We have a long road ahead
This isn't anything that new. The CEDA area around the US 33 and Diley Road exit has been active for over 5 years now. The Meijer store plans were before the Canal Winchester Planning and Zoning a couple of months ago.
This property is entirely in the Canal Winchester School district. So if you think the PLSD is going to benefit you are mistaken.
For some reason or another the infrastructure was started over 10 years ago. It has been widely reported in the local papers and especially the Southeast Messenger. In fact I believe Canal has at least three working concept drawings of possible developments in their CEDA area which is south of Busey Road and entirely in the Canal School District.
The CEDA is basically a pre-annexation agreement between the Village of Canal Winchester and Violet Township. They will allow Canal to annex land in this CEDA area with no opposition in exchange Canal must pay the Township ''Service Payments'' for that privilege. I believe that is around 20% of the 2% Canal Village income tax.
One big problem the Township has in commercial development is providing infrastructure. In the case of widening Diley Road they partnered with Canal south of Busey Road. I believe that project is around $5 Million. For some reason the Township withdrew from the entire length of Diley and Pickerington shouldered the entire project from Route 256 down to Busey Road. I believe I have read where Pickerington has or will spend over $8 Million to complete Diley Road down to the Busey Road section.
I think before we all get our shorts in a bunch and say we support the big box development being proposed at Refugee and Pickerington Roads we better be looking ahead for infrastructure demands for the area. Unless the plans are put into a binding development plan by the developer and they are agreed to by the land use authority then they are not worth the paper they are written on.
The trustees are getting their cart before the horse on this project. With little or no funds to develop the infrastructure (roads, sewer and water) and no way to borrow the money to do same they must partner with either Canal or Pickerington. Some of the potty mouth coming from certain trustees is not making that task doable.
What is complicating the road issue is the Allen/Pickerington Road interchange at US 33. If ODOT makes Pickerington Road a right in right out at US 33 then that limits the future of any kind of interchange of the eastern side of Violet Township.
I think the Violet Township Trustees are preoccupied with a fear that Pickerington will annex a few acres and ruin their economic development future. It seems strange to me they embrace annexations within the Canal school district and fear it from within the PLSD. Maybe some soul searching here might help.
This isn't anything that new. The CEDA area around the US 33 and Diley Road exit has been active for over 5 years now. The Meijer store plans were before the Canal Winchester Planning and Zoning a couple of months ago.
This property is entirely in the Canal Winchester School district. So if you think the PLSD is going to benefit you are mistaken.
For some reason or another the infrastructure was started over 10 years ago. It has been widely reported in the local papers and especially the Southeast Messenger. In fact I believe Canal has at least three working concept drawings of possible developments in their CEDA area which is south of Busey Road and entirely in the Canal School District.
The CEDA is basically a pre-annexation agreement between the Village of Canal Winchester and Violet Township. They will allow Canal to annex land in this CEDA area with no opposition in exchange Canal must pay the Township ''Service Payments'' for that privilege. I believe that is around 20% of the 2% Canal Village income tax.
One big problem the Township has in commercial development is providing infrastructure. In the case of widening Diley Road they partnered with Canal south of Busey Road. I believe that project is around $5 Million. For some reason the Township withdrew from the entire length of Diley and Pickerington shouldered the entire project from Route 256 down to Busey Road. I believe I have read where Pickerington has or will spend over $8 Million to complete Diley Road down to the Busey Road section.
I think before we all get our shorts in a bunch and say we support the big box development being proposed at Refugee and Pickerington Roads we better be looking ahead for infrastructure demands for the area. Unless the plans are put into a binding development plan by the developer and they are agreed to by the land use authority then they are not worth the paper they are written on.
The trustees are getting their cart before the horse on this project. With little or no funds to develop the infrastructure (roads, sewer and water) and no way to borrow the money to do same they must partner with either Canal or Pickerington. Some of the potty mouth coming from certain trustees is not making that task doable.
What is complicating the road issue is the Allen/Pickerington Road interchange at US 33. If ODOT makes Pickerington Road a right in right out at US 33 then that limits the future of any kind of interchange of the eastern side of Violet Township.
I think the Violet Township Trustees are preoccupied with a fear that Pickerington will annex a few acres and ruin their economic development future. It seems strange to me they embrace annexations within the Canal school district and fear it from within the PLSD. Maybe some soul searching here might help.
