opening in the last year or so, a new restaurant called Seven 4 Zero opened in the old Knuckleheads (good riddance) space in the IGA parking lot. It's owned by the owners of Day y Note, serving burgers, chicken tenders, and ice cream. Another excellent  "cheap and quick" option for village, we've gone there at least weekly since it opened.

 

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/granville/2023/12/15/seven-4-zero-serving-up-ice-cream-chicken-tenders-in-granville/71856173007/

 

And one other thing which I'm also super excited about - One Love Bike Shop & Cafe was just approved by the planning commission to open up in one of the old lumber yard building on South Main, next to Station (and the bike trail). They plan to offer bike sales and service, rentals, and be a place to meet for rides. I'm a cyclist and have been saying since we moved here that this town is very overdue for exactly this kind of place.

 

https://northpointohio.com/granville-bike-shop/

It will be nice to have a fast casual option out here. And since Chipotle's seem to have a 3 year life cycle of opening and being awesome to being a meme on a local Reddit, I look forward to a window of time for good burritos.  The new Sever 4 Zero looks promising, too. Any thing, even shingles, would be better than the Knucklehead's experience and owners.

38 minutes ago, Airsup said:

The new Sever 4 Zero looks promising, too. Any thing, even shingles, would be better than the Knucklehead's experience and owners.

 

We all know they only went out of business strictly because of their brave political views. There was no hope for success once they moved Knuckleheads to the liberal paradise of Buckeye Lake. Or for the established diner they bought in the People's Republic of Johnstown, which lasted a few months under their ownership.

 

We ignored our instincts and gave Knuckleheads at least a couple tries after they bought the place, because we liked it under the old owners. It was mediocre at best...bland, and always out of stuff. The last time was when it took 30 minutes to get a milkshake (they weren't busy), and I got to stare at the propaganda on the walls while I waited (and that was before they really went off the deep end). 

1 hour ago, mrCharlie said:

 

We all know they only went out of business strictly because of their brave political views. There was no hope for success once they moved Knuckleheads to the liberal paradise of Buckeye Lake. Or for the established diner they bought in the People's Republic of Johnstown, which lasted a few months under their ownership.

 

We ignored our instincts and gave Knuckleheads at least a couple tries after they bought the place, because we liked it under the old owners. It was mediocre at best...bland, and always out of stuff. The last time was when it took 30 minutes to get a milkshake (they weren't busy), and I got to stare at the propaganda on the walls while I waited (and that was before they really went off the deep end). 

Was this post really necessary?

 

So you didn’t like the owners views, be critical of their product/service and leave the other stuff behind.

Edited December 23, 20231 yr by wpcc88

On 8/21/2023 at 12:00 PM, OhioFinest said:

Pretty cool restoration of the Hudson Ave church that has been vacant for a long time. Seems to be turning into a multi-purpose venue for weddings etc.  Will be really nice when its complete.  It appears they have purchased the vacant lots next to the church for the outdoor patio and parking.  Super cool building...glad to see the investment and revitalization of Newark continue.

 

Pics of the renderings:

https://www.northpointohio.com/hudson-avenue-church-rehabilitation/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is super exciting to see. It's a great building -- I was involved in the Thistledown Childrens Theatre that operated there until the early 2010s. 

8 hours ago, wpcc88 said:

Was this post really necessary?

 

So you didn’t like the owners views, be critical of their product/service and leave the other stuff behind.

Apologies, that's fair and I got a bit carried away. The owners are not well liked in Granville, not because of their political views, but because they went out of their way to troll and antagonize pretty much the entire town during COVID and after. I realize that context isn't obvious here, nor is this really the place to have that discussion.

Microsoft in Hebron…In the area of the Newark Industrial Park.  This area is gonna boom!! Licking County better be ready for it. This goes back to our conversation about Newark developing the River Rd area…how much longer is Granville going to live in denial??? For the betterment of the Licking County, the county needs Granville to adapt!! The Newark/Heath/Granville metro is literally the center…the heart…of Licking County…we need them to be a good coworker in order for this to all go well. News like this should be a reminder of why business and housing go hand in hand.  

