Jerome Township Trustees approved final changes to the proposed zoning overlay that would pave the way for a new Innovation District.
Trustee Joe Craft introduced an amendment that will place a $500 supplemental zoning fee on all residential units. He said the fee will be used to fund infrastructure in the township and administration of the Innovation District.
With a maximum of 770 residential units permitted in the district, the fee could generate up to $385,000.
Jennifer Huber, legal counsel for the township, emphasized that the fee would easily reimburse the $40,000 the township paid as part of a development agreement with Schottenstein Real Estate Group.
“All of the parties in this public private partnership… are paying and bearing costs in various shares for various pieces,” she said. “This is what can be the township’s fair share.”
Resident Barry Adler questioned the supplemental fee, since townships are not legally allowed to implement impact fees.
Huber noted that the “township’s position is that it is not an impact fee,” adding that a comparable supplemental zoning fee is already in place in Jerome Township.
Craft said the proposition was a result from feedback he has heard from several residents throughout the hearing process.
Though the board closed the public hearing and will not hear any more comments before rendering a vote on Oct. 5, officials said there has been ample time for community members to participate.
“This is the longest case I’ve seen for a code amendment,” said Zoning Inspector Eric Snowden.
The trustees initiated the zoning amendment on June 21. After a review by the Logan-Union-Champaign Regional Planning Commission, the Jerome Township zoning commission held two public hearings, on July 12 and Aug. 16. The Board of Trustees then held a public hearing on Sept. 7, before a roundtable community forum on Sept. 15. The hearing was continued on Sept. 21 before trustees voted to close it.
Huber noted that many recommendations from residents were incorporated into the final document.
At Tuesday’s meeting, she listed a number of changes made to the uses chart, which dictates where certain types of development will be permitted in the Innovation District. She said the vast majority of changes were based on input from residents.
Along with restricting specific uses in areas with established residences, Huber said the board “beefed up buffer language.”
The zoning overlay text requires any development adjacent to a property with an existing residential dwelling to create a 50-foot buffer with a minimum of 75% opacity at 8-foot height. For any residence with frontage on Weldon Road, there must be a 100-foot buffer.
Huber noted that this was bumped from a 30-foot buffer with a 6-foot height, and is now required at installation rather than within three years.
Despite the modifications that have been made throughout the hearing process, several residents said they feel the overlay needs more work.
Adler said he feels the Innovation District is a “great concept” and recognizes the importance of preventing annexation and generating revenue. Still, he said he is concerned about the planning and development of the area.
His concerns included the impact on traffic and public safety, affecting existing residents, creating incompatible uses, losing woodlands and wetlands and managing watershed runoff. He also asked for documents that illustrate projected revenue and development stages, as well as terms of any agreements with the City of Marysville.
Resident John Deane agreed.
“This is not, in my mind, a bad thing,” he said.
However, he said he feels the zoning overlay is more of a “framework” than a plan. He said he feels there need to be more dates, times and objectives outlined.
Huber emphasized that the overlay is just the zoning portion of the Innovation District project.
“This is all working in concert. Without the overlay, it’s hard to get the infrastructure going… the TIF (Tax Incremental Finance district) and the JEDD (Joint Economic Development District) feed into that as well,” she explained.
Still, Trustee Chair Megan Sloat said she understands concerns shared by residents. She said “concrete data will materialize as this gets off the ground” and officials are happy to share timelines and economic details once the project reaches that point.
For now, though, she said she is extremely confident in the zoning portion that has been proposed.
Craft and Trustee C.J. Lovejoy agreed.
“This is one of the most important things that I’ve done as a trustee,” Craft said.