Jerome Township officials have agreed to drop their appeal of a requested annexation.
The Jerome Township Trustees have voted to approve an agreement with Schottenstein Real Estate Group, LLC. As part of that agreement, the township will drop its annexation appeal of the Gorden properties on the northeast corner of Post and Hyland Croy roads.
Earlier this year, Roger W. Gorden and Denise A. Gorden petitioned the commissioners to move their property out of the township and into Dublin. The property is bordered on two sides by Dublin and by Post and Hyland Croy roads on the other. The developer has said a community targeting older adults with no children at home would be built on the site.
In June, the Union County commissioners approved a request to annex the 44-acre property, on the northeast corner of the intersection of Post and Hyland Croy roads in southeast Union County, from Jerome Township into Dublin.
Days later, the Jerome Township Trustees voted to appeal the decision. The trustees voted to move $50,000 from the unencumbered general fund into the township’s legal fund.
In addition to having the township drop its appeal of the annexation, the recently signed agreement calls for Schottenstein to withdraw a request to annex the 72-acre Jacquemin and Wesner properties on the west side of Hyland Croy road, directly across from the Gorden property.
Schottenstein has also agreed to, “reimburse the Township for certain actual and reasonable legal fees and expenses incurred by the township in connection with the filing and dismissal of the annexation appeal as well as any legal fees and expenses incurred by the township which relates to any aspect of the use or development of all or any portion of the properties.”
The reimbursement is capped at $45,000.
Under Ohio law, the city of Dublin will be required to make payments representing a portion of lost property tax on a declining scale for 12 years.
Last year, the owners of the agricultural land paid $1,865 in taxes to Jerome Township.
The Union County Commissioners have expressed concern that no provision has been made to deal with traffic increases in the area. According to the agreement with Jerome Township, Schottenstein has submitted a traffic impact study, using agreed on methods. The study was submitted to the Union County Engineer’s Office in June.
While county officials are concerned about the funding for needed improvements, the township is waiting on Marysville to approve a Joint Economic Development District (JEDD), which would generate at least a portion of the needed funds. In December, the township approved draft legislation to create a JEDD for the southeast portion of Jerome Township. The JEDD legislation did not include a map or detail the district boundaries.
As part of the agreement, Marysville will provide water and sewer services to the district and new businesses in the district, along with their employees, would be subject to the city’s 1.5 percent income tax. If the city income tax changes, so will the tax imposed in the JEDD.
According to the agreement, 55 percent of the revenue is to be used for infrastructure construction and improvement in the district or benefitting the district. Officials have said they do not know what revenue to expect from the district.
Township officials said businesses already in the district will be asked to join the JEDD, but will not be forced into it. Only new, commercial developments would be compelled to participate in the JEDD.
While Marysville officials initially praised the JEDD creation, it has yet to be signed by the city. Marysville officials would like to see the district split. City officials would like one JEDD east of U.S. 33, which would be negotiated between Marysville, Jerome Township and Dublin. A second district, west of U.S. 33, would not include Dublin.