Battle over 116 acres in Jerome expected

Union County Commissioner Gary Lee discusses the annexation petition and paperwork on the conference table in front of him with a touch of weariness in his voice.

It’s only 116 acres that three property owners are asking the county to switch from Jerome Township to the city of Dublin, but Lee said it is prime real estate.

“Obviously, that area is one of the most important economic properties in Jerome Township,” he said. “This annexation proceeding will be difficult. There will be a fight. No doubt about it.”

There are three separate properties involved, east of Route 33 and north of Post Road at the southeastern tip of Union County. Two properties — one owned by the Jacquemin family and one by Arthur and Elizabeth Wesner

— are wedged between Route 33 and the west side of Hyland-Croy Road. The third strip, owned by the Gorden family, is on the east side of Hyland-Croy and borders the Post Preserve subdivision, which already is in Dublin.

The petition was filed Jan. 31 with the Union County commissioners, who must decide whether to approve it. A hearing has been set for April 18.

Some of the land has been part of ongoing disputes. The Schottenstein Real Estate Group has long had big ideas for a portion of the Jacquemin property, including as many as 300 apartments, 125 seniorliving units operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus and some retail.

In late 2015, Jerome Township trustees rezoned the land for that project, and that upset some neighbors who were opposed to such dense residential development there. It kicked off a voter referendum and a legal fight that the Ohio Supreme Court settled. The zoning stood.

The project, however, hasn’t really gotten off the ground. Brian Schottenstein, president of the real estate group, said through his attorney that the company wouldn’t answer questions but would issue a news release at a later date. Still, officials from all the entities involved say cost appears to be an issue.

As it stands, the city of Marysville would provide water and sewer services to that area, with initial utility fees of as much of $3.2 million, said Marysville City Engineer Jeremy Hoyt. Tap fees for that same number of units in Dublin, Hoyt said, would cost a fifth of that.

Then there is the matter of Hyland-Croy Road, which all sides agree would need to be widened with any development in the area. Whether that road would become the responsibility of Dublin in any annexation — and then how much Dublin would require a developer to pay for its improvement — would have to be negotiated.

The road issues could get sticky, said Union County Engineer Jeff Stauch. The largest chunk of land in that Post Road/Hyland-Croy Road corner is owned by John Wirchanski and his family. It isn’t a part of this annexation, and Wirchanski has vowed never to annex to Dublin. Ensuring that he keeps safe and adequate access to his property if the land bordering him is annexed will also be key, Stauch said.

“That’s an important corridor,” Stauch said. “I’d be very disappointed if we couldn’t come to an agreement on the road.”

Jerome Township Trustee Ron Rhodes said he was surprised by the annexation request, and township officials clearly are unhappy about it.

“I understand that going to Dublin is a business decision for the developer and property owners,” Rhodes said. “But that is some of the most valuable ground in Jerome Township. We’re not going to just roll over on this.”

Dublin City Manager Dana McDaniel said there is no question that the city would like to control what develops there. City Council, he said, will likely see “pre-annexation plans” from the developer for those properties so everyone knows what to expect. The plan in Dublin, McDaniel said, would be far different from what was presented in Jerome Township.

Dublin, he said, would want office/research and development space, service-oriented retail and substantially reduced density for much less housing.

He said Union County, Marysville, Dublin and Jerome Township have had far greater cooperation on major projects in recent years than he has seen in his nearly three decades in Dublin government. He said he understands this annexation reopens some old wounds, but he hopes everyone can agree.

“When you’re courting a relationship, you look at the long game. You have your spats and your disagreements. This is one of those,” he said. “We’ll get past this for the good of the region.”