From Olentangy Valley News, 7/4/07:

 

Powell's growth matchless in Ohio

City grows 83.2 percent in six years since 2000

By MICHELLE BOLLMAN

 

It is no surprise that Powell's quaint community has been attracting numerous families over the last few years.  Now the numbers prove it.  Recently released information from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that Powell's population increased at a greater rate than any other city in Ohio between April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2006.

 

At the beginning of the new millennium, Powell had an estimated population of 6,723.  On July 1 of last year, the city had an estimated population of 11,494 -- an 83.2 percent growth rate over six years.

 

MORE: http://www.snponline.com/NEWS7-4/7-4_ovpowellcensus.html

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From ThisWeek Olentangy, 7/5/07:

 

Trustees oppose Target, seek meeting

Thursday, July 5, 2007

KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Liberty Township Trustees agreed Monday night that they oppose a proposed Golf Village Target store but are divided on how much power they believe they have to stop it. 

 

Target last month submitted site engineering plans to Powell for a 132,360-square-foot store on 18.8 acres at the southeast corner of Sawmill Parkway and Home Road.  While the potential Target site is in Powell, Liberty trustee Peggy Guzzo thinks the township should be allowed to review the application.

 

She said this would be allowed under the terms of the CEDA (cooperative economic development agreement) reached between the township and city regarding annexation south of Home Road.  Trustees Monday approved a motion 2-1 seeking a meeting with Powell officials to review the CEDA agreement and talk about Target's potential impact.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/070507/Powell/News/070507-News-381984.html

 

From ThisWeek Big Walnut, 7/8/07:

 

Sunbury a city by 2010? Not likely, officials say

Sunday, July 8, 2007

MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Sunbury may be among the 50 fastest-growing municipalities in Ohio according to recently released federal estimates, but it could still be as many as 15 years before the village grows into a city.

 

Though some local leaders speculated as recently as last year that Sunbury could qualify as a city by 2010, estimates released June 28 by the U.S. Census Bureau put village population at 3,252 as of July 1, 2006, up from a head count of 2,630 during the 2000 census.

 

If the estimate is accurate, Sunbury is 1,748 residents shy of crossing the 5,000-resident mark that would make it a city.  Sunbury's estimated 22.6 percent population increase put it in 27th place statewide in a list ranked by estimated growth rate since the 2000 census.

 

For more information, visit census.gov.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/070807/Sunbury/News/070807-News-382709.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 7/12/07:

 

Construction nears for Havener Park

Thursday, July 12, 2007

KELLEY YOUMAN, TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

More than a year after Liberty Township and Preservation Parks of Delaware County accepted a nearly 200-acre land donation for what will become Havener Park, construction is expected to start soon.  Township trustees on July 16 are expected to vote on a cooperative development agreement that spells out who will pay for the joint road connecting both the township side and Preservation Parks' half.  Liberty in June 2006 accepted a donation from Phyllis A. Havener and her family of land between state Route 315 and Liberty Road, about a half mile north of Bean Oller Road.

 

The park is two parcels, each planned for different uses.  The main entrance will be at the Ford-Liberty intersection and the parcels will have a common road network.  As proposed, the agreement calls for Liberty to pay 80 percent of road construction costs and Preservation Parks to fund 20 percent.

 

The Preservation Parks side will be known as the Deer Haven Preserve and will include a nature center and bird sanctuary funded in part by a private donation.  That donor for Preservation Parks' 97 acres has imposed the 2008 deadline, or the group could lose the money, Au said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/071207/Powell/News/071207-News-385595.html

 

From the 7/18/07 Delaware Gazette:

 

Northstar Development

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Staff reports

 

Plans for creation of a community authority for the Northstar development in Kingston and Berkshire townships are moving forward.  The Delaware County commissioners have set a public hearing date for Aug. 16 to consider approval of a petition for establishment of a community authority (CA) for the eastern Delaware County residential development.

 

The proposed CA would place property assessment fees of up to 9 mills on future homeowners in the development, with proceeds to be used to issue bonds to pay for road construction, sidewalks, drainage, sewer and other general improvements related to the development.  The CA is expected to generate approximately $985,466 annually from the residential portion of the development, according to information provided by the county and developer Robert Weiler Co.

