The proposed Marysville East Section One includes five subareas including multi-family, single-family, industrial, public common area and a regional pump station. Rockford Development Investments has said they will likely have three or four annexation requests in the next year in anticipation of a large master community.
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Residents are urging city council to wait on legislation that would annex more than 350 acres, east of the city, into the city. If approved, it would be the first of several expected annexation requests to make way for a large-scale, multi-use planned unit development.
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Marysville City Council is set to hear legislation that would annex and rezone more than 350 acres into the city, the first of several anticipated annexations to create a large-scale multi-use development.
At Monday’s meeting, council will hold the first reading for the annexation of 351 acres — north of U.S. 33, on both sides of Watkins Road between The Crossing at Watkins Glen Condominiums and Wildwood Lane — from Paris Township and into the city. There will also be legislation to rezone the land from township zoning to a Planned Unit Development (PUD).
The PUD calls for Marysville East’s first phase to have five subareas including multi-family, single-family, industrial, public common area and civic (regional pump station developments for the regional pump station).
“From a design standpoint, higher-density developments will be proposed around the existing commercial core (U.S. 33 and U.S. 36) with the introduction of a variety of attached, multi-family and single-family residential products as you move further away from the core,” according to information from the developer. “The industrial uses will be positioned to the south of the abandoned rail line and will utilize Scottslawn as a primary access point to reduce truck traffic and congestion to the north and U.S. 36.”
Bart Barok, with Rockford Development Investments (RDI), and others have said this is the first of “three or four annexations that RDI (Rockford Development Investments) and its partners will present to Union County and the City of Marysville over the next year or so.”
“Each annexation will be rezoned under a Planned Unit Development (PUD) and will collectively consist of various mixed uses, which include a variety of residential, retail, commercial, industrial and civic functions,” according to filings from RDI.
The company is also working to rezone 237.3 acres for Marysville East Section 2, south of Section 1, on both sides of Watkins Road, to allow for a mixed-used development, largely marketed as an innovation district. That plan is in front of the city’s Planning Commission but not to city council yet. In November, the Planning Commission unanimously approved a PUD for Marysville East Section 2.
Officials said the overall project is expected to take 20 to 30 years to fully develop.
Barok said the overall project is being broken into multiple sections because annexations larger than 500 acres are more complicated.
As for Marysville East’s first phase, the multi-family residential subarea, about 36.36 acres, will have of both townhomes and three-story walk-up residential units with a shared clubhouse and pool areas.
The 14.47-acre single-family sub area is expected to have about 55 homes.
Uses that will be permitted in the 251-acre manufacturing/innovation district would include artisan workshops; commercial and industrial equipment and machinery sales, rental or leasing; commercial printing and publishing; contractor offices; essential public services and utilities; essential private services and utilities; laboratory research facility; general manufacturing; professional offices; vocational/technical/trade/business school, college or university; warehousing; wholesale and distribution; data processing or call center; data center; light manufacturing; and wireless telecommunications antenna, facility and/or tower. Conditional uses in the district include ground passenger dispatch; warehousing and personal storage; industrial scale recycling centers; and extended stay hotel.
Development officials have said they are not looking to construct warehouses or retail in the development.
“Marysville East annexation number one will have upgraded design standards that include common fencing and tree lines along perimeter boundaries and major thoroughfares, standardized signage, and other identifiers that will create a unique gateway feel for the area,” according to information from RDI. “Over time, these design elements will be incorporated into the existing core development on the east side of U.S. 33 and U.S. 36.
Officials have said the Marysville East development will “provide benefits to the overall Marysville community through the anticipated preservation of the natural areas and extension of multi-purpose trails that connect the subareas to the natural areas.”
“In addition, the development of the industrial park will add jobs and tax revenue to the schools, city, and county and the housing will provide employees and other residents the opportunity to reside in the area,” according to RDI.
The developer has said Marysville East will allow for and fund improvements to existing roads and the future construction of new roads.
“A traffic study and revised thoroughfare plan are currently being conducted with the assistance of the City Engineer and should be available shortly,” according to information from the developer.
Residents in the nearby Buxton Meadows and around the community have expressed opposition at a variety of council and Planning Commission meetings. Opponents have cited that it will create traffic concerns, that it does not fit the city comprehensive plan, that the city already has an innovation park that is nearly empty.
At council’s meeting Monday, even before the legislation officially came forward for its consideration, residents urged the current council to postpone any discussion or legislation until the new council is seated in January.
Bob Hammond, who helped spearhead the recent referendum effort, said the turnover on council “will pale in comparison to the purge that will happen in the next election” if council members allow the development to move forward.
“I don’t think anyone here would want something like what is being proposed built in their backyard,” Gregory Edwards told council.
David Yoder asked council to table the annexation “for the time being.”
“Marysville has the luxury to hold on so that we get this absolutely right,” Yoder said.
City Law Director Tim Aslaner explained that council could not do anything until the annexation is actually in front of the body. He said Ohio Revised Code dictates the timeline for annexation petitions to be heard.
Council President Henk Berbee said that even though the legislation will be brought forward this year, because of the city process, the final vote will be held by the new council. He said that with a second annexation request in the near future, council could choose to table the Section One annexation and run it concurrent with Section Two annexation.
At least one of the new council members has already met with residents in the Buxton Meadows neighborhood, which is not in the city, and would not be part of any of the proposed annexations.