By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

DEERFIELD TWP. - This Warren County township is looking to revamp the land use plan that guides growth and development.

The township's zoning commission will discuss amendments to the plan, adopted in 1997, and hear from residents at a special meeting today.

"A lot of development has been occurring since it was adopted in 1997, and there's a number of areas where established development that has occurred does not conform," community development director Tim Hershner said. "We want to update that so we can start to enforce it and start to conform to it."

Hershner said residents' questions about development along Mason-Montgomery Road has renewed interest in the update.

The vision was to make the major thoroughfare a high-tech corridor. Instead, a Kroger shopping center and Rookwood Commons-type development are being built and the zoning commission is considering a proposal for a Wal-Mart Supercenter and additional retail.

Officials hope the revised plan will help preserve historic sites.

"Most of what's happening in developing Deerfield Township has happened in the last four decades or so," Hershner said. "For us to ignore what's happened as far as 10 decades ago or more would be shortsighted. We really should start to consider, how do we preserve our community's past?"

Members of the Bowling Green-based Poggemeyer Design Group will be at today's meeting and will recommend amendments to the plan at the commission's Jan. 12 meeting.

If you go

What: Special meeting of the Deerfield Township Zoning Commission

When: 7:30 p.m. today

Where: Township meeting room in Landen Station, 3292 Montgomery Road

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E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com