 

At more than 1,371 acres, the Northstar CA would be among the largest in the county.  The development, bounded by Twigg-Hupp Road on the north, U.S. 36/Ohio 37 on the south, I-71 on the west, and Carter’s Corner Road on the east, involves 868 single-family homes, 200 condominium units and 236 “cluster” homes.  An adjacent commercial component also is included and would generate approximately $708,750 annually through the CA assessment fees, according to the written petition request.

 

MORE: http://www.delgazette.com

 

CONSTRUCTION ZONE

Two developments usher in change for downtown Powell

Monday, October 8, 2007

By Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Downtown Powell is changing, and the new buzz around the tony suburb once known mostly for antiques shops has irked some residents and longtime business owners.  But the about-face already is apparent and will continue and, some developers hope, make the heart of town more lively.  The biggest change is a two-story, 36,000-square-foot development at 50 S. Liberty St. that is near completion.  The project was done by 3 Pillar Homes and dwarfs surrounding houses and buildings.  It promises restaurants, shops and office tenants upon completion in 2008.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2007/10/08/ZONE.ART_ART_10-08-07_C08.html?sid=101

Ahh.... the sprawl of it all. More development, further out from the urban areas and costing more people time and the $$$$ for gasoline, because they will have no choice but to drive their cars to get anything done... not to mention adding traffic to what is already a rush hour nightmare at I-71 and US 36-37.

 

Big development might finally be built

Township nears deal after seven-year dispute

Monday,  October 15, 2007 3:33 AM

By Debbie Gebolys, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

For more than seven years, developer Robert Weiler has waged a back-and-forth war with people in Kingston Township who oppose his plan to build the two largest neighborhoods in Delaware County in their rural backyard.  After three lawsuits, two referendums and a moratorium on development, not one home has been built. But a township official said last week that an agreement is near and construction might begin early next year.

 

"This may be the most heavily litigated development in the history of the county," Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost said.  Weiler said he understands that the 1,600 homes planned for his neighborhoods, NorthStar Golf Resort and Pastures at Blue Church, would double the number of roofs in Kingston Township and thrust the township into the development whirlwind that has taken hold farther south in Delaware County.

 

Read more at http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/10/15/northstar.ART_ART_10-15-07_B1_K2860HD.html?sid=101

Ahh.... the sprawl of it all. More development, further out from the urban areas and costing more people time and the $$$$ for gasoline, because they will have no choice but to drive their cars to get anything done... not to mention adding traffic to what is already a rush hour nightmare at I-71 and US 36-37.

 

Good call, Noozer.  I also liked these two quotes from the story . . .

 

"This may be the most heavily litigated development in the history of the county," Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost said.

 

"I'm sure if I lived out there, I wouldn't be real glad to see me coming," developer Robert Weiler said.

 

Do you think those quotes will make the marketing brochures for the development?

 

 

 

 

Do you think those quotes will make the marketing brochures for the development?

 

Not likely.  Weiler was one of the primary developers of Polaris and the mega-mall.  Wouldn't allow COTA buses to serve the shopping mall, but he sure loves making it more difficult to bring quality transit beyond the city.  The irony is that he once had a seat on the COTA Board of Trustees.  Go figure.

Big plans could transform southern Delaware's landscape

Monday,  January 7, 2008 - 5:14 AM

By Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A key commercial lane in Delaware will take a significant step forward this spring when Grady Memorial Hospital begins building its replacement campus.  Delaware Health Center, a two-story, 60,000-square-foot ambulatory center and medical office building, will rise near Rt. 23 between Cheshire and Peachblow roads.  OhioHealth, which owns Grady Memorial, said it has hired Daimler Group to build the center, which eventually will be joined by a hospital that will replace Grady Memorial.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/01/07/growth.html

This is all so wrong, for so many reasons.

What a waste. HAHAHA Peachblow Rd. More smash for Delaware County.

Wal-Mart Supercenter now in limbo

Retailer halts deal to buy Liberty Township site

Thursday,  March 6, 2008

By Jane Hawes For The Columbus Dispatch

 

POWELL, Ohio -- Wal-Mart has ended a contract to purchase a 34-acre Liberty Township site where it had planned to build a 220,598-square-foot Supercenter.  Residents who have been fighting Wal-Mart's plans for more than four years were happy with the news.  "The deal was originally signed in 2002," said Charles J. Ruma, a Columbus developer representing Wedgewood Limited Partnership, a consortium of property owners.