Edited December 28, 20231 yr by OhioFinest

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/2024/01/24/potential-newark-tiny-home-village-could-provide-affordable-housing/72323755007/

 

Interesting.  I know some people don't like these kind of housing developments, but at the end of the day...i'm all for it...as long as it's done in a way that actually improves areas instead of depreciates home values.  I think reasonable agreements can be worked out.  I'm born and raised and still live in Newark...and yes, this city has seen a REMARKABLE turn around.  I think anybody will tell you that Newark has made MAJOR improvements...BUT...anybody with eyes will tell you that there is still a lot of work to be done as well.  I think these kind of "Tiny Home" villages should be used for infill in areas that truly need it.  Build these in the older areas of town where this is A) Truly needed for people and B) Helps with neighborhood improvements.  I think of the "Old Town West" area off of W Main St and W Church St and the South end as PERFECT areas for much needed infill and improvements.  Say what you will, but would you rather have brand new tiny home villages...OR 100 year old blighted home eyesores??  Good for the Look Up Center for actually something to fix the problem instead of just talking about it. 

 

 

Edited January 24, 20241 yr by OhioFinest

26 minutes ago, OhioFinest said:

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/2024/01/24/potential-newark-tiny-home-village-could-provide-affordable-housing/72323755007/

 

Interesting.  I know some people don't like these kind of housing developments, but at the end of the day...i'm all for it...as long as it's done in a way that actually improves areas instead of depreciates home values.  I think reasonable agreements can be worked out.  I'm born and raised and still live in Newark...and yes, this city has seen a REMARKABLE turn around.  I think anybody will tell you that Newark has made MAJOR improvements...BUT...anybody with eyes will tell you that there is still a lot of work to be done as well.  I think these kind of "Tiny Home" villages should be used for infill in areas that truly need it.  Build these in the older areas of town where this is A) Truly needed for people and B) Helps with neighborhood improvements.  I think of the "Old Town West" area off of W Main St and W Church St and the South end as PERFECT areas for much needed infill and improvements.  Say what you will, but would you rather have brand new tiny home villages...OR 100 year old blighted home eyesores??  Good for the Look Up Center for actually something to fix the problem instead of just talking about it. 

 

 

Love these types of developments, but this seems like a pretty crap example of one. That is still a giant waste of space and they could easily fit 5 more or so in that area. 

20 hours ago, VintageLife said:

Love these types of developments, but this seems like a pretty crap example of one. That is still a giant waste of space and they could easily fit 5 more or so in that area. 

Agreed = when I read about this yesterday that was my same thought. There should be at least two more units on each row. Why have all of this public space when each unit has a "lot" proportion that is almost suburban level comparative to the structure size.? There's a cost in maintaining all of that green space that someone has to pay for, so what's more important? Housing people or a 4 bench plaza?

I wonder if parking minimums and/or setbacks played a role in why there are so few of them on the lot

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/2024/01/25/multifamily-housing-again-planned-for-north-21st-near-newark-walmart/72319187007/

 

 

And another new housing project planned in Newark.  This one on the North End of the city.  These will be a welcomed addition.  The only downside...more traffic on 21st street. 

5 hours ago, OhioFinest said:

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/2024/01/25/multifamily-housing-again-planned-for-north-21st-near-newark-walmart/72319187007/

 

 

And another new housing project planned in Newark.  This one on the North End of the city.  These will be a welcomed addition.  The only downside...more traffic on 21st street. 

More traffic on 21st is inevitable. It's the only place in all of Licking County that has all the things you need in one spot. Whether housing gets added to 21st or not, traffic will grow.

 

This major development in Heath received TMUD approval, green lighting this development.  The Newark/Heath/Granville area continues to grow!!

