Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Seven homebuilders & the BIA sued the City of Pickerington on November 4th challenging the constitutionality of our voter-approved zoning ordinance that limits construction to two houses an acre and a council-mandated 100-house limit on building permits we can issue every year. Builders suing the City are: Fannin Builders, Dominion Homes/MI Homes, Foxboro Communities, Rockford Homes, Homewood adn Maronda Homes of Ohio. The eight-coutn lawsuit, filed by attorney Chester Saxbe of Chester, Wilcox & Saxbe, claims the zoning changes on density violate the city's 1993 comprehensive plan, which was amended in 2001, as well as pre-existing development agreements and council-approved zoning for subdivisions.

The lawsuit claims the City's denial of building permits and density requirements on developers constitute government 'takings' of private property without compensation. It also alleges violation of developers' due process and equal-protection rights under the Ohio constitution because of vagueness.

On November 4th, the political atmosphere in Pickerington changed with the election of Dave Shaver and three other controlled-growth councilmen.

By Hold on

takings

The only takings going on here are the takings of taxpayer money.These builders use the residents of the community like we are some dumb hayseeds. You would think they would learn after their election strategy did not work. Backlash can be bad boys, Dave how about a citizens group filing suits in the builder's own hometowns, like New Albany, Bexley, Dublin, challenging their laws limiting density, Community Authorities etc, etc. We need to go into the development business with a shadow with a shadow LLP and file the suit, then paper their neighborhoods with flyers telling them about the apartments and condos we will bring to their backyards, the 4 homes per acre with no greespace to view right outside their doors. OH yeah and the school problem we would create, we will advise them to go to the statehouse about this problem after all it is not our problem.