 

Ruma said the option to purchase the land expired Feb. 28.  He thought Wal-Mart would close the deal, but they didn't.  Instead, Wal-Mart notified Ruma they were terminating the deal.  A local spokesman for Wal-Mart confirmed that the land-purchase contract had been stopped but declined to comment further.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/06/walmart.ART_ART_03-06-08_B1_A99I8R7.html?sid=101

Sunbury interviews four firms for project

Sunday,  April 27, 2008

By RANDY NAVAROLI, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Sunbury officials moved a step closer to adopting a master plan for the community April 22 when they interviewed four firms vying for the project.  Sunbury village administrator Dave Martin said the master plan once again is being sought because of the village's anticipated growth in the years ahead.  He said village officials last pursued a master plan in 2004.

 

Martin said the panel of village zoning commission officials ranked the four competing firms after the meeting and selected Bird Houk Collaborative of Gahanna.  The other three companies interviewed were Cincinnati-based Kinzelman, Kline and Gossman, McKenna Associates of Hudson, and Kleinger and Associates of Westchester.  Those three firms were ranked second through fourth in that order.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/sunbury/stories/2008/04/27/0427sumasterplan_ln.html

Powell BZA opens Target hearings

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The Powell Board of Zoning appeals opened hearings Monday on a proposed Target store after a court declined to prevent the session from being held.  The opening hearing on the Golf Village Target store focused on Powell's director of development Dave Betz, and the process that led to the store's October approval.

 

Betz was questioned for nearly 2 1/2 hours Monday by Craig Paynter, the attorney representing Liberty Township trustees in the appeal of a 132,873-square-foot store planned for 7525 Guardwell St., at the southeast corner of Sawmill Parkway and Home Road.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/05/08/target_hearings.html

Powell might rule on Target Tuesday

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

A decision by the Powell Board of Zoning Appeals on whether to uphold a zoning certificate for a Golf Village Target store could come Tuesday.  The BZA late Wednesday set a hearing to publicly deliberate on the merits of appeals filed by nearby residents seeking to overturn the zoning certificate, barring the 132,873-square-foot store from being built.  The BZA hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 24.

 

Powell's BZA held four hearings throughout May and June, hearing testimony from residents and Liberty Township trustees who oppose the store because they say it doesn't meet the Golf Village Development Plan and isn't "pedestrian friendly," something they say is required in the plan.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/06/18/Target.html

Powell BZA upholds Target decision

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

In a unanimous 2-0 vote, the Powell Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday upheld the Target zoning certificate, denying appeals by nearby residents and the Liberty Township trustees.  During a 25-minute hearing, BZA members Ed Cooper and Joe Jester said the controversial big-box retailer meets the guidelines for a 133,000-square-foot Golf Village store.

 

John W. Crowder, president of the Villas at Woodcutter condominium association, said after the hearing that residents will appeal.  The condominium community is the closest residential property to the 17-acre Target site.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/06/25/0626potarget_ln.html

Councilman wants Liberty to share limits on Sawmill

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Powell City Council member Don Grubbs on Monday urged Liberty Township trustees to adopt the same ordinance that one trustee wants to see passed in Powell.  Grubbs, a former mayor, read a prepared statement, calling the proposed city ordinance limiting commercial buildings along Sawmill Parkway to 10,000-square-feet "an opportunity for only a few people to let their voices be heard ..."

 

That proposal would affect "slightly less than half of the mile wide corridor along Sawmill Parkway," Grubbs said, because the remainder is outside Powell and in Liberty Township. "If this legislation is such a good idea, then it should be proposed for enactment in our entire community," he said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/07/09/0710posawmillpkwy_ln.html

Liberty Twp. to appeal Target decision

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

By KELLEY YOUMAN, THIS WEEK NEWS

 

Liberty Township trustees last week voted unanimously to appeal a Powell Board of Zoning Appeals decision on a Target store to Delaware County Common Pleas Court.  Powell's BZA on June 24 upheld a zoning certificate for a 132,873-square-foot Target store at 7525 Guardwell St., at the southeast corner of Sawmill Parkway and Home Road.

 

The CEDA -- Comprehensive Economic Development Agreement -- was signed in 2002 by the city and Liberty Township and controls annexation into the city.  Trustees have said Target violates that agreement.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/07/09/0710potarget_ln.html?sid=104

Township seeking stay on Target construction

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 

By BONNIE BUTCHER, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Attorneys for Liberty Township on July 25 filed a motion in Delaware County Common Pleas Court, seeking a stay to halt construction of a Powell Target store.  The township also requested a stay from the Powell Board of Zoning Appeals at its July 24 meeting.

