Licking County residents fear rural way of life endangered by Intel project
GRANVILLE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WCMH) — As Intel fuels growth in central Ohio and Licking County, smaller townships are figuring out how to handle it.
Many neighbors in Granville Township are worried land used for agriculture could be taken away and are now packing zoning meetings to make their voices heard and raise questions about what comes next.
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The main focus on Monday was on a property along Silver Street and what could happen.
The Granville Township Zoning Commission said a proposed overlay zoning plan is about controlling inevitable development. Many along Silver Street said a big part of why they love the community is the space it has for nature and agriculture, and that’s why they are worried about what these changes could mean.
“If they really want to preserve what this community stands for, and the roots here, would be to keep it a farm space, agricultural space and leave it the way it is or allow someone to actually be able to turn it into what’s in its roots, so the farming aspect rather than develop it,” Silver Street resident Luke Freshwater said.
Freshwater and his family moved to Silver Street late last year.
“[Granville] really prides itself in the rural community here and just really wanted to raise our kids here,” Freshwater said.
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They also wanted to start a bison farm. Now land next door could see changes they’re worried may impact them.
“I think the increase in traffic, the increase in just the loudness,” Freshwater said. ” You know, I think it’ll potentially even push out families like myself because that’s what we moved here for.”
The township’s Zoning Commission said this is about getting ahead of the growth Intel will bring to Licking County. They are working on a plan that would add to the zoning already in place.
“What we want to do is preserve our small town feel and what we want to do is control the development that is going to come, to a certain extent,” Chair of the Granville Township Zoning Commission Susan Walker said.
The plan is called an overlay district and, according to the commission, is a way to control how the growth that is coming to the area will look.
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An area that has residents speaking out is off of Silver Street. The overlay would qualify it as a “Subarea B.” According to documents on the township’s website, the development allowed would include:
“Subarea B aims to promote intentional economic development for Granville Township and is envisioned as an important technology and research business center that will encourage the development of high-quality campus style industrial, office, and commercial uses. The design standards are meant to foster orderly growth and development and ensure that buildings in Subarea B adhere to high-quality, uniform standards while addressing the unique needs of specialized industries while blending with the character of Granville Township.”
Right now, it is farmland. Neighbors are hoping it stays that way.
“We’ve got a lot of wildlife there, eagles nesting in the area,” Granville resident Scott Wagner said. “There’s owls, there’s all kinds of wildlife that you don’t find everywhere, that are out here that are going to be disturbed by the increased development. It all seems that all they’re interested in is bringing out development, putting an economic corridor in here with all these different businesses.”
The commission said the overlay plan would control the look and feel of the businesses that move in and without it, there would be very few protections for residents.
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“Right now, our zoning resolution requires a 50-foot buffer and does not require any woodland planting, doesn’t require pathways or green space. This overlay would require all of those things,” Walker said.
Others at the zoning meeting on Monday brought up worries including traffic, noise and protecting farmland along Silver Street.
“We need to keep preserving the area here,” Wagner said.
The commission decided to move the vote to another day because of the concerns brought up by the community. The plan is to vote on April 1.
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