Updated: 9:29 a.m. Monday, Dec. 15, 2014 | Posted: 7:09 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014

Warren County development plan stalled by objections

By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/lawrence-budd/" rel="nofollow - - Ed Richter

Staff Writer

    Objections from Springboro, Carlisle, Franklin and Franklin Twp. have prompted Warren County planners to go back to the drawing board with their vision for development along Interstate 75 — a plan that is more than 18 months in the making.

The I-75 Area Plan, mapping out development of land east of Interstate 75 in Franklin and Turtlecreek townships as well as sections in Monroe and Middletown in Warren County, was scheduled for approval this month by the Warren County Commission.

Now county planners are redrawing boundaries of the plan and mapping out new development, including plans for land owned by the Cincinnati Zoo as a cheetah recovery center and leading north from the Ohio 63 interchange near Miami Valley Gaming.

    “What we’ve been asked to do is leave Franklin Twp. out of the plan,” said Matt Obringer, project manager for the I-75 Plan.

    The local governments objected to their lack of participation in the process, which began in May 2013.

    While the cities of Franklin and Springboro were not included in the planning process, Obringer told this newspaper several weeks ago that he was anticipating expanding the plan in 2015 to include those communities as well as Carlisle and Clearcreek Twp.

    Obringer said that plan will include German and Miami townships in Montgomery County because of their proximity to I-75.

    “We felt the big theme here was that we had a lot of undeveloped land under county planning,” Obringer said.

    Both Obringer and county planning director Stan Williams said they did not expect the pushback from the communities and said there was one Franklin Twp. trustee who attended the public meetings. Williams said some of the attendees became committee members.

    “We thought we had an open process,” Williams said. “We thought we got the word out and we thought we had an open process with a planning workshop, charettes and open houses.”

    Obringer said most of that land is being sought for intensive uses such as mixed use and residential development with the highest densities.

    He said the main reasons the northern communities were excluded from the initial plan that covered 33 square miles was that the plan would have had to include issues such as housing affordability and downtown revitalization. He said the second part would have addressed those communities and issues.

    “The city of Springboro objected to the fact that the plan is called the I-75 Corridor Plan and we are on I-75 and in Warren County and were not included in any way in the creation of the plan, the discussions about the plan, nor were we asked to participate or provide information in any way,” Springboro city manager Chris Thompson said.

    The plan map stops short of the Springboro city limits and Thompson said she had not reviewed it.

    Plan boundaries did not touch Franklin or Carlisle, but those communities also objected, based of their lack of representation.

    The revision is to remove plans in Franklin Twp., including a proposed I-75 interchange at Manchester Road, although Franklin Twp. officials were involved in the process.

    Franklin city manager Sonny Lewis said he objected during the Warren County Regional Planning Commission because the plan reached to the southern boundary of Franklin.

    “I was a little taken aback it went that far north,” he said. “I objected to it on the grounds Franklin was not part of it because it came close to our city limits and we’re still a part of Franklin Twp. … It was probably an oversight by the county.”

    Lewis said he was aware of the study, but his understanding was that the focus was around the Monroe and Turtlecreek Twp. areas.

    “You’d think they would have contacted Franklin, Springboro and Carlisle?” Lewis said. “If Warren County is doing an ‘I-75 plan’ wouldn’t you just think to contact us as we have two exits on the interstate?”

    Lewis also said Franklin should have been invited to participate because a proposed exit off Manchester Road is on the edge of the city. In addition, the sanitary sewers in that area are treated at the Franklin Wastewater Treatment Plant, which would be critical for future development.

    The issue also raised concerns with Carlisle officials.

    “What happens in Franklin and Springboro affects Carlisle,” said village manager Sherry Callahan. “We were never contacted to provide any information or to participate in any discussions in creating the plan.”

    Franklin Twp. trustees never voted on the proposed plan.

    “We all have concerns about the plan and we have not seen any changes yet,” said trustee Ron Ruppert. “There’s going to have to be some substantial changes before I could vote for it.”

    Among his concerns were residential development issues and a desire for other communities to be a part of the plan.

    Trustee Greg Sample said it was apparent that not everyone supported the plan and there was a lack of communication and inclusion when putting the plan together.

    Sample said planning is done to promote economic development and any development in the township is in partnership with Franklin, Carlisle and Springboro. He said the township relies on its neighbors for things such as infrastructure to service residents. Sample also said he was concerned that the proposed plan did not include the entire township.

    While Middletown was a part of the planning study from the beginning and endorsed the plan, officials said the other communities need to be able to make their own determinations on future planning.

    “Each community’s evaluation of the plan must be completed using their own process and with their own objectives in mind,” said city manager Doug Adkins.

    Obringer said a new plan could be back before the commissioners in March and likely will be named something like I-75 Area Plan Part 1. After approval, planners would begin work on Part 2, to include Franklin Twp. and other northern areas along I-75.

    “We are thinking about getting the word out more,” Obringer said.