 

2 hours ago, OhioFinest said:

 

This major development in Heath received TMUD approval, green lighting this development.  The Newark/Heath/Granville area continues to grow!!

 

Monumental for Heath. Now when Heath residents talk about going "downtown" they might not actually be referring to Newark! Anything to make the town feel like less of a stroad with a few residential side streets is great.

https://www.dispatch.com/story/lifestyle/home-garden/2024/02/10/revitalization-downtown-newark-arcade-apartments/72492945007/
 

Nice to see this story appear on the Dispatch, highlighting the continuing downtown Newark revitalization project. If you haven’t been…stop in and see for yourself!!! 

 

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/2024/02/16/308-unit-apartment-complex-planned-for-newarks-west-main-street/72589892007/

 

…Aaaaaand another housing development announced today. This one was not on my radar. Seems as if Newark is being very proactive with regards to housing lately.  This site sits on the booming west end on a very topographic piece of land. Will be interesting to see how these get built. The article touches on the housing boom being seen everywhere in Newark. Very proud of my city!! 

 

 

 

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/granville/2024/02/28/granville-village-township-sued-over-alleged-open-meetings-violations/72749451007/

 

What is going on over there in Granville???  Now Granville wants to act like they are trying to prepare for Intel development??  For a community that claims it's so prepared and smart, it sure seems like the opposite...they don't have their stuff together...at all!!!!

22 minutes ago, OhioFinest said:

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/granville/2024/02/28/granville-village-township-sued-over-alleged-open-meetings-violations/72749451007/

 

What is going on over there in Granville???  Now Granville wants to act like they are trying to prepare for Intel development??  For a community that claims it's so prepared and smart, it sure seems like the opposite...they don't have their stuff together...at all!!!!

 

Sounds to me like they are doing the right things but have to constantly deal with a troublemaker who wants to still wield power but is no longer a mayor or a council person. Not having a comprehensive plan is just plain dumb.

Not surprising at all. The "old Granville" types are some of the biggest haters I've ever met in my life. Some of the worst/most entitled people I've ever encountered in my entire career/life have come out of this town and they're also the types to try and hold power over others. Plenty of great people, but there are some next level rotten eggs in that town and they love to force their opinions on everyone else.

5 minutes ago, TIm said:

Not surprising at all. The "old Granville" types are some of the biggest haters I've ever met in my life. Some of the worst/most entitled people I've ever encountered in my entire career/life have come out of this town and they're also the types to try and hold power over others. Plenty of great people, but there are some next level rotten eggs in that town and they love to force their opinions on everyone else.

I think a majority of those "next level rotten eggs" are in the surrounding townships, now. It's mind boggling how self centered they are and good at manipulating their neighbors into thinking that their selfish desires are good for the community.

...and this is all tied to Intel development planning!!  But i ask again, HOW does Granville not have a comprehensive plan put together for economic/residential growth?  I keep coming back to the River Road corridor and the delayed development there...the city of Newark has bent over backwards not just once, but MULTIPLE times, to Granville's requests for delaying development so they could "plan"...well stories like this prove that Granville doesn't have ANY intention of actually planning for any kind of growth and only has a delay block delay block delay plan.  Newark City Council should immediately approve those developments and let the chips fall where they may.  The city of Newark needs that tax revenue.  Its time for Granville to NOT get what they want for a change and for Newark to do what's best for Newark. 

Granville as a town is just a bully. It's like the entire town hates that it's in Licking County and wants to pretend it's somewhere else.

Like I've said before if it had a trailer park and/or crappy '70s apartment complex like most other towns its size it would have to knock it off.

3 hours ago, TIm said:

Not surprising at all. The "old Granville" types are some of the biggest haters I've ever met in my life. Some of the worst/most entitled people I've ever encountered in my entire career/life have come out of this town and they're also the types to try and hold power over others. Plenty of great people, but there are some next level rotten eggs in that town and they love to force their opinions on everyone else.

