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Not Quite
I guess you've forgotten the city's residential annexations of a few years back, or perhaps you did not live here then. In order to induce builders and developers to agree to annexation, the city often waived impact fees, tap-in fees and the like, and also agreed to denser zoning than the township would have required. Moreover, builders often threatened annexation in an effort to extract similar concessions from the township.
Remember that the city could never annex such property without the agreement of the land-owner -- in this case, typically a builder or developer. Builders and developers, understandably, went with the jurisdiction that offered them the most.
I am hoping that the city and township now begin to work together on the residential, as well as commercial, development of this community. We would all benefit from that. I am inclined to read the residential annexation provision in the joint economic development agreement in that light, and not as some kind of township veto.
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Only the Concept
The Southeast Messenger issued a correction last weekend to state the the Pickerington Chamber only supported the ''CONCEPT'', which I think most do, but not the agreement iself.
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Maybe time to wake up.
First since you claim to have been living here since 2001 then you know that the city and her residents corrected those problems in 2002 and 2003. The zoning density in the city is lower than in the township currently. In 2002 the citizens also made it harder to pass legislation by emergency and to give away the tap fee like you cite.
Maybe it is time to fast forward to 2007 and address the current problems of growth instead of being locked in the last decade. You folks in the township continue to give your wonderful trustees free passes on all of these issues but none of you see the real problems now that they are associated with the running of the township. Maybe the Citizen of City no longer see the problme as the city but it is now the township because they refuse to use the home rule powers you all gave them a couple of years ago.
They are allowed to impose impact fees but refuse to do so. This causes and uneven playing field between the townhsip and the city. The problem we have now is that those that favored these policies in the city now can't see the same issues in the township. Maybe you should open your eyes a little here fella
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Missed the Point
You're first sentence refers to a few years back. This is now. This city has placed all the items I listed in place while the other governments have not matched the city's progress in anyway.
Again, I ask. Why if negotiating in the cities best interest would we not ask of these other governments, if your going to build residetial in our school district please be ready to pay the impact fees necessary to help defray the impact costs or allow it to be built in the city?
Let's review. The township is so happy to tell us they've had only approx. 100 housing starts. If they had matched ONLY the cities new build impast fee $324,000.00 would be there for police, etc.
I'm inclined to read the agreement for what's in the best interest of the COMMUNITY and it's not landlocking the city. The trustees want to keep the population of the surrounding areas higher than the city to prevent things like merger and paper townships from happenening, if it ever came to a vote.
Lastly, I'm an old timer here. I clearly remember when this started and Park Place wound up in Columbus as well as our school! I also remember the city saying no to 2.8 units per acre in Sycamore Creek and the township then licking their chops when they heard that. The township knew the could get their sewer and water fired up. What ever happened to the Violet Township Sewer and Water Board/District? Didn't they have 4 to 5 hundred thousand dollars at their disposal? What did they do with that money. Jeff should know. Wasn't he on that board? Is he still on it? Do they still exist?
I also remember the township fighting the city's sewer expansion while the county built sewer and water down south, expanded the Tussing Road plants and as Hunnington Hills sewer was expanded.
You should be inclined to read the agreement
where we are today. We can play tit for tat on all the mistakes of the past, but we are where we are today because of the past failures and successes. The city has made itself the right place for residential developement.
By Eye on City Hall
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