 

The request came after the BZA approved the findings of fact that support the city's decision to issue Target a zoning permit to build a 132,873-square-foot store near the southeast corner of Home Road and Sawmill Parkway.  The permit was issued in October 2007.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/07/30/0731potarget_ln.html?sid=104

Judge grants township a stay on Target

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Construction on a Target store within Powell has been put on hold.  On Aug. 22, Judge W. Duncan Whitney of Delaware County Court of Common Pleas granted Liberty Township's request for a stay, which stops the store's construction from beginning.

 

The township is appealing the city's decision to approve a zoning certificate to Target to build a 132,000 square foot store near the southeast corner of Home Road and Sawmill Parkway.

 

The Powell BZA on June 24 approved findings of fact that support the city's decision to issue Target a zoning permit.  On July 18, Liberty filed an appeal of that decision in common pleas court.  On July 25, the township requested a stay.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/08/27/0828potarget_ln.html?sid=104

 

Site of proposed Walmart being sold

Wednesday,  September 10, 2008

By BONNIE BUTCHER, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The land where a controversial Liberty Township Walmart store would have been built is being sold.  A contract for the sale -- from seller Charles Ruma, president of Wedgewood Limited Partnership I to buyer Jim Coker, president of Ibex Development Inc., Dallas -- was signed last month.  The 34-acre lot is at 10600 Sawmill Parkway, at the corner of Sawmill Parkway and North Hampton Road, and will sell for more than $7-million.

 

Through a records request made to township attorneys, ThisWeek obtained a copy of the contract.  The document had been subpoenaed in Wedgewood's lawsuit against Liberty Township in Southern District Federal Court in Columbus, before U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley.  Wedgewood filed the suit in November 2004, after the township denied a zoning permit for the store.  Because of the contract, township attorneys have asked that the developer's claims be considered moot, township administrator Dave Anderson said

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/09/10/0911powalmartsite_ln.html

Orange Twp. trustees plan to revisit '01 land-use plan

Wednesday,  September 10, 2008

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Contributor

 

The Orange Township Zoning Commission is expected to initiate a review of the township's 2001 Comprehensive Land Use Plan, something township trustees said will lead to proactive development of the area's remaining parcels. 

 

Trustees in August decided to have the zoning commission review the seven-year-old plan.  Zoning commission members were scheduled to meet this month with Trustee Nelson Katz to begin the review and set a timeline for meetings.

 

The Delaware County Regional Planning Commission recommends that municipalities review and update, if necessary, their plans about every five years. The review will be a "great opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive," Katz said. There are 1,500 to 2,000 acres available for development and of those, only about three areas are "major" farm lots, he said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/09/10/0911poorange_ln.html

Plans for Downtown Johnstown

Sunday, September 21, 2008

BY ERIN HOLL, THIS WEEK NEWS

 

Downtown Revitalization and Development Plan submitted by Brandstetter Carroll Inc.  Click on the link below for an interactive streetscape and green space recommendations plan for Downtown Johnstown.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/johnstown/stories/2008/09/19/Downtown_Streetscape_Plans.html

Kroger to join Olentangy Crossings

Wednesday,  September 24, 2008

By BONNIE BUTCHER and GARY SEMAN JR.

ThisWeek Staff Writers

 

The Kroger Co. and the Ohio State University Medical Center have announced big investments at Olentangy Crossings, a mixed-use development in Orange Township. 

 

The Cincinnati-based grocer will build a 124,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace, complete with a full-service pharmacy and gas station.  Meanwhile, OSU has agreed to build and lease a 30,000-square-foot facility for outpatient medical services, including primary care, cardiology, radiology, physical therapy and sports medicine.

 

Geoff Ortlip, vice president of sales for Planned Communities, which is developing the property, said Kroger and OSU are vital components to Olentangy Crossings.  Construction should start mid-November, Ortlip said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/09/24/0925pokroger_ln.html

Olentangy Crossings adds Kroger, OSU

Monday,  September 29, 2008 - 5:23 AM

By Mike Pramik

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Kroger and Ohio State University have added significant name recognition to a Delaware County development that's taken five years to get off the ground.  The two will become major tenants at Olentangy Crossings, in the still-growing southern part of the county.  Kroger has started work on a Marketplace store there, and OSU Medical Center plans to lease space for a 30,000-square-foot outpatient health-care office that will be linked to the Kroger store by retail space.

