PATA History Pages

City Promises Developer PR-4 for 100's of homes near CEDA area .

Text is from Section Three, Zoning. on page 2 of the agreement

Pickerington City Council will soon vote on the annexation of the Diley Associates property covered in this pre-annexation agreement text. The city has held public hearings recently in front of the planning and zoning commission and the service committee to solicit "comments" about this proposed annexation and zoning to PR-4. These hearings were requested by the developer in order for them to be "Proactive" according to Planning and Zoning Director, Brian Lorenz. It is clear in the language of the pre-annexation agreement, which appears to be quite binding, unless changed by council, that the city MUST ACT to rezone this property to PR-4 the way the developer wants it zoned or the landowner will not annex to the city.

PATA wonders what the public comments in these hearings can do to change this pre-annexation agreement, and subsequent annexation and rezoning when the agreement contains such binding language! Most comments are about the influx of hundreds of homes into our PLSD and the impact they will create on our property taxes in addition to the fact that this land was slated to be developed commercially in the city's master plan as recently as 1993 and it is very close to the new Hill/Diley interchange which is slated to be in construction next year.

Additionally, the city has applied for a Federal grant for a nine million dollar road improvement project to widen Diley Road from SR 256 to SR 33 and feels optimistic about receiving such monies to fund the project by 2006 and they are considering inititiating the project sooner, using federal funding to pay back the debt. (See Diley Road improvements on the Our pages section and the link to the Service committee meeting minutes below)This road improvement is welcome.... but do we need another highway exit into a sea a subdivisions similar to the exit on I-70 into the Glenshire subdivision in Violet Township? PATA asks the question whether community federal tax dollars wouldn't be better spent encouraging commercial development in this Diley Road area with the road improvements instead of the short sightedness of zoning for thousands of single family homes in the Pickerington School District?

Council voted to accept this agreement in December of 1999 without discussion in any council commitee or with the planning zoning commission. It was adopted without ANY public comment or hearing and clearly obligates the city to follow the agreement or forget it. These recent public hearings apparently are for appearances only in view of this important election year for city council.
The next opportunity for the public to provide "comments" on this project has been posted in the LANCASTER paper (circulation 200 homes in all of Violet Township)attempting to notify all PICKERINGTON Area residents and reads as follows:

From LANCASTER EAGLE-GAZETTE, May 29, 2001:

Notice of Public Hearing

The Pickerington City Council will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m., June 19, 2001, at City Hall for open discussion on the proposed Preliminary Development Plan and rezoning from AG to PR4 for proposed annexation of 245.5 acres along Diley Rd. north of Busey Rd.

Details available from Municipal Clerk Lynda Yartin.



TEXT OF THE ZONING SECTION of the pre-annexation agreement PROMISES FOLLOW:



3. Zoning. The property sought to be annexed currently has township zoning. Contemporaneously with the annexation, the City will rezone the Diley property to the "PR4" district within the City of Pickerington in general compliance with a Preliminary Development Plan prepared by Gary Schmidt dated the 5th day of April, 1999, entitled "Diley Road Land" (attached hereto and made a part hereof)with a maximum gross density of 2.3 units per acre. Though zoned "PR4", house sizes within the development will meet the "PR3" minimum house sizes (i.e. two story houses, 1800 sq feet minimum; one-story houses, 1400 sq feet minimum).The City understands it has 120 days after the matter has been approved by the County Commissioners and the transcript has been filed with the City Clerk to accept the annexation. At the request of Diley LLC, the City will hold off on the acceptance of the annexation until the zoning and water and sewer issues are settled to the satisfaction of Diley LLC. If for some reason the zoning cannot be accomplished and/or the zoning is referred or defeated for any reason, or water and sewer cannot be provided as set out herein, the City agrees that it will not annex the property at the request of Diley LLC. If the annexation vote occurs approving the annexation to the City of Pickerington, but a PR4 zoning is not adopted, or the water and sewer cannot or is not provided as set out herein, then within thirty (30) days of the date of the original annexation vote, the City agrees it will reconsider its vote and reject the annexation. If the annexation vote occurs annexing the property but the PR4 zoning does not occur or water or sewer cannot or is not provided as set out herein and more than thirty (30)days have lapsed since the annexation resolution or ordinace has passed, the City agrees it will cooperate and agree by ordinace to consent to a R.C.709.38 procedure at the request of Diley LLC, its successors or assigns.

Want to contact the City to let them hear your opinion?

Email Mrs. Joyce Bushman, the city manager or Mr. Randall Hughes, the mayor at the email hotlink below. Kelli, Mrs. Bushman's assistant, will forward your mail upon request. Or utilize the City of Pickerington's "Talk to your elected officals page" on the hotlink below. The city hotlink to talk to elected officials has been giving error messages for several months and the city has been notified of the problem but fails to fix the problem appearing to not want to hear from the community. Email PATA at pickeringtontaxpayers@hotmail.com

Email us
kellis@ci.pickerington.oh.us

Let the City Elected Officials Hear Your Opinion!

YOU MAY RECEIVE AN ERROR, CITY IN NO HURRY TO FIX THIS PROBLEM
City of Pickerington, Service Commitee Meeting 4/12/2001