Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Merger is the answer

Violet Mom

I believe Pam has answered the question. Canal can't annex into another municipality. I have heard some things about the new Mayor of Canal Jeff Miller and he is none too happy with David Shaver and the whole Violet Township crew.

I also think you need to re-define a hostile annexation. A hostile annexation is when property is annexed by a city or a village over the objections of the land owners. Normally they can annex two properties with one signature or 50% of the owners signing to annex. I understand that the trustees do have some standing in these cases where there is not 100% signing of the annexation applicants. In august of 2006 Lithopolis did annex five parcels over the objections of Violet Township. Lithopolis has effectively blocked Canal from going further south. If Canal wants to not be boxed in then they can only come through Violet township to continue to grow east and then south. Will they consider going straigh across Violet Township and cutting the township in two no one really knows. This proposed agreement gives them the green light to do so.

What I can see is if Pickerington is block out of any annexations then the path is clear for Canal to get to Allen road along the south side of Busey. If Canal was to offer just four or five high density zonings then that would make their properties very marketable and what we should fear is that this housing market will recover some day. I just counted again there are four property owners to deal with a total of 560 acres. The developers planning for the future could have already signed purchase options and it will never be public record until it is too late. Remember Joyce Bushman.

I have been trying to find an acurate count of available building lots in the township. Apparently there are a bunch of plats being extended because they were not built on in the last year or so. I know I read where the Ricketts have 334 lots, Meadowmore wants to extend their plats as well. In addition there are 70 or 80 lots being platted on Busey Road. I know we have the project across from Huntington Hills and and I think there is another down south.

The point is that Violet will stop one leak and put pressure on another city to annex. Canal is in the driver's seat with the CEDA. The CEDA doesn't protect the township from annexations from Canal and Jeff Miller knows that. Canal if far enough into the CEDA area and they control the utilities that they could get 100% annexations despite any objections from the township and they will end up like the Lithopolis anneaxtions last year.

By Bill

Might be the answer but

I can assure you that a merger would be a lead ballon in Violet, no matter how much you beat the dead horse in educating the people who live in the township.

We all see you have not cornered the market on clown act goverments...we have our own too, but yours are so much more exciting and tabloid like to follow, if we joined you we would fear the boredome that could set in. :)

The new city government

I know there has been a lot of fighting over the years. However there is still a lot of fighting and it is based on events of long ago. I am also aware of the township resident's resistance to even mention the word merger. I believe that is why you don't hear the elected officials on either side of the lot line talking about merger.

Once Bill Yaple retires this year from the Township I think you will see things will begin to happen. He may wait for a while to give cover to Terry but things will begin to take place soon and within a year or so.

I know that some of the new blood in Canal wants park lands and the Yaple family farms are full of bottom ground ripe to be converted to a park and other recreational facilities. They want to build at least 1400 homes plus retail and they need access to US 33 up Diley Road. With the new annexation laws that require at least 5% of the frontage I am not sure the path they had originally planned on is now available. Clearly Lithopolis threw a monkey wrench into the works with their annexation last year into Violet Township.

The Yaple family or I should say the Moore family properties straddles Bloom and Violet Township. If the village of Canal Winchester is going to allow 1,400 new homes into their school district then they want to control the quality and the pace of that development. At the same time they can acquire huge amounts of park land which they currently have very little of. So as they dump the high density low value houses into the PLSD they reserve the prime land south of the Walnut Creek for the Canal Winchester Local School district. I am sure these homes will be larger and of higher quality.

I should remind you all that there is a case before the Ohio Supreme Court and if Canal wins then they have the first leg into the PLSD. If they lose they can simply re-apply the annexation under the new annexation law. That case should be decided soon and once the court makes that decision then we will see what actions Canal takes from there. I predict that we will know for sure Canal intentions after the Supremes hand down that decision.

Once this process starts it will be like a runaway train. There will be nobody able to stop it. I think our school district will be compromised and if you want to fix it will be impossible to have any control over it in the future. The big loser will be Violet Township and PLSD if this occurs regardless of this development agreement. The City will have other options in raising revenues and they can take care of themselves. There seems to be a belief that the two entities will work together and that simply isn't true for a number of reasons.

I am simply saying you heard it here first.

By Bill

PLSD is NOT protected either way

So what I'm hearing is that the PLSD is NOT protected from this type of annexation EITHER WAY.

Do we think that's the case? I've read the agreement & doesn't part 2.4 of the agreement allow for annexation that is non-commercial?

Property owners have to agree, but that's the case now, without this agreement, & even now they could ask to annex into Canal.