The Greater Springfield Community Improvement Corp. wants to rezone a piece of the Nextedge Applied Research and Technology Park on Titus Road to sell it to a developer.
The CIC applied in May to rezone nearly eight acres of land between 383 Titus Road and 601 Titus Road from a research and development park to a residential single-family district.
Springfield city commissioners held a public hearing on the possible rezoning and heard a first reading of legislation at their last meeting. They’re expected to vote on the request at the meeting set for 7 p.m. Tuesday in the City Hall Forum, 76 E. High St.
A sale is currently pending and could lead to at least one or two homes built on the property, said Horton Hobbs, vice president of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. The sale is contingent on both the rezoning and a lot split, he said.
If approved, the sale is expected to close sometime in July.
The CEDA planning board, which covers zoning requests in the Cooperative Economic Development Agreement areas in Springfield Twp., unanimously approved the rezoning at its May meeting. City staff members also have recommend approval.
An interested developer had asked the CIC board about possibly selling the lot, Hobbs said. A roadway cannot be constructed per the conditions of the plat, and the CIC also agreed not to allow truck traffic nearby.
“It was just kind of sitting out there,” Hobbs said.
After discussing it with the board, the group drew a line where the property would end and decided to sell the land.
“It was a challenge to use that specific area,” Hobbs said. “Given the surrounding land use, it made sense to pursue a sale of that property.”
The approximately 200-acre technology park, located at 4505 E. National Road, is a state-of-the-art development that provides tenants with space for technically advanced offices or research facilities. The park has six tenants, including the Ohio/Indiana UAS Test Center and the Advanced Technical Intelligence Center.
The unmanned aircraft test center has led to more interest in the park, Hobbs said, and space is still available.
“We continue to pursue leads,” Hobbs said.
Thank you for reading the Springfield News-Sun and for supporting local journalism. Subscribers: log in for access to your daily ePaper and premium newsletters.
Thank you for supporting in-depth local journalism with your subscription to the Springfield News-Sun. Get more news when you want it with email newsletters just for subscribers. Sign up here.