This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document attempts to address key concepts and terms related to the proposed Worthington Road Corridor Overlay District (WCOD) in a factual and unbiased manner. If changes or additions to this document are required, please contact a current Jersey Township Trustee.
What is the proposed Worthington Road Corridor Zoning Overlay and its purpose?
It is an overlay zoning district established per Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 519.021© that provides use and development restrictions/guidelines (road setback, aesthetics, building dimension, density, etc.) for future development.
The purpose of the WCOD overlay is to
- Identify the permitted uses for this anticipated commercial corridor
- Create development standards that promote aesthetically pleasing development
- Allow the township to prepare a future property tax base estimate for the defined area.
This type of zoning district is often referred to as the “CLOUD” due to the way it functions. The underlying zoning stays in place, but a property owner can choose to pull down the Overlay Zoning “from the cloud” as an alternate option.
What does the WCOD provide that the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Resolution does not?
The Comprehensive Plan- It is a document that Guides the growth and development of a community. It serves as a “blueprint” shaped through community input and used by public officials when making decisions regarding future growth. A comprehensive plan includes recommendations and is a non-binding document.
Zoning Resolution Book- Is a legal, binding document. The WCOD is an update to the Jersey Township Resolution document (section 14). It provides detailed property use criteria and regulations for specific subsets of Jersey Township properties (i.e., the area defined on the maps as the Worthington Road Corridor).
What is a JEDD?
From Wikipedia:
“A Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) is an arrangement in Ohio where one or more municipalities and a township agree to work together to develop township land for commercial or industrial purposes. The benefit to the municipality is that they get a portion of the taxes levied in the JEDD without having to annex it. The benefits to the township are that it does not lose prime development land, it can still collect property taxes as well as a portion of the income tax collected, and it normally receives water from the municipality, which it may not otherwise have. In 1993, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation enabling local communities to create JEDDs.”
Is the WCOD required for a JEDD?
No.
However a JEDD does require a zoning plan to be in place. The WCOD is one way to address this zoning plan requirement.
Will the zoning overlay stop property from being annexed by a municipality?
No.
Will a JEDD stop property from being annexed by a municipality?
Yes. It is not feasible to have two taxing districts on the same parcel. This would lead to double taxation.
When a municipality annex, do they have to abide by their zoning ordinances?
Short answer is “yes,” but the municipality can always make exceptions or revisions to their zoning ordinance.
If water and sewer services are placed on my property right of way will I be required to connect to them?
No. Any resident of Jersey township will not be required to tap into the new sewer and water lines, unless their system and or water is found to be in major need of repairs and deemed hazardous by the health department. This is the current agreement with SWLSW.
What are SW Licking water sewer tap fees currently?
Residential sewer - $7178.00
Residential water - $5746.00
See Southwest Licking Water Sewer page for details
https://www.swlcws.com/connection-fees.html
What is "spot zoning"?
Spot zoning is defined as “the process of singling out a small parcel of land for a use classification totally different from that of the surrounding area for the benefit of the owner of such property.”
Will the WCOD result in spot zoning?
No. There are many reasons that the WCOD is not spot zoning.
- The Worthington Road Corridor is an area in transition. The likelihood of this area remaining in its current residential state is unlikely when looking at the recent land uses to the west and the fact that highway interchanges exist at both ends of the corridor (MINK STREET and 310)
- The WCOD is a large zoning district that contains several hundred acres and not just one property. Individual property owners may pull down the cloud (see first question) at different times, but this is done within the overall zoning framework of the overlay district.
Will the JEDD result in spot zoning?
No. A JEDD in an of itself is not a zoning mechanism, which is the purpose of the WCOD. (See Above)
Will a JEDD or zoning overlay effect the potential value of my property
By creating these economic tools now, it can have a positive impact on your property in the future if your property is in a development area and is bought out by a developer. Developers look for JEDD’S and zoning that are in place, this will save them not only valuable time, but thousands of dollars in fees for zoning changes to fit their business that they want to bring here.
What/where is 208 line for sewer Columbus EPA?
Section 208 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) creates a network of state, regional, and local management agencies to protect the waters of the United States. It requires governors to identify each area of a state, which, “as a result of urban-industrial concentrations or other factors, has substantial water quality control problems.” (33 U.S.C. § 1288(a)). Governors must then designate planning agencies (“208 Planning Agencies”) on an areawide basis to address those problems through areawide water quality management plans. It is located along Mink Street to the north of 161 and runs south closer to Harrison Rd. once it crosses 161. This map was configured with elevation issues in mind. This line can be expanded by our governor at any time.
Has a water/sewer provider been selected for the WCOD area?
Yes, the trustees have entered an MOU contract at this time with SWLWS
Will WCOD development drive dense residential housing and require modifications to the Jersey Township Comprehensive Plan and Jersey Township Zoning Resolution?
It is the trustee’s intent to limit all residential development. In regard to the WCOD, we have to establish a zoning overlay to control what we want in this area for development. We are in the process of updating the comp plan currently, and plan on making much needed changes to the zoning resolution book. The WCOD will not drive dense housing with our PRD that was adopted last year.
(PRD-Planned Residential Development)
Will the WCOD stop a “big box” from being constructed next to my property?
Not necessarily. See the WCOD use and building definitions for details on what is/isn’t allowed and a map to determine where your property is located with respect to the WCOD.
Who will pay for road improvements?
Road improvements will be paid for from revenues collected from the JEDD and TIF’s.
Can the residents be assured that the water and sewer lines will be paid for by the JEDD and TIF?
Yes, once we implement an overlay zoning then we can do a cost analysis and determine the amount of money to be generated by the JEDD and the TIF that will pay for water and sewer.
How does an Abatement impact a JEDD?
A JEDD creates income for the township and abatements are granted through property tax incentives. Therefore, by offering abatements the township can recapture lost money from abatements through the JEDD and install incentives for businesses.
Who will the township partner with when it comes to creating a JEDD?
Whitehall or New Albany and possibly someone else ( still to be determined.)
What happens if we do nothing?
New Albany will continue to annex the township and create islands for residents.
Has this happened already?
Yes. We have several islands that the small landowner cannot sell due to commercial buildings being built right next to them. New Albany Co. is a real estate company and wants big land purchases. It does not make good business sense for them to purchase small tracts of land, there is no money in it for them; therefore, they go right around existing housing where there is a lot of them together and build large concrete industrial buildings.
What is driving the need for the overlay zoning.
To establish an income base to see what money can be generated from a particular area, in order to bring in water and sewer to certain development area’s targeted for improvement.