Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Numbers, numbers, numbers



This thread is getting filled with numbers. Some are astounding and some are a little confusing.

One thing is predominant. All these numbers show how foolish the agreement is and how bas it is for the city.

Aren?’t there any numbers to SUPPORT the agreement?

I?’ll wait for an answer?…..






I?’m waiting?…?….




I am still waiting?…?…..



Why the deafening silence???????





Oh, that?’s right. There ARE NO NUMBERS TO SUPPORT THE AGREEMENT.






Are there?????????


By Number Cruncher

More Numbers

There are approximately 700 acres that fit the criteria of being in Violet Township, the Pickerington School District and near or at least has access to US 33. Only 219 acres are predicted in the Macgory report to be developed in the next 25 years. Unfortunately these same 219 acres can easily be annexed into Canal Winchester in or before that 25 years. Another 273 acres that fit this criteria could possibility be developed if massive infrastructures were build (Water, Sewer and widening of Allen Road). The problem is that for this 273 acres to gain direct access to US 33 it will require at least (before inflation is figured in) $22 Million of local money to get the interchanged moved to Allen Road and US 33. That means there may be a little over 200 acres left that would need an expert opinion to determine if the ground could even hold up any kind of structure and if the land was prone to flooding. There is a tremendous amount of this land that may never be developable in the next 25 years.

I think the reluctance of some on the Pickerington City council is that there are so many unknowns about ?“IF?” the land can be built on. How does Pickerington and Violet Township protect this land from being annexed into Canal Winchester in the next 25 years? The other unknown is ?“WILL?” these land owners agree to join this JEDD. Will these same land owners agree to apply for industrial zoning or take the fast bucks of residential zoning like we have seen in the past history of Violet Township. If for example the property owners of the 278 acres along Allen Road what to develop the land as residential and offer high density housing how would Violet Township stop them? If Violet refused to accept the high density would the developer work out a deal with Carroll? Money talks.

Here is the new agreement:

The City of Pickerington and Violet township will hire a real estate attorney to approach the property owners that fit the above criteria. The attorney will try to secure commitments to sign affidavits that they would enter a JEDD if one is formed for their area between Pickerington and Violet Township. They will agree to apply for the appropriate zoning for this proposed JEDD. Once the Attorney has secured affidavits for at least 350 acres then the City and the Township will jointly hire an Engineer to assess the land for development. They will also hire a consultant to study the area to determine estimated costs for development and infrastructure improvements. If these costs were too high to make the project beneficial to both governments then the project would be abandoned. This would allow Violet Township to pursue a partner ship with whom ever they choose.


By Bill

The drama never ends

''As an earlier poster presented, the community is already divided by a school board that played the most emotional card in their hand ?– our children. There is no chance of unification after that. The hurt runs too deep.''

Will the drama ever end?

By Powder Puff

A Good Start

Not a bad harvest for one day's comments, though I was puzzled by some of them.

I was particularly puzzled by the repeated comment that I was siding with Mr. Fix. In fact, I did not take any position, pro or con, in my posting, on the current proposed joint economic development agreement.

My sole aim was to identify what I believe to be areas of general agreement, to provide a starting point for our discussion.

I think there is general agreement that we need to broaden our tax base, to generate the tax revenue we need for the services we want, and also to take some of the tax burden off the backs of homeowners.

The city council has determined, after consulting their consultants, that we especially need to add non-retail commercial property -- office buildings, warehouses, hospitals, factories and the like -- to our tax base. Other kinds of propery, even some other forms of commercial property, the council and its consultants have found, likely would generate more costs than revenues for the city.

I agree that empty nester condos, which don't add children to our schools, may also offer some advantages. Even there, however, I am not certain that the tax revenues such developments generate outweigh the additional costs they impose on the city.

In any case, I think you will find general agreement, at least on the city council, and I think also more broadly in this community, that the city needs to add non-retail commercial property, and a substantial amount of it, to its tax base.

I think we can also all agree that the city currently has, within its boundaries, little, if any, undeveloped land suitable for non-retail commercial development. The most suitable site for such development in our community is along SR 33, and that land is in the township. So the city needs to find some way to gain access to that land.

Logically, there are only three ways that the city can do this: Annex it, enter into a joint development agreement of some sort (and not necessarily Mr. Fix's sort) with the township, or merge with the township.

That, I believe, is where our discussion should start. Which of these three alternatives is best for the city? That's got to be our question. There simply aren't any other ways to skin this cat, and the city will be in a weak fiscal condition indeed if it does not broaden its tax base in just this way before it is too late, which it soon will be.

For the city to secede from Violet Township, and form a new paper township under the city, would not address this problem, but would only complicate it.

So which will it be: annexation, joint development agreement, or merger? Let's consider the pros and cons of each.

By Yosemite Pam