BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON -- At least 200 residents would rather see a park than a 96-unit apartment complex on the south side of the city.
City council this week asked City Manager Richard Hayward to check into the costs of making the residents' wish a reality.
The city's planning commission gave approval last month to Associated Land Group, a Cincinnati development company, for eight, three-story buildings of 12 units each on the hillside of Deerfield Road, between Cook Road and Louisa Wright School.
But residents signed a petition against the proposal, citing concerns about increased traffic and the impact of new residents on the school system. They urged council to buy the land and transform it into a park.
The city has several options for acquiring the land, council members said, including:
Buying it from the owners.
Condemning it.
Claiming the land through eminent domain, which is a government's right to take property for public use with appropriate compensation.
Calls to Associated Land Group were not returned Wednesday.
Mr. Hayward said public records show the land's last selling price was $275,000. Mr. Hayward estimated the city could buy the land for about $325,000 to cover the value of the land plus engineering and design costs. The money could come from the city's green space and parks and recreation trust funds, which contain up to $900,000, Mr. Hayward said.
Those funds were created so the city could purchase land for parks and preserve green space.
One option for the hilly, 10-acre site is to make it a passive park. That would mean cleaning out the underbrush, mowing the grass and perhaps placing a few picnic tables in the area.
While Councilman Mark Flick said he doesn't necessarily support the construction of an apartment complex at the site, he worries claiming it under eminent domain sets a dangerous precedent.
"For council to start legislating as a means to stop development . . . I don't think that's right," he said.
The attempt to thwart construction of the apartment complex is part of a wave of anti-development sentiment, Mr. Flick said. "People are sick of hearing there's going to be something new, and the green space is gone," he said.
The city has undergone explosive growth in the last decade, with its population increasing from 10,453 in 1990 to an estimated 13,700 now.
During the same period, 1,017 houses have been added.
Councilman Jim Reinhard said residents' concerns about development, manifested in arguments against the apartment complex and a proposed subdivision along Markey Road, should spur council to review zoning and planning guidelines.
