'Buried alive' by Findlay development

FINDLAY — A Marion Township resident says her home is being "buried alive" by development on the city's east side. Diane Hutton, who lives on Marion Township Road 237, told Findlay City Council on Tuesday that flooding, noise and traffic have worsened as subdivisions have expanded around her neighborhood. She said backing out of her driveway has become "a nightmare" and warned that adding hundreds of apartments at Shady Grove Golf Course would overwhelm already stressed roads and stormwater systems. Both the Findlay Planning Commission and council's Planning and Zoning Committee are expected to discuss the Shady Grove annexation in meetings scheduled for today. Hutton said she learned of the annexation only through news coverage. She said residents were then told at a March 31 meeting that up to 400 apartments could be built on the site, raising concerns about drainage and traffic. She asked whether any studies had been completed and whether the city would consider improvements if the project moves forward. Another resident, Dwight Henley of Lake View, said recent rains raised water levels dangerously high at the neighborhood bridge and warned that the ongoing Forest Lake ditch petition will send more runoff into the same system. Henley also said Township Road 237 is not wide enough for the traffic it now handles. In March, the Hancock County Board of Commissioners approved the annexation of the golf course, filed by the property owners as a Type-1 expedited petition. Under Ohio law, expedited petitions require unanimous consent from all property owners, the township and the municipality. When those conditions are met, the commissioners have no discretion to deny a compliant petition. A revenue-sharing agreement between Findlay and Marion Township allows for expedited annexation with no notice and no public hearings. News of the annexation caused an uproar in Marion Township. Township Trustee Jim Gosche said it's the first time that an expedited annexation has been filed under the agreement and accused the city of being heavy-handed, calling it a "serious breach of trust." The move, he said, could end the revenue-sharing agreement with Marion Township, or at least lead to it being modified. City officials were also caught off guard by the annexation's speedy approval. At Tuesday's meeting, Councilman Rodney Phillips, R-6, said the city has been placed in a "reactionary" position, too. He said clearer communication could have eased concerns before the annexation and zoning requests reached council. "When you annex a residential neighborhood, for every dollar of property tax that you take in, you actually spend about between $1.20 and $1.30 on a resident. It's not a money-making proposition necessarily for the city of Findlay to annex a property, especially when you're talking about a residential neighborhood. So that's not true either. Whether we do it or not is obviously yet to be determined," said Phillips. "But I think we could be and will go a long way to being a better neighbor with some more transparency. For instance, I'm unaware of who the developer is who intends to put out 400 apartment units. I don't know if anybody else is aware of that, but I have not been informed of that. So I think we can obviously improve a lot." Councilwoman Heather Kensinger, R-at-large, said the city has tools the township does not — including stormwater requirements — and that annexation could give residents more leverage over the impacts they're worried about. The Planning Commission meets at 9 a.m. today in the Findlay Municipal Building, 318 Dorney Plaza, followed by city council's Planning & Zoning Committee meeting at 1 p.m. Both meetings are open to the public and will be livestreamed on the city's YouTube channel, Findlay Ohio. Shady Grove Enterprises Inc., the property owner, is seeking to rezone the site as "M‑2 Multi‑Family High Density" upon annexation to the city. The property is currently zoned "R‑1 Low‑Density Residential" in Marion Township. The staff report to the commission for today's meeting recommends the high‑density residential zoning, saying the site could serve as a transition between U.S. 224 and nearby mixed uses. If both bodies advance the proposal, the annexation and zoning could be ready for full council consideration once the state‑required 60‑day window closes on June 3. The developer can submit site plans only after zoning is approved, triggering reviews of traffic, drainage and infrastructure before any construction can begin.