The Jerome Township Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting on Monday to discus a referendum, filed to stop a proposed housing development.
In December, the Jerome Township Trustees rezoned 248.6 acres on McKitrick Road, north of Mitchell-DeWitt Road, from rural residential to PUD (planned urban development), a designation for higher-density residential and mixed-use. The 439-lot Villages at Glacier Pointe development is planned for that land.
On Jan. 18, resident Barry Adler filed petitions asking for a vote of the residents to reverse the zoning change, returning the land to the low-density rural residential and effectively stopping the housing development. Adler submitted 14 separate petitions containing signatures.
The petition is asking for a vote of the entire township in the May 8 Primary election.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, at the Jerome Township Hall, 9777 Industrial Parkway, Plain City. At the meeting, trustees will need to certify they received the referendum petition on time and certify the validity of the information on the petition.
“Once it gets certified by the board of trustees, it is up to the board of elections to verify the number of signatures and the validity of those signatures,” township fiscal officer Robert Caldwell said, adding that he has not counted the signatures.
According to the Union County Board of Elections, for the referendum to be placed of the ballot, it would need 135 valid signatures, which equals eight percent of the township vote in the most recent gubernatorial election.
The 248.6-acre development is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Columbus and is north of U.S. Route 33. Glacier Woods Metro Park is to the north and west of the planned development, and the Woods at Labrador development is to the east.
Marysville would provide water and sewer services to the area.
Officials for Kephart Fisher LLC, which is representing the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, have said about half of the homes will be marketed for empty-nesters, while the other half will be single-family homes. He said he empty-nester homes would be sold for about $350,000 to $500,000, and the single-family homes would be sold between $500,000 to $800,000.
The development plan would also include nearly 100 acres of open space.
During the rezoning process, several community members opposed the development, expressing concern about development’s impact on existing wildlife, traffic and school system.
Officials at the Union County Board of Election said nothing has been filed with the board and they cannot comment on the petition or specifics of the vote until it is filed.