Granville council talks roundabout, future development, Munson Springs at retreat
As Licking County continues to develop, the Village of Granville is preparing to handle all that comes with it.
Granville Village Council held its biennial retreat Feb. 24 where members talked through numerous critical topics and planned for future priorities. Here's a highlight of the major topics.
Roundabout construction to begin this spring
Construction of the village's first roundabout at the intersection of New Burg and North Pearl streets will happen this spring and summer, but the majority of the work will occur after the end of the school year.
Village Manager Herb Koehler said Ohio 661 (North Pearl Street) will remain open throughout construction. However, New Burg Street will close for about 75 days.
The proposed project timeline is as follows, but the dates could change slightly. However, Koehler said the village doesn't anticipate any significant changes.
April 1-May 31: Work only being done during school hours between 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
May 31-Aug. 20: New Burg closed; Ohio 661 restricted to one lane.
Aug. 21-Oct. 31: Overnight closures from 8 p.m.-7 a.m.
The total project cost is expected to be about $2.4 million, but there will be cost sharing involved and the village will not be responsible for that entire amount. The village's share was not yet known.
Comprehensive plan update stalled
The village's joint comprehensive plan with Granville Township is stalled because of a pending lawsuit against the village that alleges the process violated the Open Meetings Act. Dan Bellman, who served two terms on village council and as mayor for two years before leaving office in 2003, filed the lawsuit on Aug. 11.
Granville Mayor Melissa Hartfield shared information with the public about the pending legal action while reading a prepared statement.
She said the village, residents and other communities have faced significant challenges since Intel's semiconductor factory in western Licking County was announced two years ago. Since then, the village, its staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly on behalf of residents to ensure the village can handle the generational change that's coming as a result of Intel.
"This comprehensive plan is integral to that planning," she said. "But as we sit here today, that plan is a hostage to the whims of a singular voice."
Village exploring prohibiting marijuana dispensaries, smoking in public places
Since voters approved Issue 2 in November legalizing recreational marijuana, communities around Ohio and Licking County have taken steps to limit recreational businesses. The village is also exploring that possibility.
After a short discussion, council members directed village staff to craft two pieces of legislation. The first would at a minimum limit where dispensaries could be located within the village, or possibly an outright prohibition of the businesses. The second will outline where, if it all, adult-use marijuana can be smoked or consumed in public places within the village.
Village staff will work on that legislation in the coming months.
Council still exploring options for Munson Springs
After a community committee spent two years researching possible uses for a 57-acre site along Newark-Granville Road, council looked in depth at five options for the property known as Munson Springs.
Council already approved leaving 32 acres of the property as a nature preserve because the terrain would make it difficult to develop.
Council went through the following concepts during the retreat:
Reserve: Largely leaving the property as it is for a passive park.
Reserve Hybrid: Public park with possible walking paths, playground, platform tennis and other options on the lower portion of the property and passive recreation with nature trails on the upper portion.
Sports park: Land below the nature preserve would be developed as an active park with pavilions and multiple sports fields.
Sports park and outdoor pool: Land below the nature preserve would have multiple sports fields as well as an outdoor pool.
Community center and outdoor pool: A new 90,000-120,000 square foot community center would be built by the Granville Recreation District on the lower half that would contain spaces for community meetings and events, athletic facilities, and a wellness clinic. This concept may also contain an outdoor pool.
The council members determined they wanted more community feedback about which option to pursue.
Koehler said village staff will continue creating the nature preserve on the upper portion that council already protected as well as provide strategies to solicit feedback from the community for which concept to move forward with on the lower portion.
Village, township putting finishing touches on joint economic development district
For more than a year, the village and township have been in the process of creating a joint economic development district, or JEDD, along Ohio 16 (Columbus Road) and portions of Weaver Drive and River Road in the township. JEDDs are an economic development tool that allow townships to partner with a municipality to collect income tax on commercial properties within a defined area. In this case, Granville Township is partnering with the village, and businesses in the area would be subject to the village's 1.5% income tax rate. Township residential properties are not impacted by the income tax.
Koehler said the two entities just have a few I's to dot and T's to cross on the JEDD agreement, and he anticipated a final draft will be presented to village council and township board of trustees by the end of March.
Koehler said the income tax revenue from properties in the JEDD will be split as follows:
60% to the township
30% to the villeage
10% to the JEDD board
The JEDD will be governed by a five-member board, Koehler said:
A township representative
A village representative
A business owner representative
An employee representative
A member chosen by the other representatives
Village, township, Granville schools likely to form community improvement corporation
After Intel was announced in January 2022, the village, township and Granville Area Chamber of Commerce hired Jim Lenner of Neighborhood Strategies to study the area and provide recommendations for the Granville area to reap some of the benefits of the development coming to the central Ohio area, as well as diversify the local tax base so public entities don't have to rely solely on residential property taxes.
The top recommendation was to create a community improvement corporation, or a CIC, which is an economic development not-for-profit corporation that advances economic, commercial and civic development of an area. Other CICs already exists in the area, including Grow Licking County, which serves as the county's lead economic development organization, and Newark Development Partners, which focuses on the city of Newark. But a new organization could be specifically focused on the Granville area.
Council members — along with the township trustees and Granville Exempted Village Schools Board of Education members who were also in attendance — heard more about the concept. The village, township, school district and Granville Area Chamber of Commerce would jointly form the CIC.
David Ball, chair of chamber's board and co-chair of the chamber's economic development committee, said while Grow Licking County focuses on bringing in larger businesses, such as suppliers and distributors, the Granville CIC would seek smaller businesses that complement the community.
Koehler said the village will lead drafting the CIC's incorporating documents and then distribute them to other entities.
mdevito@gannett.com
740-607-2175
Twitter: @MariaDeVito13
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville council talks roundabout, future development at retreat
