News Summary

Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University could add more than 5 acres to its campus, if city commissioners approve rezoning the land.

Springfield city commissioners held a public hearing and first reading to rezone two former school buildings and a vacant lot to educational campus district.

The former Jefferson School building, 50 E. McCreight Ave., and an adjacent vacant lot, 1220 N. Fountain Ave., are zoned residential.

The former school board office, 51 E.. College Ave., is zoned commercial office.

The university doesn't have a specific use in mind for the sites, said Darrell Kitchen, vice president of business and finance. The rezoning applications suggested a recreational use on Fountain Avenue and possibly office, day care or teaching space on College Avenue.

The sites offer room for future growth, Kitchen said, and stabilize the area.

"It's an opportunity we need to take advantage of," he said.

Wittenberg has a purchase agreement for the properties contingent on the rezoning.

Commissioners likely will vote on May 6.

The educational campus zoning allows many uses as long as it is owned by a university and supports that function, said Heather Whitmore, planning and zoning administrator. All of Wittenberg currently has such zoning.

In other business, commissioners also reviewed the downtown unified plan and held a first reading to keep it unchanged.

The plan calls for an annual review for the first three years.

All downtown developments in the past year, including the surgical hospital, have complied with the plan and its design standards.

That's a sign that it is working well, Whitmore said, balancing standards that maintain the character of downtown and aren't too expensive for developers.

"It means that we have hit the mark," she said.

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