Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Brooklyn Bridge sell

Thirty years is a very long time. First look back at what has happened in Pickerington and this community in the last thirty years. Then imagine what will happen in the next thirty years. First the township has NO development plan available or that they are willing to follow. Clearly if you take the recent big box zoning they seemed to be very willing to forge ahead with the rezoning of that big box property without any consideration for the infrastructure. Their land use plan indicated mix use as I remember and the plan presented called for a JEDD (with someone) to complete the roads and other infrastructure. Who in their right mind would commit their municipalities?’ resources to develop a big box retail store that would lose money, according to the Pickerington study, and never realize one cent of positive revenue coming back to that municipality?


Now these terms of cooperation sound good on the surface but looking at the details seems to be a very, very risky proposition for the City. In fact the City seems to be the only party in this agreement giving up anything or taking any risks on future commercial development.

If I understand this agreement correctly it appears that ALL annexation outside the City of Pickerington and within the PLSD boundaries it would require an agreement with the Township. In fact, I see where the City would agree not even be able to talk with these property owners on the city?’s borders. In the last year, the trustees have rezoned without any guidance from a master plan or any other official study done by experts in the field of planning. This despite the fact that the township in 2004 updated their land use plan. So has the spirit of Randy Hughes moved to the Township? That these land use plans are now ?“living documents?” or ?“work in progress?”? One example of that is the 3.3 acres on Wright road. It was zoned residential in the township and because an applicant came forward to build office buildings the township without any planning for infrastructure rezoned the properties and ignored their consistency living in the residential sub-division that surrounds this rezoning. So City Council, and I point this to the four votes Jeff Fix claims to have on this issue. How do you protect the citizens of Pickerington and the City as a whole if you agree not to even talk to or not to annex adjacent properties when you could have more control over the development than the township? I think you all owe that explanation to your citizens.

The nightmare continues

Finally I believe we had a huge uproar in this community a few years ago and replaced the City government with slow growth leaders. Apparently that group did a very poor job of screening their candidates (NW Republican club) and we now have to consider that the advocates for growth are and will be in the township over the thirty year life of this agreement. Just like in the early 90s Lee Gray came in with all of this hope for the city and soon allowed his status as Mayor to take over his ego. Thinking he and his friends should have special privileges. Has the City repeated its mistakes of the early 90s and elected a Mayor who asks for special privileges for his friends? In this case his friends are in the township. Mr. Sauer from the NW Club states that growth has slowed. Now we must work on JEDDs to provide the revenues to improve the quality of life in the city (paraphrasing). Brian you need to look deeper into your comments because what is proposed does not meet your stated goals. In fact, it will stifle the city?’s growth in the future not allowing it to participate in any kind of activity outside of our borders. Over the next 30 years (the life of this agreement) the city residents will become a smaller minority in the township and have NO ability to extract the city from the township if the faulty management of the township continues.

what must the city provide?

One thing to remember gentlemen is that this area down by 33 does not need services from the city, sewer and water are provided for by Fairfield County, with lines and towers and treatment plants online, so this should lessen any expense the city projects. This is also true for any area in NW Violet Township that may be considered in the future...utilites are alreay there via Fairfield County...so what exactly are you losing? Seems to me they really do not need you to develop except for that small parcel mentioned below... as we all know they are most willing to develop without adequate roads in place, they will just screw all the residents in traffic in the process if they cannot build roads...the city does a little of that too but far less.

As far as the small parcel indicated in a current JEDD proposal, it is my understanding that they need city sewer to develop here, and that it would be a big expense to the city to extend this line for such a small development, in addition to the opposition of the direct neighbors who are currently city residents, so in my mind this parcel JEDD is a lose lose for the city and yet the city has it all in their control because without the sewer, they cannot flush, so the developer cannot build. How about a deal where the city annexes this parcel, to get more revenue from it to make a return, and maybe make up for it later in a fluid JEDD document where the city is not bound for utilities costs closer to 33?

Twp needs the city

They need to the city to foot the bill for improvements to the land, roads, etc. The township cannot issue debt without voter approval. They need someone to float them the $.