 

3 hours ago, Airsup said:

I think a majority of those "next level rotten eggs" are in the surrounding townships, now. It's mind boggling how self centered they are and good at manipulating their neighbors into thinking that their selfish desires are good for the community.

 

I live in Granville and mostly agree with this. And correct, it's almost exclusively the wealthy (largely conservative) old-money types in the township, doing whatever they can to save a few $ on their taxes and make sure nothing ever changes. We badly need a township/village merger to properly control development, but it's unlikely to happen anytime soon because of a few vocal township residents.

There are also a few (also very wealthy, also in the township) people who own most of the vacant, currently developable commercial properties throughout the area. Not only do they wield their monopoly-like power to keep lease/purchase prices high (keeping lots vacant, causing tenants to struggle), but they do what they can to stop any other development in the area - because that will dilute their power.

Can't wait for growth to help shift the numbers and knock these guys out of power.
 

2 hours ago, OhioFinest said:

...and this is all tied to Intel development planning!!  But i ask again, HOW does Granville not have a comprehensive plan put together for economic/residential growth?  

 

Granville has had a comprehensive plan for years, if not decades. The issue here is they are trying to update it for Intel and other growth, naturally some will do whatever they can to get in the way.

Edited February 28, 20241 yr by mrCharlie

5 minutes ago, mrCharlie said:

I live in Granville and mostly agree with this. And correct, it's almost exclusively the wealthy (largely conservative) old-money types in the township, doing whatever they can to save a few $ on their taxes and make sure nothing ever changes. We badly need a township/village merger to properly control development, but it's unlikely to happen anytime soon because of a few vocal township residents.

 

What's the size and population comparison between Village of Granville (it's a village, right?) and Granville Township?  Would this merger actually result in meaningful expansion of development-friendly policy across a meaningfully larger area?  I was under the impression that the Village had plenty of anti-development types as well, and if combined with the even more anti-development types in Granville Township, you might well have an overall anti-development controlling constituency across the entire combined jurisdiction.

10 minutes ago, Gramarye said:

 

What's the size and population comparison between Village of Granville (it's a village, right?) and Granville Township?  Would this merger actually result in meaningful expansion of development-friendly policy across a meaningfully larger area?  I was under the impression that the Village had plenty of anti-development types as well, and if combined with the even more anti-development types in Granville Township, you might well have an overall anti-development controlling constituency across the entire combined jurisdiction.

 

Granville Village is right around 6k people...5,946 according to the last Census in 2020.

Granville Township is listed as 10,244 people.

 

Which has always been weird to me, because in Ohio, isn't "City" status anything over 5,000 residents?

13 minutes ago, OhioFinest said:

 

Granville Village is right around 6k people...5,946 according to the last Census in 2020.

Granville Township is listed as 10,244 people.

 

Which has always been weird to me, because in Ohio, isn't "City" status anything over 5,000 residents?

 

Is that with or without Denison University students?  Nonresident students don't count.

 

Alternatively, it may be because Granville is timelocked in 1958 and it had fewer than 5,000 residents then.

38 minutes ago, OhioFinest said:

 

Granville Village is right around 6k people...5,946 according to the last Census in 2020.

Granville Township is listed as 10,244 people.

 

Which has always been weird to me, because in Ohio, isn't "City" status anything over 5,000 residents?

 

It might still be classified as a City by the state with them choosing to go by "Village" informally. Conveniently not updating signs, "using up old literature and letterhead", "forgetting" to say "City" etc.

16 minutes ago, GCrites said:

 

It might still be classified as a City by the state with them choosing to go by "Village" informally. Conveniently not updating signs, "using up old literature and letterhead", "forgetting" to say "City" etc.

I think you have to apply for city status.

