In a 2-1 vote, the Jerome Township Trustees voted to rezone 12.98 acres of land from medium density residential to planned development. The area, located on Watkins-California Road, is being looked at by Jeff Stroupe, owner of Terra Land Holdings LLC, for the purpose of moving his landscaping company to the proposed area east of U.S. 33.
Currently, Stroupe’s company is split between a location on Hyland-Croy Road which houses trucks and equipment and office space in Dublin. If he acquires the proposed site, he plans to relocate the entirety of the business to the township.
The application was submitted by Gary Smith of G2 Planning and Design in Columbus.
“One of the first things I said was ‘not another landscape business for Jerome Township.’ The reality is, he’s not another landscape business, he’s a current landscape business that’s been operating in the township for the last twenty-plus years,” Smith said. “He employs approximately 35 people in the township.”
Smith said that Stroupe’s company has “out-grown” the Hyland-Croy location and this opportunity presented itself as the proposed land has more space and existing garage and office facilities for employees and equipment.
The existing buildings on the property were used by a former trucking company.
Township trustees expressed some concern initially with the moving, referencing the rezoning as being both a change to the comprehensive plan as well as a move that could interfere with future development.
According to the comp plan from 2008, the site sits on land that was originally designated Office/Research/Medical land.
“I’m hesitant because I don’t want this to be a situation that we’ll regret if development does come down the road,” said Trustee Ron Rhodes. “It would definitely change things if we get water services out there.”
The trustees made the approval for rezoning contingent on two conditions, requiring Stroupe to agree to join the Joint Economic Development District if the township and City of Marysville move forward with its creation and posting a bond for landscape materials. After the township’s zoning commission looked over the initial landscape plans, suggestions were given to require more trees and shrubs.
Trustee Joe Craft, who voted against the rezoning, suggested waiting 30 days to cast a vote.
“This could give us time to look over plans and consider the effects,” he said. “We would need to make the rezoning conditional before we could ever vote.”
Stroupe agreed to both conditions and discussed moving forward with submitting a formal design proposal.