MOUNT VERNON — City council members gave a second reading on Monday night to legislation rezoning 38 acres fronting on Upper Gilchrist and Coshocton roads.
Rockford Construction is asking council to approve a zoning change to R3, which allows for a multi-family development known as The Retreat at Mount Vernon. Fully developed, the campus would provide 496 apartment units.
In a Planning and Zoning Committee meeting prior to council’s legislative session, Councilman and zoning chair Mike Hillier asked questions relating to the proposed development. Following are the questions and the city administration’s response.
Can the intersection of Coshocton and Upper Gilchrist roads handle the increased traffic?
Noting the traffic generated by Knox DD, Knox Public Health, and Colonial Woods Condominiums, along with the future traffic stemming from Gilchrist Estates housing development and possible development of the land north of Rockford’s parcel, Hillier said traffic was a concern.
Safety-service Director Richard Dzik said that according to a 2018 traffic study, the intersection in its current condition could handle the traffic.
“That being said, we recognize the need to improve the area for any future development, so there is every intention to improve Upper Gilchrist north of Coshocton,” he said.
He said it is likely that a third lane will be added as well as sidewalks to make sure that it remains a non-congested area.
Mayor Matt Starr said that according to GDP Consultants, the traffic study showed that during peak times, there will be an estimated 700 additional vehicles from all directions passing through the intersection.
“The consultant said that by the time you get down to Kroger, there won’t be any difference. But he does like the idea of us adding a third lane and sidewalks,” Starr said.
Starr has talked with the Monroe Township trustees, who are aware of the need to work with the city as the township owns parts of Upper Gilchrist Road. Additionally, the city has an agreement with the township for snow removal on Upper Gilchrist.
Is the Ohio Department of Transportation’s input and approval needed?
Rockford Construction plans a right-in, right-out only entrance to the development off of Coshocton Road.
Dzik said that within city limits, ODOT does not need to be involved. However, the city engineer does involve ODOT on projects around the outskirts of the city.
“The right-in, right-out is within the city limits,” he said. “[The city engineer] would still engage with ODOT.”
Dzik said that in the worst-case scenario, the developer will have to get an access permit from ODOT, something he said is typically a pretty simple process.
What plan is there for traffic traveling from Upper Gilchrist Road to the city’s south side via Eastern Star Road? What is the city doing to control that traffic?
Noting that many traffic and engineering projects take years to develop, Dzik said there are existing plans for creating a connector between U.S. 36 and Ohio 229.
“Those still exist. I think it’s still a project, especially with development going on on that side, that we want to continue to investigate and see if we can move forward,” he said. “I think right now, the hope is we can bring those plans out again and give them another look and start determining what we can do.”
Dzik said that in the city’s assessment, the critical thing is to improve north of Coshocton on Upper Gilchrist Road.
“We can do more traffic studies to see how that affects Upper Gilchrist south to 229,” he said. “You would also at that time start to have more residents paying income tax to fund a larger project for that side of town. I think we keep our eye toward those existing plans for that connector and see how we can make that work.”
Can the Coshocton Avenue TIF District fund the improvements on Upper Gilchrist Road north to the Gilchrist Estates development?
A TIF (tax increment financing) district is a defined geographic area. In essence, commercial entities in a TIF pay part of their property taxes to the schools and city’s general fund and part to a special TIF account.
The city has four TIF districts; one is for Coshocton Avenue. The Coshocton Avenue TIF has a balance of around $4.5 million.
Law Director Rob Broeren said TIF money can be used for projects that directly improve and benefit the property within the district.
“It doesn’t require us to spend the money in the TIF district,” he said. “It’s whether or not the public improvement benefits the district. The additional traffic will certainly help the traffic in the TIF district.
“That’s my opinion, and we also got that same opinion from the lawyer that we engaged to help us write the CRA,” Broeren added. “It’s also in the Ohio Revised Code in addition to the language here in the ordinance.”
When does the Coshocton Avenue TIF end, and by creating a city-wide CRA, does it affect creating another TIF?
The Coshocton Avenue TIF ends in December 2025. Broeren said the city can create another TIF when the current one expires.
“Once the CRA is exhausted, then the TIF would kick in,” he said.
Will Rockford Construction pay any tax toward buying land for an east-side fire station, or does the CRA exempt that?
Dzik said the majority of the city’s revenue comes from income tax.
“By that definition, the residents of this development will be paying income tax which will provide revenue toward the fire station,” he said. “This need for an east-side fire station has been identified for 10-plus years. … The need exists irrelevant of Rockford Homes for a station in that part of the city.”
Citing Danbury Senior Living as a comparison, Dzik said Danbury would probably consume more resources than the Rockford development.
“I think it’s incumbent on the city to locate the station where we’ve identified a need anyway, and I don’t know that it would be correct to assess Rockford any of that cost when we haven’t done it for any other developers in the area.”
Can the city’s water and sewer capability handle the Rockford development?
Corey Theuerkauf, vice president of land for Rockford, said that sewer capacity is a non-issue.
Regarding water pressure, he said had a discussion with the city engineer.
“We evaluated … what would be the highest elevation in our complex and compared that to the Holiday Inn. We have the same and similar elevations,” he said. “By virtue of potentially creating volume and pipe size, water pressure will not be an issue.”
Theuerkauf said the city will not have to add any lift station or extra capacity for water or sewer.
Comments
Councilman Josh Kirby said these issues are a “great problem to be running up against.” Noting that the city will have growing pains, he said he is excited to see Mount Vernon grow.
Council member Amber Keener agreed, saying she is looking forward to her children having a safe place to potentially live after completing school. One of her goals is to provide options to encourage young people to stay in the community rather than move away.
Councilman John Francis said the city supplying water to the development and income tax from residents will help the city’s revenue.
Upper Gilchrist Road property owners Debra McIlvoy and Jim Stulka spoke about the development. McIlvoy questioned how the land went from being the site of single-family homes to a multi-family complex.
Stulka questioned the additional traffic “when we already have a massive problem on Coshocton.” He also questioned putting a rental complex next to a single-family housing development and noted that the apartment complex pool could detract users from the city’s water park.
The legislation is up for its third reading at council’s April 25 meeting. A public hearing is set for 6:45 pm. Community members will have an opportunity to speak at the hearing.
The city’s Municipal Planning Commission approved rezoning the parcel to R3. It takes six votes of council to overturn the commission’s recommendation.
