PATA History Pages

Amended Violet Township - Village of Canal Winchester CEDA

Revised CEDA text available at Township & Village Offices

As comments and concerns were mentioned in the proceeding weeks and also the March 1st Public Hearing, the proposed CEDA between Violet Township and the Village of Canal Winchester now has the folling revision draft. An April 16th letter from Violet Township Officials to City & County Officials included the following cooperative statement -

"In an effort to move the idea of a CEDA between Fairfield County, the City of Pickerington, the Village of Canal Winchester and Violet Township forward, both the village and the township invite you to a meeting to be held April 23 at 9:30 a.m. at the Violet Township Offices at 12970 Rustic Drive in Pickerington. We hope to continue productive discussions on how we can structure a truly regional CEDA."

This idea was promptly, publicly rubuked by Council members at the Pickerington City Council meeting held on April 17th.

City Residents receive a letter from all 7 Council Members

In a letter dated April 12th and recived by city residnets April 18th, all 7 Council Members stated:

Dear Fellow Pickerington Residents:

s a Pickerington, Violet Township and Fairfield County resident, you have a stake in the ongoing debate over two separate Cooperative Economic Development Agreements, or CEDA’s. offered to Violet Township. Canal Winchester, in Franklin County, and two Violet Township trustees have agreed to consider a CEDA for acreage in Fairfield County adjacent to Pickerington, Canal Winchester and Route 33. At the same time, the Fairfield County commissioners are considering an annexation request that would assign land in this same area to Canal Winchester.

As your elected officials, we are deeply concerned about the long-term effects of these proposals and how they could negatively impact our community.

As you know, commercial and industrial developments, especially along the Route 33 corridor between Columbus and Lancaster, will result in new tax revenue for the municipalities and other local governments on which they are built. We believe that development in Fairfield County should benefit Violet Township, the City of Pickerington and the Pickerington school district.

Consider for a moment the two CEDA proposals:

1. Under the terms of the Canal Winchester CEDA, property adjoining Pickerington along Route 33 would be annexed into Canal Winchester which is in Franklin County. Violet Township would receive a share of the income tax revenue generated by future development. Pickerington would be required to provide utilities to the annexed properties but would not receive any tax revenue generated. In addition, Canal Winchester has planned for over 100 acres of high-density residential development in the annexation area covered by the CEDA.

2. The CEDA proposed by the City of Pickerington would bring commercial development sites into Pickerington. Violet Township would receive a share of tax revenues generated from any future development.

Under the Canal Winchester proposal, Pickerington, Violet Township and Fairfield County infrastructure and services would be strained by any new residential development in the CEDA area. At the same time, most of the tax revenue from new development would benefit Canal Winchester in Franklin County.

The Pickerington CEDA ensures that revenues generated in Fairfield County stay in Fairfield County and focuses growth on commercial and industrial uses, not residential development.

We encourage you to consider the ramifications the Canal Winchester plan could have for Pickerington:

 More traffic but no revenue to pay for the needed infrastructure improvements.
 Loss of access to the tax generating development areas along Route 33.
 The prospect of having to deliver utilities and services to a community that will enjoy new commercial development at the expense of Pickerington.

We ask that you contact the Violet Township Trustees at 575-5556 and urge them to support the CEDA proposed by Pickerington. Also, contact the Fairfield County Commissioners office at 1-740-687-7190 and urge them to reject the annexation of Fairfield County property into Canal Winchester, a municipality in Franklin County.

As Always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns about this important issue.

Sincerely,

Craig Maxey
John Washington
Jeff W. Monebrake
William W. Wright
Brain W. Fox
Douglas A. Parker
Louis V. Postage

**See editors note**

**Web site Editors note **

** Web site editors note – this above information is provided word for word from the Council member’s letter. The contents of some of the statements within this letter are in direct conflict with numerous additional postings on our web site and materials archived within the members of PATA. Should you wish access to this additional material to formulate your own opinion, please contact PATA @ 755-2464.