Union County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. We see evidence of that every day with all the machinery moving dirt.
Over the years, we have heard from new people moving to town who like the proximity to Columbus and the ability to spread out. But at the same time we have also talked to many longtime community members who are not afraid to share their concern about trying to preserve the small town feel they grew up with.
For us, it makes sense that growth has been coming this way because in looking back at our newspaper coverage for the last five years, we have had no shortage of stories about shovels being turned especially in the southern part of the county.
We understand that as Columbus continues to spread out and run out of room, the next desirable move is west on Route 33 towards Plain City and Jerome Township.
In addition, Marysville has had its fair share of expansion including a housing project on just about every side of town.
We say all of this because we think it’s a compliment that people want to come here and be part of the Marysville and Union County culture that started 200 years ago.
We also understand that too much going on at one time can cause a ripple in the 200-year-old pond like the congestion in Mill Valley did until recent improvements were made.
That begs the question, if we have project after project in the pipeline so that every year there is more and more filling out the green space, when does someone step back and look from above to measure the impact of those projects on the area?
In order to study the impact, we think Marysville officials should give themselves time to look at the effect of those shovel-turning projects just as those in Plain City and Jerome Township should also do.
We understand there has to be a balance of zoning that fits so development can happen, but our point is, we think there should also be time to evaluate as well.
We still remember when Alan Seymour appropriately pointed out that if the area keeps a high standard and because of it development doesn’t come right away, someone else will fill the spot later.
That point of view is still relevant today because as time has shown over the last 200 years, the right pace for development in our community has been and should be one that is more like a marathon not a sprint.