5 minutes ago, Gramarye said:

What's the size and population comparison between Village of Granville (it's a village, right?) and Granville Township?  Would this merger actually result in meaningful expansion of development-friendly policy across a meaningfully larger area?  I was under the impression that the Village had plenty of anti-development types as well, and if combined with the even more anti-development types in Granville Township, you might well have an overall anti-development controlling constituency across the entire combined jurisdiction.

Granville Village is 5,946, which does includes ~2000ish Dension students - well short of city status. Granville Township is 10,244, I'm unclear if that also includes the village (village is still part of a township, we vote on trustees).
 

While not universal, there is definitely appetite for some development. The candidates who ran on pro-development platforms in the last village council race won pretty decisively. Generally speaking, opposition usually comes down to "maintaining our village charm" and "protecting the schools". The usual commercial sprawl (fast food places, chains, big box) isn't particularly welcome, especially close to downtown. This is in part to make sure these places don't hurt the local/independent places already in town.

We've discussed it here before, but the school thing is a real problem. Our school taxes are extremely high - high-quality schools, little commercial, very little state aid - and many of the buildings are close to capacity. The last few rounds of school funding were met with organized opposition (the township people discussed above) and took multiple attempts to pass. There is a lot of concern about Newark/Heath approving huge SF housing developments in Granville Schools, forcing the entire district to pay for new buildings - a request which is not guaranteed to pass. 
 

(Sorry if any of that is rambling or unclear, I've been awake since well before we headed to the basement at 5:45am for the tornado warning.)

 

 

1 hour ago, OhioFinest said:

 

Granville Village is right around 6k people...5,946 according to the last Census in 2020.

Granville Township is listed as 10,244 people.

 

Which has always been weird to me, because in Ohio, isn't "City" status anything over 5,000 residents?

I do not believe they force you to become a city once you hit that point. I know if you do choose to go "city" it does mandate some local governmental changes. The Village of Granville would likely have to invite more people to participate and more community voted in positions and I can't imagine they want that. They want to keep things the way they are.

4 hours ago, TIm said:

I do not believe they force you to become a city once you hit that point. I know if you do choose to go "city" it does mandate some local governmental changes. The Village of Granville would likely have to invite more people to participate and more community voted in positions and I can't imagine they want that. They want to keep things the way they are.

 

This is from an article from 2021 talking about Johnstown becoming a city and not having a choice...

 

"The days of Johnstown being recognized as a village are numbered, but its transition to a city may not be noticed by most residents.

 

Johnstown will become Licking County's fourth city, joining Newark, Pataskala and Heath, as the U.S. Census revealed Johnstown passed the threshold of 5,000 residents, forcing the change."

 

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/2021/08/14/johnstown-population-exceeds-5-000-so-village-become-city/8116102002/

 

Village to city happens automatically, you don't have to apply and you can't opt out. City to village also happens automatically if the population falls below 5000

 

But it's also correct that non-resident students (as well as prisoners) don't count toward the 5000, so Granville remains a village

 

ORC 703.1, https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-703.01

19 hours ago, CbusOrBust said:

 

This is from an article from 2021 talking about Johnstown becoming a city and not having a choice...

 

"The days of Johnstown being recognized as a village are numbered, but its transition to a city may not be noticed by most residents.

 

Johnstown will become Licking County's fourth city, joining Newark, Pataskala and Heath, as the U.S. Census revealed Johnstown passed the threshold of 5,000 residents, forcing the change."

 

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/2021/08/14/johnstown-population-exceeds-5-000-so-village-become-city/8116102002/

 

It's all based on resident electors, not population. They force you to become a city when over 5,000 registered voters vote in an election or are registered to vote at time of a general election.

Edited February 29, 20241 yr by TIm

25 minutes ago, TIm said:

It's all based on resident electors, not population. They force you to become a city when over 5,000 registered voters vote in an election or are registered to vote at time of a general election.

 

This is not how I read the ORC. The registered voters component appears to be a second way in which a village becomes a city (see 703.011).