 

It's solid news in the slow development market.  Southern Delaware County has been ballyhooed this decade as one of the fastest-growing regions of the country, but as is the case everywhere else in central Ohio, the pace of building there has slowed.  "In a market like this, it's really nice to get some positive news out here," Geoff Ortlip of developer Planned Communities said.

 

"I think the big thing is the potential for growth in the area.  There's a tremendous amount of ground in the immediate area, the potential for a lot of houses in the immediate area when things do turn around, Ortlip said."  Kroger is backing up that notion with a 124,000-square-foot Marketplace concept.  It will be Kroger's largest Marketplace of the six that are open or planned in central Ohio, said Jeff Bieber of the supermarket's real-estate division.

 

Read more at

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/09/29/ZONE0929.ART_ART_09-29-08_C12_18BE990.html?sid=101

 

Southern side of Delaware Co. keeps on kicking

Business First of Columbus

Drew Bracken For Business First

Friday, November 7, 2008

 

Thanks in large part to the three busy corridors of Sawmill Parkway, U.S. Route 23 and Polaris Parkway, commercial development in southern Delaware County continues unabated despite the tepid economy. “We didn’t get the memo,” summed Liberty Township Administrator David Anderson.  “It’s not slowing down.”

 

The numbers tell the tale.  Non-residential zoning permits in Liberty Township, where Sawmill Parkway is located, are up compared to last year, 13 compared to six.  New single-family home permits, however, tell a different story.  They’re down to 48 from 61.  In Orange Township, with its Route 23 corridor, zoning permits for commercial buildings are down, three this year to date compared to 10 last year.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/11/10/focus2.html

 

It is classic sprawl. It says more about how dramatic the drop off has been in northern Columbus.

Olentangy River Could Wash Away Busy Intersection

Thursday,  December 4, 2008 3:52 AM

 

POWELL, Ohio — A busy intersection is in danger of washing away into the Olentangy River.

 

The Ohio Department of Transportation said erosion is threatening the roadway where state routes 315 and 750 intersect in southern Delaware County, 10TV's Brittany Westbrook reported.

 

Roger McBride's house overlooks S.R. 315 along the Olentangy River. He said the river is dangerously close to the roadway.

 

http://10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2008/12/04/315.html?sid=102

Ahahahha, screw you Powell.

 

I didn't mean that.

^^I'm wondering how long the erosion has been occurring.  If the road was built that close to the river in the first place, that's completely at the fault of ODOT for allowing this to happen.

The road has always been very close to the river.  I've lived in Columbus for 22 years and the Olentangy continues to scour the banks near where SR-315 passes and seems to have crept close over recent years. Consider how traffic has also grown (along with the population of Powell and Southern Delaware County) in that time as well.  Both 315 and Powell road have in that time gone from being pretty much a pair of sleepy country two-lanes to a major (thought still 2-lane) artery.

 

Not really fair to blame ODOT, since the roads both likely pre-date ODOT in the first place.  I recall there were attempts to widen the roads, but this never got beyond the discussion stage because of local public opposition.  A fix is further complicated by the fact the Olentangy is considered a "scenic river" and is protected (I believe) by that status.... the environmental costs of a fix would be staggering.

Aerial. Not much there!

Just let the river wash it away. That's nature preventing sprawl...

Just let the river wash it away. That's nature preventing sprawl...

 

I don't think we want all that polluting asphalt to end up in the river...

The road has always been very close to the river. I've lived in Columbus for 22 years and the Olentangy continues to scour the banks near where SR-315 passes and seems to have crept close over recent years. Consider how traffic has also grown (along with the population of Powell and Southern Delaware County) in that time as well. Both 315 and Powell road have in that time gone from being pretty much a pair of sleepy country two-lanes to a major (thought still 2-lane) artery.

 

Not really fair to blame ODOT, since the roads both likely pre-date ODOT in the first place. I recall there were attempts to widen the roads, but this never got beyond the discussion stage because of local public opposition. A fix is further complicated by the fact the Olentangy is considered a "scenic river" and is protected (I believe) by that status.... the environmental costs of a fix would be staggering.

 

That's a fair assessment.  I do believe that something like rerouting the roadway should be considered.

