One of a series of variances is on hold for property near the newly proposed Kia dealership site in Jerome Township.
Union County Commissioners voted to approve a series of requests including setbacks and road extensions Wednesday but tabled one variance that asked to delay an extension across an existing ditch.
County officials said they wanted to wait to approve anything until affected parties could discuss a potential cost-sharing agreement for who would foot the bill for the work.
“I was thinking table it and have that discussion and say, ‘here’s what we’re thinking.’ Through the developer’s agreement, we’ll have to have some type of cost-sharing agreement to make this connection when the south parcel develops,” said Luke Sutton, project engineer with the county.
County Administrator Bill Narducci agreed, saying this approach would ensure the plans are in place ahead of development and stipulate the work would be taken care of when it occurs.
“What we’ve done with developers in the past that have needed opposing turn lanes, we’ve had the developer first in build it and then when the property to the south develops, they will be responsible for 50% of that cost,” he said. “That way everybody knows up front – the Kia dealership, or that developer – knows ‘here’s what I’m on the hook for’ and then the southern property owner understands ‘here’s what I’m going to be on the hook for when it develops.’ That’s just going to be the cost of development that’s going to be baked into the property. That may be a solution.”
Narducci added that if that information is in the developer’s agreement ahead of time, it may never have to be revisited if all agree.
The discussion came after Jerome Township Trustees voted last week to rezone a section of land on the Wirchanski property, commonly known as Hall’s Corner, which will pave the way for the planned Kia dealership on that northwestern corner. There are two out lots to the east of that property, at the corner of Weldon Road and Hyland-Croy Road, and a larger chunk of land south of those parcels that has yet to be developed.
One of the variances the commissioners did approve allows for the extension of Jerome Grand Drive south, across Weldon Road, and through the southern parcel that would then dead end at the ditch. Since there isn’t a developer associated with that southern parcel, which would share the cost with the Kia developer if an agreement is reached, has yet to be determined.
“(Developers) very much want that connection for their development,” Sutton said. “Because that will get them down to what will be the new traffic light that’s going in with the Hyland-Croy widening.”
Although an exact spot hasn’t yet been identified, county officials said there will eventually be an new intersection along Hyland-Croy between Weldon and Post roads.
County officials said their concern comes from the potential use of public money in the form of tax increment financing (TIF) funds for the road, rather than “development paying for itself.”
“In thinking more about this, I don’t want this ending up being some use of TIF dollars and the party that caused the construction saying ‘oh I’m not liable for that, my project is complete,” said Commissioner Dave Burke, noting that the extension would be consider a private road. “The cost of crossing the ditch isn’t going to be burdened by the use of public funds or TIF dollars. Not that that is where it’ll go, I just kind of have this hesitancy that these people are just going to say, 10 years from now or five years from now, ‘our project is done is done. If they want to extend the road to their project, that’s their cost.’”
In addition to the extension discussion, the commissioners approved a variance that would change the minimum setback width for private roads in the development area from 60 feet to 50 feet. The county has done this numerous times for developments in recent years and said it will likely result in changing the existing regulations so that particular variance doesn’t have to be requested.
Officials said they anticipate discussions to happen very soon so the resolution could likely be back for consideration in the “very near future.”