ASHLAND — Ashland Mayor Matt Miller said Thursday the interchange at U.S. 250 and I-71 is ripe for development.
“This has been one of the fastest-growing areas in the city of Ashland, certainly as it relates to retail and commercial activity,” Miller told Ashland County commissioners.
“There are developers calling on a weekly basis, looking at retail, commercial, and restaurants.”
That’s why Miller spoke in favor of a petition to annex 91 acres of land along the interchange into the city during a public hearing Thursday.
The city, along with around 16 out of 29 property owners, petitioned commissioners to annex the land in April. The land is currently in Montgomery Township.
Miller said the annexation will benefit land owners and facilitate development.
According to the mayor, the annexation has been in the works for several years.
“It’s been nearly impossible in the last several years because we couldn’t get in touch with (the property owners),” he said, noting some live out of state.
Miller told commissioners the city has spent more than a million dollars to extend city water and sewer infrastructure out to the corridor under Interstate 71 to service the city’s east side.
Some of the businesses included in the annexation include McDonald’s, Grandpa’s Cheese Barn, Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, Wingate by Wyndham and the Friendly Express, which all use city utilities.
“Historically, whenever the city extends utilities and offers those to businesses and residents, we expect that they will ultimately be annexed and become part of the city,” Miller said.
The mayor said annexing the 91 acres will benefit existing businesses, since properties outside of city limits serviced by city infrastructure pay double for their water and sewer services.
Assistant Law Director Andrew Bush said all but one of the properties in the proposed bloc already receive city services. The one exception is the old Marathon gas station on the north side of U.S. 250.
Miller said rezoning the properties could also make the area more attractive to developers.
Miller said one of the properties included in the annexation is being considered for a hotel, but development won’t move forward unless the property becomes part of the city.
“If you were constructing a hotel with 90 beds, and you’re gonna have occupants in there 365 days a year, and they’re all taking showers and using the water, that’s one of your major expenses,” Miller said.
“Certainly you would want to pay the normal rate, not the double rate.”
The annexation would also make it easier for first responders to know which properties are within city limits, which affects how traffic citations are written.
Should the 91 acres become part of the city, it would be Ashland’s first annexation since 2017, when the city annexed 30 acres from Milton and Montgomery townships.
Montgomery Township Trustee Steve Uhler said his board is in favor of the annexation, but asked that the city’s commitment to share property tax revenue be put in writing.
Since 2004, the city of Ashland has agreed to temporarily share property tax revenue with impacted townships following annexations. This is because property tax revenue is the main source of income for townships.
Uhler said a previous agreement between the city and township only specified the revenue sharing agreement up to a certain boundary line, which wouldn’t encompass all of the proposed annexation.
“The agreement that we have from 2017, the boundary line is Section Line 14,” Uhler said. “So everything east of Section Line 14 is not in the agreement that we have.”
Miller said it was his understanding that the same revenue sharing agreement would extend to the new annexation. But he agreed to put an ordinance before Ashland City Council city specifying the agreement for the 91 acres in question.
City Council will likely vote on the measure July 18. County commissioners must vote on the annexation petition within 30 days of the Thursday’s public hearing.
Montgomery Township Trustees Hugh “Britt” Troth didn’t voice outright opposition to the annexation. But he said some residents are concerned about the loss of rural land in the township.
“I do want to mention that there are constituents that we have that are against any expansion of the city,” he said. “We know in the future, there’s going to be expansion. There’s progress. It’s just the way things are gonna go, but we’re getting gobbled up.
“This is kind of a big grab, 91 acres right now.”
Prior to the hearing, county Commissioner Denny Bittle said that the county health department has moved into its new building on Claremont Avenue, inside the former Rite Aid. The building will have a ribbon cutting on July 25.
Bittle also said the new dog shelter will likely open at the end of July or in early August. The county is still waiting for kennels, fencing and landscaping to be completed.
“I know a lot of people have asked about our doggies,” he said. “We’re really close to getting our doggies out of their prison place.”
The board also:
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authorized Then & Now certifications and payment of warrants for the county emergency management agency.
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approved a travel request from James Skora, solid waste district coordinator, to attend the Ohio Organics Council board meeting in Bellville on Aug. 23. The estimated expense for the trip is $20.
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Voted to cancel the board’s scheduled meeting on July 11 due to a lack of business.
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Accepted an estimate from Automation Mailing and Shipping Solutions for the lease of two FP PostBase Vision A-5 postage machines at a rate of $132.95 per machine, per month, for 60 months. County clerk Nikki Hiller said the new lease agreement is cheaper than the old one and will save the county about $106 per month.
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Accepted a verbal resignation from Erika Shifflet, part-time kennel worker at the dog shelter, effective July 3.
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Authorized the Ohio Regional Development Corporation to submit the program year 2023 Community Housing Impact and Preservation Lead Abatement Program (CHIP-LAP) application with the State of Ohio on behalf of Ashland County and to administer said grant program.
