Tuesday, February 29, 2000
Save green space, group urges
Members: We're not anti-growth
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — Some Mason and Deerfield Township residents are teaming up to help government officials find ways to slow residential growth and preserve green space in Warren County.
Balance, a grass-roots organization formed in September, wants to help keep some of the county's natural landscape home to trees, not homes.
The reason is simple. In the past decade, Warren County's housing boom has begun to chip away at the very reasons most people moved there, said Tracy Molitors, a five-year Mason resident and founding member of Balance.
“Things are getting so crowded and growing so fast out here, there is really nowhere to take our children to just enjoy nature,” Mrs. Molitors said.
What was once a rural setting has increasingly given way to developers and construction workers. But in Mason and Deerfield neighborhoods, the tenor among residents has changed from building up to slowing down.
“We are not a political group or an anti-growth group,” said Helen Fox, unofficial leader of Balance and wife of Mason Vice Mayor James Fox. “But we do think our leaders should continue to look at ways to limit growth so that our infrastructure and schools have time to catch up.”
Mrs. Fox said Balance will go before county commissioners today and Mason and Deerfield officials next month to explain the group's mission and offer its help.
Many residents say the rapid population growth of Mason and Deerfield Township has robbed the county of some its aesthetic beauty as acres of trees are bulldozed and replaced with spacious two-story homes. In addition, some say the growth is taxing the Mason and Kings school districts, both struggling with student overcrowding, and causing congestion on many of the area's major roadways.
Leaders in both communities have been trying to increase green space for years. Deerfield trustees last year paid more than $3 million for 220 acres of land for township parks. Though develop ment of the parks is proceeding slowly, the future of recreation opportunities for residents is brighter now than at the same time two years ago.
Meanwhile, Mason officials are spending more than $1.7 million to expand Heritage Oak Park in hopes of providing more recreational facilities.
“I think our government leaders have done a wonderful job managing growth,” said Mrs. Molitors. “We are not taking an adversarial position at all — in fact, we want to encourage them to continue their efforts.”
Mrs. Fox said one of Balance's goals is to find different funding sources and organizations that can help city and township leaders maintain green belts throughout the county.
The group, which consists of about 10 members, has circulated a petition and obtained the signatures of more than 1,000 city and township residents who support slowing growth.
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