 

https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-703.01

https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-703.011

19 hours ago, ink said:

 

This is not how I read the ORC. The registered voters component appears to be a second way in which a village becomes a city (see 703.011).

 

https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-703.01

https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-703.011

Oh yeah, you're spot on! I'm completely misremembering from when I had all of these same misconceptions when I worked for the Licking County government when Johnstown was becoming a city in 2020 lol. There was so much gossip.

 

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/granville/2024/03/07/granville-township-proposes-zoning-district-to-shape-future-growth/72842628007/

 

This doesn't sound like Granville Township is preparing for growth...AT ALL!!! In fact, quite the opposite.  Everything i read in this article makes growth MORE difficult...not easier. Tougher regulations all around...we have to make sure that Granville Township doesn't loose any of it's "charm" now do we...removing language in overlay areas that could provide REAL jobs for the area...just an overall negative negative community for any kind of growth.  The area specifically controlling Raccoon Golf Course (Overlay subarea B & C)...are you kidding me??? That golf course is essentially dead and is prime for residential development...nope...Granville Township said no to that.  Only Golf, Country Clubs, Agritourism (whatever that is) and commercial recreational facilities.  I mean...wow. That area should 100% be zoned for residential!!  Every time i read one of these articles, we have to hear about how Granville is preparing for growth and how the new people on the board are more "pro growth"...well not according to their actual planning.  I just don't see it.  Just because you're making a plan for future growth, doesn't mean that plan is actually pro growth.  Just Granville being Granville....

 

Quotes from the article:

 

"The Granville Township Zoning Commission held a hearing Monday night about the township's proposed overlay zoning district, which would create stricter zoning regulations than the regular zoning code within defined areas of the township."

 

"The draft language also includes stricter setbacks and buffering requirements for properties within the overlay."

 

"But the handful of residents who spoke during the meeting didn't support the overlay. Luke Freshwater, who lives on Silver Street, said his family recently moved to the area. As a father of five young children, he wants to raise his kids to love and appreciate rural communities and it's disappointing that farms near him could become developed into businesses."

 

^^^^^

This last quote is the most ridiculous.  My family is allowed to move here, but we don't want anybody else to move here...talk about hypocritical. 

Edited March 7, 20241 yr by OhioFinest

From what I understand, most of the land in and around the golf course is old landfill, so no, it's not prime for residential development. That's why it's left to light use.

I have NEVER heard that....ever!!  I cant image Granville ever allowing such a thing.  Is there any proof of this...i would love to know.

Edited March 7, 20241 yr by OhioFinest

14 minutes ago, OhioFinest said:

I have NEVER heard that....ever!!  I cant image Granville ever allowing such a thing.  Is there any proof of this...i would love to know.

That's all Owens Corning land and was used for dumping and testing. When the golf course was for sale a few years ago, one of the potential buyers wanted to put houses on it and learned the hard way that's not happening. One of the biggest concerns about Intel and development tapping into the Granville area aquifer is because there's a toxic plume trapped there now from illegal dumping from another past company. There's a lot of pollution history there covered up by green fields.

3 hours ago, OhioFinest said:

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/granville/2024/03/07/granville-township-proposes-zoning-district-to-shape-future-growth/72842628007/

This honestly seems pretty reasonable and appropriate for the area, emphasizing quality over quantity. Not all growth is good, left to their own devices developers will put in the cheapest, worst sprawl with no concerns about longevity to impact on the area. Locally-owned businesses often struggle against national chains, since they have the buying power to be more competitive. The old downtown starts to slowly die out. You get traffic problems since access isn't considered, followed by an expensive and inconvenient overhaul of whatever the main road is to solve those problems. Buildings become outdated, businesses move on, and are left empty for years or maybe (eventually) redeveloped. Force the quality and a bigger investment will be required, and perhaps businesses will be more keen to do things right stick and around for the long haul.

