BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
POPULATION SHIFT
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Hamilton County lost about 14,629 residents -- or 1.7 percent of its population -- between 1990 and 1997, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Meanwhile, surrounding counties grew.
For instance, Boone County experienced a 32.3-percent increase in the same period, while Warren County -- the second-fastest growing county in Ohio -- swelled by 23 percent, up to 140,080. |
A Hamilton County task force unveiled four alternate plans Saturday to help keep local growth from leapfrogging into Butler, Warren and Clermont counties, Southeastern Indiana and Northern Kentucky.
The strategies -- which took more than two years to develop and cost about $250,000 -- range from a do-nothing-different philosophy to slowing growth and protecting the environment, including the farmland and area around the aquifer.
One plan calls for aggressive economic development and the construction of another bridge over the Ohio River. Another features a combination of economic and residential development with environmental protections.
The group of 30 western Hamilton County leaders met Saturday to discuss the strategies. Harold Arness, task force chairman, said settling on a master plan would help plug urban sprawl and encourage development.
Western Hamilton County, in part because of its large percentage of rural or vacant land, is expected to experience some of the impact of urban flight.
Further, with new water lines being laid and plans to expand sewer service, the foundation for growth already exists, Mr. Arness said.
In fact, even if community leaders did nothing differently, county planners estimate, the population of the 100,000-acre area still would grow by more than 60,000 people by 2020, bringing the number of residents to 200,200.
Choosing a master plan would afford western Hamilton County residents an opportunity to sculpt the future of their communities, County Commissioner John Dowlin said Saturday.
"In western Hamilton County, the last bastion of undeveloped land, we have the opportunity to do it right," he said.
Consultant Jane Dembner of Maryland-based LDR International said she expects the final plan to be an amalgam of the four strategies. The task force intends to hold at least two public meetings for residents to hear about the plans and provide input on their vision of the area's future.
Ultimately, the hope is the master plan would help guide the land use, planning and zoning decisions in the communities of Addyston, Cleves, North Bend and Harrison; plus the townships of Colerain, Crosby, Green, Harrison, Miami and Whitewater.
It would outline areas for industrial development, housing and parks, and encourage the communities to collaborate and make decisions with an eye toward the regional impact.
For now, Mr. Arness said, the first goal is getting communities to "work together and to make decisions that will fit within the plan."
