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Seems to me this is similar to another blow up that took place last year. Isn't this just another Diley Rd. situation running east and west?
Everyone on Diley Road was up in arms over expansion.
Also remember residents being told it's for the greater good.
Lots of community members rallied behind the council in favor of what would ultimately help the community.
It's hard to believe we don't need more infrastructure going east & west as well - if commercial development is going to help facilitate that I think it's a good idea - we need to make sure that gets in place.
Comments have been made that $550,000 for the schools isn't a lot. I found this on the school website - http://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/ldrship/treasurer/pdf/FinHist200405.pdf -
Looks like $550,000 per year pays for 10 teachers. That educates at least 250 kids a year.
A housing development with 106 acres at 2 homes per acre will generate let's say 50 homes & let's say on the high side each home generates $4000 per year just for the schools. That's $200,000 annually. However it will also generate minimally 50 kids that cost $417,300 per year to educate ($8346 per child - from same link), now the state will pick up about half the cost to educate these kids. But who are we kidding we know that most of us don't pay $4,000 per year & many families have more than one child. This math doesn't look very fuzzy to me.
We don't want to build schools for the kids that live here now. How can anyone say we want more roof tops when we can't even take care of our own kids now?
By Am I confused?
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Yes you are - about one thing
There was virtually no support from any community members to council regarding Diley. Oh yes I forgot. After being asked to do so and with a statement given to him, Fix/Fox said a little blurb - reluctantly.
No folks, after our ''good republicans'' got their majority on council, they abandoned them completely and have now turned against the very ones they supported. Forget those who work for the community good and move on with the politicians.
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I'm confused
I believe comparing the Diley Road project to the proposed rezoning of this 106 acres is closer to comparing apples to oranges.
To review the Diley Road widening, it started probably over a decade ago. Each step of the way the City, Violet Twp, Canal Winchester, ODOT and MORPC got closer to fully committing to the project. In 1997, the Pickerington City council did include on their Transportation Improvement Plan a plan to widen Diley road to five lanes eventually. With these commitments ODOT followed through with putting the Diley Road/U.S. 33 interchange in. Clearly Diley Road has been designated as a minor arterial in the city since the late 1980s. I believe you saw those set backs already taking place in those sub-divisions that were platted in the late 80s.
What I believe I heard the citizens complaining about on the Diley Road project was that they felt blindsided by the city and their developers/builders in that they didn?’t now Diley would ever be widened.
What we as a community should have learned with the Diley road project was that the city didn?’t listen to some of the very same people that were out spoken then about the Fox Glen and The Reserve at Pickerington Ponds and who today are expressing the very same concerns about this 106 acres. In 2001, the city annexed the old Diley Farm and then the Painter/Kohler farms and both by emergency. What the home builders knew was that ODOT would widen Diley and give them good access to their proposed sub-divisions. Only a few people that took the time in the community to request public records on the zoning knew what was to follow. The majority of the citizens and especially those that had not yet moved here were caught by surprise when the real plans were unveiled a couple of years ago.
You all should know that both the City of Pickerington and Violet Township have recently completed Transportation Improvement Plans. Yes they do designate Refugee Road a major east west road and it is designated as a Minor Arterial. By definition a minor arterial is a 100 foot wide right of way and up to five lanes. If you drive down Refugee Road today you would see the set backs have already been taken to some day build that five lane road. Just to the east of the Pizza Hut is where the Township begins. All of the road all the way out to the proposed rezoning is under the control of the County Engineer. They have spoke out against the project so where are you going to get the cooperation to get that ?“major east west road built.?” Remember that the Diley Road widening did not include the county.
So here we have a developer that comes in to promise all of this infrastructure and he plans to conduct another study for our community ?“Thoroughfare Plan?”. If these plans already exist then what is he trying to tell us? I think he is trying to tell us our 20 year plans will not be adequate to handle all of the traffic about to be dumped on us all.
The only way to make this all work is to have two more interchanges, one at I-70 and another one at U.S. 33. Unless these developers can tell us all how they plan to accomplish this then count me out.
By Been there
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Another question
Don't additional rooftops generate added traffic? Isn't that what was found on Diley Road?
Why are additional roof tops better? There may be less truck traffic but it is not doing the schools any favors.
There's no way this area will remain with the ''fair fields'' for which it was named. While no one moves somewhere for the traffic - they do move places for the schools. Is ruining the school system prudent if we want to stay as so many people appear to do?
What steps do we need to take to get the infrastructure addressed ahead of the development & then let the commercial happen? Then we have the road systems we need & the commercial development people want so desparately to relieve their tax burden.
Our community has one of the lowest commercial development rates around the beltway - I for one would like that improved & think theres got to be a way to make that happen.
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