Thursday, August 19, 1999
County plan charts development
But some residents fear sprawl
BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Western Hamilton County townships and towns may not agree with a county-level, 20-year plan to guide their development, but they will have to live with at least some of its provisions.
The Board of County Commissioners approved the general concepts and direction of the so-called collaborative plan Wednesday, then dispatched it to the 10 affected political jurisdictions for further modification and, possibly, approval.
Commissioners also direct ed planning department staff to consider the plan in future recommendations on sewer, water, road and other infrastructure improvements throughout the region.
The concepts of the plan, designed to spark residential and commercial growth in the semi-rural region, will be considered on equal footing with the desires of local officials in the townships of Green, Colerain, Miami, Whitewater, Crosby and Harrison; the city of Harrison; and the villages of North Bend, Addyston and Cleves.
“It can be used as a guide in any jurisdiction, whether they endorse it or not,” said Ron Miller, planning and zoning department executive director.
County departments and utilities can implement the infrastructure strategies with an eye toward filling the area with homes, industry and malls. Projects would be approved and funded through the county commission.
For example, “as a township or a developer says they need an area sewered, we will look at this plan,” said Commissioner John Dowlin, who initiated and championed the regional effort.
“We would look at this from a strategy standpoint — where do we get the most bang for the buck?” when deciding where in the county to spend limited resources.
But not everyone living in the region is pleased with the plan.
Concerned Citizens of Western Hamilton County (CCWHC), a grass-roots group formed in opposition to the collaborative plan, will continue to fight its implementation.
“We're all citizens of the county. And they may be try ing to divide and conquer, but Concerned Citizens won't let that happen,” said Marilyn Hyland, an Indian Hills resident and CCWHC member who will challenge Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus in the 2000 election.
CCWHC members favor regional planning for inevitable future growth. But they say they want an approach that would preserve farmland, protect the environment and guard their scenic hillsides against rampant, cookie-cutter development.
“If you really cared for the future of Hamilton County, you would work with residents to protect the uniqueness of the west side, rather than to build over it. ... You would work to contain sprawl, not add to it,” Green Township resident Clare Johnson told the commission.
Mr. Miller said the planning department will work to build consensus among the west region's townships and towns as each one takes up the plan. It will be a gradual, evolving process with changes filtering slowly through the system.
“The intensity of our individual jurisdictions, the separation of governments, is somewhat unique in the country. We have 49 jurisdictions (in Hamilton County), each with its own sense of place. That's really a treasure ... but it makes regional collaboration a bit difficult,” Mr. Miller said.
“We're never going to be 100 percent in agreement — that's too much to expect.”
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