MOUNT VERNON — A 70-year-old dragstrip could soon give way to residential housing.
Owner Larry Nelson plans to split off and develop approximately 35 acres of the former Pacemakers Dragway into a mobile home park.
He requested rezoning a portion of the 140-acre Columbus Road parcel from Rural Residential Agriculture (RRA) to Residential Mobile Home Park (RMHP).
On Thursday, the Knox County Regional Planning Commission accepted the Land Use Committee’s recommendation to approve the rezoning.
“We saw no reason not to recommend that the parcel be rezoned,” land use chair Steve Bratton said. “There’s definitely a precedence in Clinton Township. I think there are at least four other mobile home parks in the general area.”
Clinton Township trustees will make the final decision whether to rezone the parcel.
Nelson plans to upgrade the existing entrance to the dragstrip and use it to access the mobile home park.
He will use the existing dragstrip surface as a road between two rows of housing pads. Approximately 100 to 130 mobile homes would sit perpendicular to the roadway.
The City of Mount Vernon will provide water and wastewater services.
The Ohio Department of Commerce oversees mobile home parks.
Pacemakers was founded and sanctioned in 1956. The 1/8-mile NHRA-sanctioned strip last featured racing in 2024.
The Heart of Ohio Trail abuts the dragstrip on its south side.
2026 lot splits are ‘robust’
RPC Secretary Darrel Severns reported that lots splits are higher in 2026 than at the same time in 2025.
“I think at last count we were about 20 above last year at this time of year, and we’re early in the year,” he told the commission. “We’re already up to about 50 splits in the books for 2026.
“That’s considerably above average.”
Severns could not pinpoint a reason for the increased activity.
“They’re all over the board, more so the 5-acre lots. But there are small building lots that are going in and there are large, 25-, 30-acre lots that are being created,” he said. “It is certainly robust.”
Commission members elected Brown Township’s Steve Bratton as chairman for 2026. Jason Rogers, Hilliar Township, was elected vice chair, and Marta Hill of Liberty Township was elected treasurer.
Bratton will continue as land use chairman.
At the February meeting, members requested that the commission explore potential meeting times other than the third Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Any change must go through the Bylaws Committee.
As vice chair, Rogers will also chair the Bylaws Committee.
Reports
County Commissioner Barry Lester reported that the fairgrounds sustained damage from the March 13 windstorm. Plans are moving forward to demolish the former caretaker’s house on the grounds.
Additionally, the fair board plans to vacate the pavilion on the east side of the grounds and build a new pavilion in a more central location. The new stage will cost approximately $10,000.
The pavilion was used for musical entertainment. Fair board members will section off the area for employees of the fair rides to park their campers.
Lester also noted his concerns about data centers and their effect on aquifers.
“Our aquifer is really abundant here in Ohio, especially in Knox County, so we’re a very large target for these things,” he cautioned the group.
Lester suggested that trustees research data centers and have the county prosecutor’s office review potential resolutions restricting them in their township.
Commissioner Drenda Keesee reported that she’s working with residents in Morgan Township regarding a Verizon cell tower the company wants to install.
Another trustee referenced the federal House Bill 2289, which reduces the ability of local cities and counties to oversee wireless telecommunication.
Berlin Township Trustee and EMA Director J.T. DeChant said the EMA office sent a request to township fiscal officers to report damage assessments from the March 13 windstorm.
The EMA will use that information to determine whether Knox County qualifies for reimbursement money.
The guest speaker for March was Kyle Shackle of Knox Public Health. Shackle explained the services and responsibilities of KPH’s environmental health division and the role it plays in regional planning.