'Long shot’ expansion project would bring hundreds of jobs, developer says

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By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer Updated 2:21 PM Thursday, December 23, 2010

SPRINGFIELD — Clark County commissioners agreed Tuesday to overrule two lower planning boards and rezone a swath of land in Mad River Twp. on promises from developers it would lead to an economic “home run.”

The land is part of 145 square acres primed for development at the intersection of Interstate 675 and Ohio 444. Commissioners changed it from agricultural zoning to industrial.

Developer Thomas Lagos said the change will help his company in negotiations with an unnamed company looking to expand on the site. It’s a “long shot,” he said, but it would include a retail component and potentially mean hundreds of jobs. “If we get them it will be a huge home run jobs-wise and sales tax-wise,” he said. “It is absolutely a waste of a valuable Clark County asset to have that (agricultural) zoning there.”

The neighboring land already has water and sewer, and an intersection leads into it.

“Everybody spent a lot of money on this property ... including Clark County,” Lagos said. “Literally we could develop it tomorrow morning.”

Commissioners unanimously supported the change, though it conflicts with previous decisions by the county planning commission and rural zoning commission.

Those boards were concerned about changing the property from agricultural zoning because much of it is a floodplain, according to county planning staff. Township officials say there were also concerns from some residents about what type of development would go there.

Mad River Twp. Trustee Kathy Estep was “disappointed” that commissioners undid months of work updating the zoning map Tuesday.

“What they basically did is grant a rezoning without a traditional review process,” she said. “I feel the citizens were denied an opportunity to have input on that decision.”

Lagos said he will still have to be mindful of the floodplain because of other development restrictions.

This is one of 318 parcels owned by 261 individuals that were rezoned across Clark County on Tuesday with the goal of reducing properties with split uses. Clark County Planning Director Allan Neimeyer said they were identified as the county digitizes its maps.

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