In a flurry of activity Tuesday night, May 13, at its regular meeting, the Bellefontaine City Council adopted five ordinances seeking proposals for bids and contracts for summer infrastructure programs, passed on an emergency basis another ordinance allowing the Parks and Recreation Department to solicit bids for the Oakland Square project, and gave assent to resolutions announcing the city’s intention to provide services to two different parcels that the city is seeking to annex.
All five of the infrastructure projects were passed without a dissenting vote and include (estimated cost in parentheses) the Harding Street waterline improvements ($360,000), the Malone Avenue waterline improvements ($215,000), the 2025 street painting and striping project ($90,000), the Columbus/Powell Avenue storm drain improvement projects ($170,000) and the citywide street resurfacing project ($700,000).
The two resolutions announcing the city’s goal to annex properties in Lake Township are legislative tools used by the council to notify the Logan County Commission that the city certifies that it can provide services to the parcels in question if and when the properties are annexed, services that including police, fire and EMS.
Both resolutions passed unanimously, the first involving the 46 acres owned Jeremy LeVan Investments LLC, which is located on the southeast side of the city, west of County Road 1/Ludlow Road, south of Lake Avenue, and east of Michigan Street.
The second was for approximately 143 acres of land owned by Andrew G. Detrick and Barbara Detrick on the southwest side of the city, southwest of the County Road 11/Lake Avenue and Troy Road intersection. Both properties lie adjacent to the city.
But while the annexation resolutions were given unanimous consent, council members John Alder and Kyle Springs each voted against the first reading of an ordinance to annex about 200 acres near the northwest quadrant of the city – the defunct Duff Quarry north of the U.S. Route 33/Township Road 217 intersection and west of the C.C.C. and St. Louis R.R. – while also asking that the parcels be rezoned General Manufacturing District (M-2).
Also receiving a split vote Tuesday was the second reading of an ordinance that would adopt planning and zoning regulations for solar energy systems in the city, with the measure passing Tuesday’s vote by a slim 4-3 margin. Council members Aler, Jenna James and Springs casted “no” votes. The ordinance will be up for a final reading at the May 27 meeting.
Prior to Tuesday’s regular meeting, two public hearings were conducted, the first involving the proposed annexation of the 46-acre LeVan property on the southeast side of the city, while the second was for the proposed annexation of the Duff Quarry property on the northwest side of the city.
It was standing room only for the hearings, with most in attendance there to speak their piece about the LeVan property, the objections being mostly regarding the developer’s stated plans to have the parcel zoned R-2, Multi-Family Residence District, which could include building two- or three-story apartment buildings.
But while many other concerns were raised by residents who live on Michigan Street regarding serious drainage problems and an increase in traffic should the development come to fruition, the wind was taken out of the sails of many of the opponents when a spokesman for the developer told the council that the developer would accede to the Planning Commissions’ recommendation that the property be zoned R-1, Single Family Residence District, with the option of requesting a Planned Unit Development at a later date.
As for the Duff property, only the owner spoke, he being in favor of the annexation.
The council meets again regular session at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 27.