Either re-routing or just simply reducing the flow of traffic.  Neither Powell road or SR-315 in that area were ever meant to handle the volume of traffic they now handle.  It's a classic case of development-induced sprawl putting way too much of a load on what was once rural infrastructure.

 

It's going to take some creative thinkers to solve this one.  In the short term, they will probably have to shore up the river banks with some rip-rap or some other method of slowing down the erosion.

Rt. 315 is squeezed between the Olentangy and a steep bluff. That intersection is probably the narrowest point of the entire 315 right of way. There's really no room to widen the road, which has been there for decades or longer.

Some people might not like this, but I think the best thing to do would be to build a high level bridge for Powell Rd, carrying over Rt. 315 and the river. Some other way would have to be found for motorists to get to I-270 other than Powell to 315.

 

Rt 315 north of I-270 should be designated a scenic byway and thru traffic should be discouraged. Traffic that comes off the Rt 315 freeway has to find a better way to go north, tho options are limited.

 

Original plans probably called for the freeway to go straight up the Olentangy valley, but that is not possible. Development has also made going up to Rt 23 or running along the west rim of the valley problematic. This is a mess.

One reason traffic at 315/Powell has grown is the closing a year ago of the Orange Road bridge, another east-west crossing about a mile or so north of Powell Road.  That may be changing, according to this recent story...

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2008/12/03/Orange_Road_bridge.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=104

Anyone know about this? An interchange for congestion relief and not commercial development!

 

http://bigwalnut71.org/background.aspx

 

An interchange at Big Walnut is not envisioned for commercial growth in the area. The Polaris commercial district provides more than enough retail and services opportunities. In addition, neighboring townships such as Berkshire, Berlin, Genoa, Liberty, and Orange have the same vision for an interchange. They have all passed resolutions pledging their support to the vision of a non-commercial interchange and they have demonstrated it by committing to regulate the types of future land uses to be approved in their respective jurisdictions. They have all passed resolutions supporting Delaware County and committing to appropriate land use developments for their areas.

 

I'd like to see how they can prevent commercial development and more sprawl from happening after building a new interchange.  What can they legally do?.... turn the surrounding land into a wildlife sanctuary or public park for miles in any direction?

 

:?

All the townships can pass resolutions that support a non-commercial interchange, then stand powerless when some city like Westerville/Columbus/Delaware extends its tentacles and annexes that same land to rezone it however it wants.

There is a long gap on I-71 with no interchange from the Polaris area up to Delaware, because of the reservoir I guess.

 

When I last drove around there and from various looks at the map, it appears to me that Delaware has a serious problem with a lack of E-W through routes of any sort.  This is going to cause problems as the county builds out.  Typically it is radial routes that are upgraded first, with cross-town routes lagging.  The lack of good crosstown capacity outside of the Perimeter is a big source of traffic problems in Atlanta, for example.  The E-W roads in northern Cook and southern Lake Counties in Illinois are horribly choked with cars.  As the suburbs grow, you end up with more suburb to suburb commuting and demand for cross-town routes.

 

Charlotte, NC I believe has an informal agreement to stitch together and outer circumferential route outside of its beltway as a series of interconnected surface streets.  There's a similar initiative in Indianapolis, where improving cross-town routes in suburban counties has been a huge focus area.

 

Again, the problem with Delaware is the reservoir and the general lack of even any unimproved through routes that could be widened later.  I predict this will be a major problem in the future.

 

Judge schedules Target status hearing

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

By BONNIE BUTCHER, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

After sitting still since August, the Target case is on the move again.  Delaware County Common Pleas Judge W. Duncan Whitney will hold a status conference on the Target appeal case in March.

 

In August, Whitney approved Liberty Township's request for a stay, which stopped the store's construction from beginning.  The 132,000-square-foot store is proposed near the southeast corner of Home Road and Sawmill Parkway.  The project initially was put on hold shortly after Powell development director Dave Betz approved a zoning certificate for the store in October 2007.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2009/02/18/Target.html?sid=104

Judge turns Powell Target hearing into discussion of Walmart dispute

Thursday, March 5, 2009 

By BONNIE BUTCHER, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

A court hearing scheduled on Powell's proposed Target store took a turn Wednesday when the judge decided to also discuss Liberty Township's Walmart dispute.  Delaware County Common Pleas Judge W. Duncan Whitney asked if a civil lawsuit that began over a disputed Walmart planned in Liberty Township is moot.

