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 Lawrence Budd and Ed Richter

Staff Writer

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

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

Nowcounty planners are redrawing boundaries of the plan and mapping out newdevelopment, including plans for land owned by the Cincinnati Zoo as a cheetahrecovery center and leading north from the Ohio 63 interchange near Miami ValleyGaming.

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

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

    While the cities of Franklin and Springborowere not included in the planning process, Obringer told this newspaper severalweeks ago that he was anticipating expanding the plan in 2015 to include thosecommunities as well as Carlisle and ClearcreekTwp.

    Obringer said that plan will include Germanand Miami townships in Montgomery Countybecause of their proximity to I-75.

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

    Both Obringer and county planning directorStan Williams said they did not expect the pushback from the communities andsaid 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 openprocess with a planning workshop, charettes and open houses.”

    Obringer said most of that land is beingsought for intensive uses such as mixed use and residential development withthe highest densities.

    He said the main reasons the northerncommunities were excluded from the initial plan that covered 33 square mileswas that the plan would have had to include issues such as housingaffordability and downtown revitalization. He said the second part would haveaddressed those communities and issues.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Lewis said he was aware of the study, buthis 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-75plan’ wouldn’t you just think to contact us as we have two exits on theinterstate?”

   Lewis also said Franklinshould have been invited to participate because a proposed exit off Manchester Road ison the edge of the city. In addition, the sanitary sewers in that area aretreated at the Franklin Wastewater Treatment Plant, which would be critical forfuture development.

    The issue also raised concerns with Carlisle officials.

    “What happens in Franklinand Springboro affects Carlisle,” said villagemanager Sherry Callahan. “We were never contacted to provide any information orto participate in any discussions in creating the plan.”

    Franklin Twp. trustees never voted on theproposed plan.

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

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

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

    Sample said planning is done to promoteeconomic development and any development in the township is in partnership withFranklin, Carlisleand Springboro. He said the township relies on its neighbors for things such asinfrastructure to service residents. Sample also said he was concerned that theproposed plan did not include the entire township.

    While Middletownwas 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 owndeterminations on future planning.

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

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

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