MOUNT VERNON — Regional Planning Commission members approved zoning revisions for Jefferson, Hilliar, and Liberty townships at their monthly meeting on Thursday.
Jefferson Township revisions included eliminating R-2 General Residence and M-1 Light Manufacturing as zoning districts. Township Trustee Monica Severns said the township has no parcels under these categories.
The decision to remove the districts stems from a case involving Phantom Fireworks and Congress Township in Wayne County.
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In that case, the trial court ruled that Phantom Fireworks could build a fireworks facility near I-71 because the township’s zoning resolution provided for a business district but did not define a business area.
Jefferson’s zoning revisions include clarifying that setbacks are from the center of the road, adding accessory buildings as permitted uses in the Ag District, and changing the distance from the lot line in the Ag District to 6 feet.
The township zoning board also proposes that if a property owner wants to sell a rear dwelling, it must be on a separate parcel and meet all minimum lot requirements, including road frontage.
The rear dwelling must stay with the original parcel if it does not meet those requirements.
Hilliar Township
Hilliar Township proposes adding a Corridor Overlay District (COD) to its resolution. The district provides standards for signage and landscaping along the State Route 3/US Route 36 corridor.
The township includes land on both sides of the Village of Centerburg. The village recently updated its zoning code, and Hilliar’s proposed COD incorporates the village’s standards for signage and landscaping to provide a cohesive appearance.
The regulations apply for nonresidential uses within 1,000 feet of the roadway.
Liberty Township
Liberty Township proposed two changes previously approved by the trustees but not yet added to the zoning resolution:
•Changing the minimum length of residential culvert from 24 feet to 30 feet
•Deleting the 500-foot requirement between an ag building and a dwelling
Liberty’s remaining zoning revisions involve bringing definitions and terminology in line with the Ohio Revised Code.
Rezoning applications
RPC members approved a College Township application to rezone 3 acres of a 5-acre parcel at 10887 Kenyon Road from Ag to Rural Residential (RR).
RR parcels must be a minimum of 2 acres. Other RR parcels surround the lot at 10887 Kenyon Road. The property owners want to make the 3-acre parcel more attractive to sell. The remaining 2 acres continue an access easement.
A rezoning proposal in Milford township to accommodate an advertising billboard is on hold. The parcel is zoned Ag, but the Highway Beautification Act, inspired by Lady Bird Johnson, requires commercial zoning for billboards.
The property owner agreed to rezone the 2-acre parcel, but Milford’s new zoning resolution states a 5-acre minimum for commercial with public sewer and water available.
The property owner will consider asking Milford’s Board of Zoning appeals for a variance.
Schirtzinger reviews OSU Extension
Sabrina Schirtzinger, educator at Knox County OSU Extension, presented an overview of Extension’s services.
She noted that she and OSU Educator John Barker “take science and make it applicable.”
One area she works with is managing open spaces by diversifying enterprises. Diversification includes the increasing popularity of cut flower farms, agroforestry (tree farms and maple syrup production), agritourism, and small-scale farming.
Food safety, livestock care, and pond management are other areas on which OSU Extension provides guidance.
Miscellaneous
The steering committee for updating the Knox County Comprehensive Plan held its second meeting. RPC Secretary Darrel Severns said the committee is “trying to come up with a plan as to how to engage the public.”
He anticipates having informational literature available by July’s RPC meeting so that RPC members can distribute it to residents and help obtain feedback on what residents want the county to look like in the next few years.
•Improvements to the back of the service center are moving forward. The county still awaits federal approval to build the Knox Area Transit hub on West High Street.
•Work is progressing on an employee plaza at Heartland Commerce Park. Airco has begun operations at HCP, and the city council will hold a committee meeting on its zoning code update on June 24.
•The Fredericktown streetscape is progressing.
•Danville is looking for funding to extend sidewalks and improve waterlines and also working to connect the Kokosing Gap and Mohican Valley trails.
•Gambier received a grant for 17 homes to hook into the village sanitary sewer.
