County holds hearing for Allen Twp annexation

FINDLAY — The Hancock County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing Tuesday on the proposed annexation of 80 acres from Allen Township to the city of Findlay. No action was taken. The property, owned by KGD Properties, is located at the corner of County Road 99 and Township Road 142 and consists of seven parcels of land, according to Hancock County Auditor records. The annexation request, filed March 31, is intended to allow Alto Real Estate LLC of Dublin, Ohio to develop the site. Patrick Fisher, vice president of Alto, told commissioners the location is attractive due to nearby development, including the Casto project and Blanchard Valley Hospital's new Wellness Park campus. He said the company's preliminary plan includes multi-family housing on the northern portion of the land and commercial development along County Road 99. Fisher said he could not identify potential commercial tenants and emphasized that the proposed apartments would be market-rate, not affordable housing. He added that Alto is open to single-family housing if the "right opportunity" arises. The residential portion would include three-story buildings housing roughly 300 people on 57 of the 80 acres. "Sometimes when I attend these meetings, people are very concerned about affordable housing and I certainly know there's a need for that," he said. "That's not what we're looking to do." He said the residential and commercial components are interdependent, noting the commercial development would rely on the residential for consumers, while residents would want walkable amenities. "The commercial needs the rooftops to make it make sense and the rooftops want to have something walkable so they can walk to a restaurant and go to a grocery store," he said. "Whatever it ends up being." Fisher also told commissioners that additional annexation for abutting property are expected to be heard in late July. Commissioner Jeff Hunker asked if a road maintenance agreement had been prepared and said he believed it was a needed piece of the puzzle. Hancock County Assistant Prosecutor Cindy Land told commissioners County Engineer Doug Cade had not yet received an agreement. The commissioners decided to "take the request under advisement" and are expected to vote on the matter at a later time. A preliminary site plan for the proposed annexation was shown to commissioners during the hearing, but Fisher declined to provide a copy when requested by The Courier. According to the Ohio Attorney General, documents created or received by a public entity are considered public records. On May 19, Findlay City Council approved legislation identifying services the city would provide if the property is annexed. The measure passed 8-2, with councilmen Rodney Phillips, R-6, and Dan DeLong, R-7, opposed. Legislation approving the annexation to the city has not yet been introduced to council. During that meeting, Philips said he was unsure how the property would be used, citing what he described as a nondisclosure agreement. Mayor Christina Muryn disputed that, saying she was not aware of any NDA and did not want the public to think the city uses them. Councilman Dan DeArment, R-4, said he had spoken with the property owner, who told him the NDA prevented disclosure of specific plans. "It's a private transaction between the property owner and the business, and he would not disclose (the property's usage)," DeArment said. If county commissioners approve the annexation, the matter will move to Findlay City Council for consideration.