Look local for an example of the above. Heath's sprawl seriously hurt downtown Newark - which is finally bouncing back after extensive efforts, and with people rediscovering the value of urban areas. Rt 79 had to be extensively redesigned in the last decade through Heath to solve the traffic issues caused by careless development, and it still isn't great. Many of those businesses (like the mall) are becoming outdated or unfashionable, with a fair bit of vacancy. Not dead, but not exactly thriving. I would argue that Granville resisting sprawl (with limited pressure to reconsider, since the local population is relatively small) is why Granville has (and has always had) a thriving, functioning downtown. Little choice though but to loosen restrictions a bit at this point, there isn't room for additional business development downtown.

 

1 hour ago, Airsup said:

That's all Owens Corning land and was used for dumping and testing. When the golf course was for sale a few years ago, one of the potential buyers wanted to put houses on it and learned the hard way that's not happening. One of the biggest concerns about Intel and development tapping into the Granville area aquifer is because there's a toxic plume trapped there now from illegal dumping from another past company. There's a lot of pollution history there covered up by green fields.

This seems very plausible. Digging through old aerial photos, that whole area was a gravel pit in the 1960's. The now-golf course portion was filled in, with the course opening in 1972. I wouldn't trust anything put in the ground around that time. 

The plume issue is courtesy of Granville Solvents, which had a facility right at the entrance to the village by the Cherry St viaduct - between the old and new water plants (!). They specialized in the processing and "disposal" of printing and dry cleaning chemicals, which given the timeframe (1950s-1980s) meant leaving a whole lot of really bad stuff hanging around in leaky drums and underground tanks. The site was remediated through the 1990's and contained. The biggest worry with the Intel well proposal is that it would draw a LOT of water, pulling the currently-contained plume right into the village wellfield.

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/granville/2020/12/29/eyesore-former-granville-solvent-site-sold-cleaned-up/3909442001/

 

2 hours ago, OhioFinest said:

I have NEVER heard that....ever!!  I cant image Granville ever allowing such a thing.

Ohio didn't even have township zoning until 1947, no idea when it was adopted here. Other than having a college, Granville was mostly just another small, rural town back then - standards and restrictions were pretty low. See Granville Solvents above.
 

3 hours ago, OhioFinest said:

This last quote is the most ridiculous.  My family is allowed to move here, but we don't want anybody else to move here...talk about hypocritical. 

Township residents gonna township resident. Per the auditor, the guy bough his property in 2022 and built a house on it. Wonder how the existing neighbors felt about that?

Edited March 7, 20241 yr by mrCharlie

Such a shame. Sounds like the historic "The Avalon Building" could be demolished after it caught fire last weekend.  As stated in the article, hopefully they can get something designed and rebuilt at this location...would be cool to even see some height with a new building. 

 

 

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/2024/03/29/newarks-avalon-building-in-danger-of-demolition-like-25-years-ago/73121218007/

11 hours ago, OhioFinest said:

Such a shame. Sounds like the historic "The Avalon Building" could be demolished after it caught fire last weekend.  As stated in the article, hopefully they can get something designed and rebuilt at this location...would be cool to even see some height with a new building. 

 

 

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/2024/03/29/newarks-avalon-building-in-danger-of-demolition-like-25-years-ago/73121218007/

I was definitely sad to see this happen.

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/granville/2024/04/21/granville-schools-enrollment-not-growing-as-fast-as-once-feared/73331497007/
 

Ahhhh yes…and this is directly because of Granville’s stalling efforts regarding Newark and Heath’s growth. So, can Granville please stop with all the hysterical student enrollment concerns and allow Newark and Heath to do what’s best for their communities?? 

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/2024/05/09/park-national-to-demolish-john-j-carroll-building-in-downtown-newark/73561318007/

 

To be completely honest...i am shocked by this.  Never saw this coming!! Park National Bank Corp will demolish the John J Carroll building in Downtown Newark.