Beavercreek Township Zoning Commission held public hearing

BEAVERCREEK — Residents voiced their concerns about a proposed housing development during a Beavercreek Township Zoning Commission public hearing last week.

LSRM McIntire Limited Partnership is hoping to rezone 120 acres near the intersection of Kingsway Drive and Slater Court from agriculture to a residential planned unit development. The parcel contains 178 acres, however 58 acres are being sold to the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association.

Beavercreek resident Mark McIntire, the applicant/developer for the project, was the only citizen in attendance to speak in favor of the project and quickly addressed one issue.

“I intend to live in the neighborhood where the project will take place,” he said.

Beavercreek Township resident Dennis Mukai said he and his wife, Rosemary, have lived on Tamara Trail for more than 40 years. While he said they are not unsympathetic toward the zoning request, Mukai said they are concerned with the number of homes being built for the project.

A criterion for the proposed development is that the project will promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the present and future inhabitants of the township. Dennis Mukai disagrees with that assessment.

“Being one of the closest neighbors, I don’t see how having a development with 2.5 homes per acre with its attendant traffic flow and congestion would meet this particular criteria,” he said. “My wife and I walk along Tamara Trail and Kingsway frequently, sometimes daily, and are fearful that the traffic associated with ingress and egress along these roads would make our walking hazardous at best if not extremely dangerous. We suspect that a large portion of the daily traffic associated with the new development will be using Tamara and Kingsway and that is definitely not conducive to our safety and welfare.”

Since 2006, Mark DiPadua has lived in Stone Hill Village on Ashmont Court. His family shares a boundary of about 280 feet with the proposed development.

“My concerns include traffic flow into and out of the new neighborhood, flooding, and the demands on existing sewage capacity,” DiPadua said.

DiPadua said that in Stone Hill Village, there are specific/unique design standards such as 12-foot wide driveways as opposed to standard 16-foot wide driveways. That eliminates the ability to park a car in the driveway and maneuver a second vehicle around it. The result is more than average curbside parking in the neighborhood, he said.

“Driving in the neighborhood is already a challenge with on-street parking to get through certain areas,” DiPadua said. “When one house has guests or hosts a party it can be a challenge to get through. Additional traffic and construction vehicles will make this extremely dangerous.”

After a mild rain, DiPadua’s yard floods. With the property being developed and regraded, DiPadua is concerned that the flooding will get worse.

More than 200 homes pumping sewage from a pumping station in the new development into an existing sewage line in Stone Hill Village is a huge concern for DiPadua. The existing eight-inch line already services more than 150 large homes.

“Adding another 200-plus homes especially where the sewage will be pumped into the existing line under pressure sounds like a recipe for disaster,” DiPadua said. “The existing sewer line needs to be upgraded to a 12-inch line now to accommodate the additional sewage.”

Charlotte DeLong has a simplistic view of the project. She feels that the project will affect homes, safety, and way of life. She moved to her area and she loves the country feel to it.

“I disagree with rezoning this land-locked area but I believe there is room for a compromise,” DeLong said. “The zoning needs to match the surrounding communities, especially the communities the traffic will go through.”

She added, “One of the intents is to put a parking lot and signs to new trails and paths. This will invite the public to drive through our community also. This will put the current residents’ safety and welfare at risk.”

Bruce Clay brought up the issue of how the project will potentially affect the local school district.

“The local school district was contacted about the rezoning and the possibility of adding the children from 250 homes,” Clay said. “Even if we take a conservative estimate of two children per family that is five hundred children added to a school district that said they are already at or above capacity. This rezoning issue affects the whole county and state because our precious farmland is being converted to the equivalent of city lots.”

The zoning commission will make a recommendation to the Board of Township Trustees to either approve, approve with conditions, or deny the application. The trustees will also conduct a public hearing and they could make a decision after that.

Beavercreek resident and Applicant/Developer Mark McIntire was the first person to speak at the recent Beavercreek Township Zoning Commission’s public hearing to discuss Case #821. – Darryl McGee | Greene County News
https://www.fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2021/04/web1_ZONING1.jpgBeavercreek resident and Applicant/Developer Mark McIntire was the first person to speak at the recent Beavercreek Township Zoning Commission’s public hearing to discuss Case #821. – Darryl McGee | Greene County News

People are filing into Beavercreek Township’s Fire Station #61 for the zoning commission’s public hearing to discuss Case #821. – Darryl McGee | Greene County News
https://www.fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2021/04/web1_ZONING2.jpgPeople are filing into Beavercreek Township’s Fire Station #61 for the zoning commission’s public hearing to discuss Case #821. – Darryl McGee | Greene County News

People are awaiting the beginning of the Beavercreek Township Zoning Commission’s recent public hearing to discuss Case #821. – Darryl McGee | Greene County News
https://www.fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2021/04/web1_ZONING3.jpgPeople are awaiting the beginning of the Beavercreek Township Zoning Commission’s recent public hearing to discuss Case #821. – Darryl McGee | Greene County News

People are awaiting the beginning of the Beavercreek Township Zoning Commission’s recent public hearing to discuss Case #821. – Darryl McGee | Greene County News
https://www.fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2021/04/web1_ZONING4.jpgPeople are awaiting the beginning of the Beavercreek Township Zoning Commission’s recent public hearing to discuss Case #821. – Darryl McGee | Greene County News

By Darryl McGee

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Reach Darryl McGee at 937-502-4534