By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEBANON - Warren County Commissioners may be trying to slow the growth in this booming area - but that isn't stopping a huge new subdivision and perhaps a second Jungle Jim's International Market from coming to Hamilton Township.

After much debate that ended in a 6-5 vote, the Warren County Regional Planning Commission on Thursday recommended rezoning 216 acres that formerly held a horse farm for 448 homes and 200 condominiums at Montgomery-Morrow and Morrow-Cozaddale roads.

About 20 acres for business development, including neighborhood retail, also is set for the property.

On average, three units per acre and priced from $180,000 to $500,000 will rise at The Villages of Classicway. Construction is expected to begin late this fall.

What's more, Jungle Jim's owner, Jim Bonaminio, confirmed Thursday he is considering building a 250,000-square-foot store similar to his food empire in Fairfield off Ohio 4 in Hamilton Township on property he co-owns on U.S. 22, a quarter-mile south of Little Miami High School, near the site of the Villages.

"But you know me," he said. "Nothing is for sure until I turn the first shovel of dirt."

Bonaminio, who is expanding his Fairfield location, declined further comment but has previously scouted store sites in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.

Despite efforts from county commissioners to slow residential development, the majority of the planning commission - planners, engineers and others from the county and its jurisdictions - agreed they could not hold the developers, Boulder Development Co. of Western Hills, to changes proposed in the county and township to increase lot sizes and green space for new subdivisions.

The planning board is strictly a recommending one. Final say is up to Hamilton Township officials, who control their own zoning, and at least one trustee said Thursday he approves of the layout of Villages.

But Warren County Commissioner Larry Crisenbery bemoaned the approval of the subdivision, saying it shirks common sense.

"I am just amazed they went ahead and approved it because of the situation they are sitting in right now with school overcrowding over there," he said. "This is on top of all those housing developments that have already been approved. There are over 8,000 new houses already approved to be built in the Little Miami School District."

Commissioners are pushing for a $3,000 to $10,000 impact fee on new homes for schools but the controversial plan still needs to be worked out and state legislation must be crafted.

Warren County is the second-fastest growing county in the state. It grew 39 percent with more than 44,000 new residents and 20,200 new housing units in the 1990s. About 172,000 people are now estimated to live there.

Between 1990 and 2000, Hamilton Township saw a 47.7 percent increase in new homes, from 1,839 to 3,856, according to Census figures.

Hamilton Township Trustee Clyde Baston said Thursday his community cannot block growth and should offer a variety of housing so people can afford to live there.

"You gotta grow or you die," Baston said. "I was into a heated discussion with one of my citizens this morning about this. He said we have to stop the growth and I told him, `If we did that five years ago, you wouldn't be here.'"

Baston also noted farmers cannot be prevented from selling their land.

"I can't blame the farmers. They put their life into this place and they want to sell it," he said. "If people don't want development to come in, let them form a group and buy all the farmland and leave it farmland."

E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com.