 

Whitney questioned the relevance of the Walmart case at a status hearing on the Target case.  In that case, Liberty Township is appealing Powell's decision to grant a zoning certificate for a 132,000-square-foot Target proposed near the southeast corner of Home Road and Sawmill Parkway in the Wedgewood Commerce Center.

 

In the Walmart case, developer Charles Ruma president of Wedgewood Limited Partners is appealing the Liberty board of zoning appeals' most recent decision to uphold denial of a zoning permit for a 220,528-square-foot Walmart at 10600 Sawmill Parkway.  Wedgewood owns the property where the store was proposed.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2009/03/04/walmart_in_court.html?sid=104

Status conference sought in court battle over Target

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 

By BONNIE BUTCHER, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Rivals in the Target legal battle may get another status conference before Judge W. Duncan Whitney, Delaware County Common Pleas Court.  Attorneys for Triangle Properties, the development company that owns the proposed Target site, requested a status conference May 1.

 

At a status conference in early March, Whitney said he would have a ruling on Liberty Township's appeal of Powell's decision to approve a zoning certificate for a Target store.  Nothing has been heard from the court since that time.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2009/05/13/0514potarget_ln.html?sid=104

Liberty Township Trustees say Target appeal possible

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 

By BONNIE BUTCHER, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Liberty Township Trustee Peggy Guzzo thinks the township has "no choice but to appeal" a Delaware County judge's dismissal of the Target case.  Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge Duncan Whitney on July 21 dismissed the township's appeal of Powell's decision to approve a zoning certificate for the construction of the store, saying the township lacks standing to appeal.

 

Liberty has been fighting the Target proposal since 2007.  The planned store site is at the southeast corner of Home Road and Sawmill Parkway, on Golf Village land annexed by Powell from Liberty.

 

"Liberty Township is not directly damaged by the issuance of the zoning permit, nor is it an aggrieved person," Whitney said in his ruling.  "The court finds that Liberty Township unambiguously agreed that zoning control and enforcement over the area would be administered by the city of Powell."

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2009/07/29/0730potarget_ln.html?sid=104

Liberty Twp. won't appeal Target defeat in court

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

By BONNIE BUTCHER, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Liberty Township has abandoned its court battle against a Target store planned in Powell.  During an emergency meeting Tuesday, a motion to appeal a Delaware County Common Pleas Court defeat of Liberty's lawsuit against Powell died without a second.

 

Judge W. Duncan Whitney dismissed the township's appeal of Powell's decision to approve a zoning certificate for the construction of the 132,000 square-foot store.  Whitney said the township lacks standing to appeal.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2009/08/12/no_target_appeal.html?sid=104

104-acre park slated in Delaware County

Property along Rt. 23 funded in part by 2008 levy

Wednesday,  January 20, 2010 - 3:07 AM

By Dana Wilson

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Preservation Parks of Delaware County plans to open a new park in 2012 on a scenic, 104-acre plot of woods and farm fields untouched by developers.  The site, named Big Run Preserve, was purchased Friday for $5.2 million and partially funded by a property-tax levy approved by Delaware County voters in 2008.  The parkland stretches across Liberty and Orange townships, south of Hyatts Road and west of Rt. 23.

 

Park officials want to protect the land and its streams, which flow into the Olentangy River, and share the shale cliffs, waterfalls and rock formations with visitors.  Plans also include converting former cropland back into prairie.  The 104 acres will be combined with an adjoining 75 acres the park district already owns.  Preservation Parks has opened eight parks and preserved more than 1,000 acres of natural habitat since passing its first levy in 1999.

 

MAP OF FUTURE PARK

 

Full article at http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/01/20/copy/bigrun.ART_ART_01-20-10_B3_PRGBU5L.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

Target construction scheduled in Powell

Friday, February 12, 2010

By BONNIE BUTCHER, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The proposed Target store that caused controversy in Powell and Liberty Township is slated for construction, city documents show.  Powell approved the project's construction phasing plan in November.  A Nov. 9 letter to the city from Triangle Properties developer Donald Kenney said he expects construction to start between 2012 and 2014.

 

The letter says, "The current downsizing of retail development, the multiple phases of the project, and ... the status of the Home Road overpass project" are listed as issues that contributed to the development of the timetable.  The 132,873 square-foot store will sit on about 17 acres at 7525 Guardwell Street.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/olentangy/stories/2010/02/10/target-date-set.html?sid=104