Big crowd discusses Brookville land development plan after 'Keep it Rural' fight

Yahoo

28-01-2025

Jan. 28—More than 100 residents of Brookville and surrounding townships gathered Monday for the first in a series of public meetings as the city seeks the community's input for its new comprehensive land use plan.
The city has entered into a $100,000 contract with Cleveland-based consulting company Envision Group LLC, funded in tandem with a $50,000 planning grant from the Montgomery County Land Bank, as it works to generate an updated comprehensive land use plan, which will serve as a blueprint for future development.
Development has been a hot topic in Brookville for months. The Keep it Rural group unsuccessfully tried to recall the mayor and vice mayor after disputes on that topic, and voters led a referendum in November that rejected the rezoning of 85 acres on Upper Lewisburg Salem Road for business and residential growth.
A comprehensive land use plan guides a community's vision and goals to allow for strategic allocation of resources, to identify needs and priorities, and to build community consensus, according to Envision's Emil Liszniansky, who gave a presentation of the project Monday.
Liszniansky and Brookville City Manager Jack Kuntz stressed the city's intent to gather detailed input from residents and vowed to keep the community informed throughout the process. Brookville's most recent land use plan was created in 2004.
The city is asking Brookville residents to fill out a survey to provide input about how they think the city should grow. The survey is available on the city's website, at www.brookvilleohio.com.
"Receiving that community feedback is imperative to us to push this project forward because, at the end of the day, the comprehensive land use plan is a reflection of what the community wants to see in terms of how the city grows for the next 10 to 20 years," Kuntz said.
Liszniansky said the community survey went live in December and will remain open through February.
Developments currently underway
A development of 44 single-family houses by Arbor Homes near the East Upper Lewisburg Salem Road and Albert Road intersection, just east of Brookville Fire Station 76, is nearly finished. The neighborhood is called Harper Creek.
To the southwest, another single-family residential development, known as Hunters Run by Fischer Homes, is nearing completion.
Arbor Homes is also building a development of 32 single-family homes on South Wolf Creek Pike, south of East Westbrook Road.
Phase two of an apartment project by B&B Rentals is set to begin soon on a site west of Meadow Glen Avenue, southeast of Interstate 70, west of Arlington Road. This development primarily consists of free-standing doubles, according to Kuntz.
Arcon Builders is scheduled to begin the second phase of its Arlington Woods development this spring and summer. This neighborhood is located off Arlington Road, north of Westbrook Road.
"Much of the projects currently under construction or under infrastructure installation were originally approved in the 1990s and early 2000s; they have been on the books for years and have just recently started moving forward, as previous property owners sold the land to residential builders," Kuntz said. "There are a variety of factors as to why these projects stalled originally, but most of them are more than likely related to the housing crisis and recession in the mid-2000s."
Residents wary of hurried growth
Preliminary land use plan survey results were presented during Monday's meeting and show that most residents oppose continued development in and around the city, particularly residential development.
When asked what type of housing they feel Brookville needs more of, nearly 60% of survey respondents indicated they have "no desire for additional housing."
Similarly, when asked what area adjacent to the Brookville city limits is most appropriate for incremental residential development, just over 50% answered "none."
Perry Twp. resident Joan VanZant said she's apprehensive about the future but plans to stay involved in the comprehensive land use project as much as possible.
Perry Twp. is located just south of Westbrook Road near the south edge of Brookville. The township's boundaries go as far south as U.S. 35, just north of New Lebanon.
"I'm really concerned about the development that they seem to be rushing into ... I'm worried about not being prepared for the growth, and increased crime," she said. "I've lived here for 25 years and I'm not looking forward to the change."
Another concern from residents of Perry Twp. and nearby Clay Twp. is the potential for future annexation and development of rural township land.
"I think there's this concern a lot of us have, like, 'Are they going to annex us?'" said Jenny Riley, who lives on a 2-acre lot in Perry Twp. "I love living in a township for a couple reasons: number one is that we don't have a lot of neighbors out where we are, and number two is the benefit of not having to pay the city taxes."
Brookville resident Kathy Hubley moved to Brookville with her family at the age of 2, eventually graduating from Brookville High School in 1974.
Hubley said she thinks the city needs to regularly communicate with residents about the land use plan progress and any potential developments, but also suggests there will have to be some compromise between those who are in support of more growth and those who are not.
"I think people just don't want to lose the character and charm of Brookville," Hubley said. "... We live in kind of a confrontational world, but I do think there is hope."
Land use a continuing hot button issue
In November, voters soundly rejected a request that would have rezoned 85 acres of annexed Clay Twp. land located on Upper Lewisburg Salem Road.
A resident-led referendum gave voters the final say on this rezoning, which would have facilitated 27 acres of business development and 58 acres of residential. According to final results from the Montgomery County Board of Elections, 69.5% voted against the rezoning, with 30.5% voting in support.
Prior to that vote, political action committee Brookville Citizens for Keep It Rural filed petitions to recall Brookville Mayor Chuck Letner and Vice Mayor James Zimmerlin with the Montgomery County Board of Elections in October.
Jaime Iaquinta, treasurer for Brookville Citizens for Keep It Rural, said at the time that residents had lost trust in the leadership of Letner and Zimmerlin, also citing resident concerns about increased development in the city of just under 6,000.
The group fell short of removing the two leaders, though, as results from a special Jan. 7 election showed 52% of voters voted yes to keep both Letner and Zimmerlin seated.