CENTERBURG — A third housing development residents have been talking about for months is now official.
Centerburg Village Council took the first steps on Monday to potentially annex 22.197 acres on Factory Street into the village.
Belinda Seckerson, co-manager of property owner DDWK LLC, filed an Expedited Type II petition with the Knox County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 28 to annex parcels 17-01235.000 and 17-01236.000.
Village solicitor Zachary DiMarco of Critchfield Critchfield & Johnston said the village has 25 days from the filing date to object or consent to the petition based on whether or not the application meets Ohio Revised Code technical requirements.
Additionally, the village has 20 days to adopt a statement of services.
On Monday, council members passed legislation agreeing to provide police (through the Knox County Sheriff’s Office), fire/EMS (Central Ohio Joint Fire District), water (through Del-Co) and sanitary sewer services to the parcels.
They also gave a first reading to a pre-annexation agreement with DDWK.
Proposed plans call for M/I Homes to build 98 homes on the 22 acres.
Annexation requires developer to request rezoning, join NCA
DiMarco said that typically, a developer negotiates a pre-annexation agreement with the village before filing with county commissioners.
“That draft of a pre-annexation agreement that the village has used in the past went to M/I some point in July, and they’ve reviewed it,” DiMarco said.
“They kind of filed this out of order, not in the sense that it’s wrong with the Ohio Revised Code, but in the sense that the village has not yet had an opportunity to pass a pre-annexation agreement.”
The annexation now goes to commissioners for approval. If they approve it, it comes back to the village.
After 60 days, the village has 180 days to adopt or reject the annexation.
“Even if you adopt a statement of services now and later on, circumstances are the village does not want to accept the annexation, you can reject it at a later date,” DiMarco told the council.
If the village annexes the land, it will come into the village as Estate Residential. To proceed with a housing subdivision, M/I Homes/DDWK must request rezoning to Planned Development.
They must also agree to join the Heart of Ohio Community Authority (NCA) and allow the NCA to assess a development charge not to exceed 10 mills.
“If you want to annex, you’ve already agreed to join the New Community Authority, so that’s the advantage of the pre-annexation agreement for us,” Village Administrator Richard Dzik said.
Dzik said M/I Homes plans to attend the Sept. 21 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting and present preliminary ideas.
