Dominion withdraws application
Builder no longer seeks permission to build 173-acre subdivision
Thursday, March 10, 2005
By MACKENZIE FRY
ThisWeek Staff Writer
Dominion Homes has withdrawn its application to the Violet Township Zoning Commission for permission to build a 173-acre residential subdivision near Pickerington North High School.
Building inspector Kelly Sarko said she received a fax Feb. 28 from Dominion Homes, stating the company was withdrawing the application. She said the developer did not give any reason.
Dominion Homes entered into a contract last fall with former Pickerington Mayor Rita Ricketts and her husband, John, for the subdivision.
John Ricketts said he does not know why Dominion withdrew its application. The contract they entered into with the developer, he said, was ''subject to zoning,'' and he and his wife maintain ownership of the land.
They had included a term in the contract that limited the subdivision's density to no more than two homes per acre, similar to levels in the city of Pickerington.
Ricketts said the contract also stipulated that ''they had to build the highest-quality houses.''
Attorney David Fisher, representing Dominion, did not return four calls from ThisWeek seeking comment.
He said at a zoning commission meeting in October that subtracting out acreage for rights of way would yield a net density of 2.3 homes per acre.
Fisher said the developer would initially ask for 334 homes on 80-foot by 150-foot lots. Township resident Chris Logsdon said, however, that current township zoning would allow for only 212 lots.
Ricketts said he and his wife are not actively seeking another buyer for the property.
''They came to us,'' he said of Dominion. ''I'm not necessarily interested in selling. It doesn't make any difference one way or the other.''
Dominion had been in negotiations with the Pickerington Local School District to donate a 23-acre portion of the land for school use.
Board of education president Lori Sanders said last week that the school board could not be too disappointed that the plans had fallen through because the district never had the land to begin with.
''Because so much of it was preliminary as far as negotiating land, I mean, this stuff happens,'' she said. ''I guess my thing is that we want to make sure that we're included if another builder decides to -- attempts to -- purchase that land.''
Sanders said the board had discussed using a building on the land as a maintenance building, but other than that, members weren't sure how the property would have been used.
''We'll try to work with whoever else may decide they want to purchase that property or any developer for any of the farmland around,'' she said.
By Happy Camper
Builder no longer seeks permission to build 173-acre subdivision
Thursday, March 10, 2005
By MACKENZIE FRY
ThisWeek Staff Writer
Dominion Homes has withdrawn its application to the Violet Township Zoning Commission for permission to build a 173-acre residential subdivision near Pickerington North High School.
Building inspector Kelly Sarko said she received a fax Feb. 28 from Dominion Homes, stating the company was withdrawing the application. She said the developer did not give any reason.
Dominion Homes entered into a contract last fall with former Pickerington Mayor Rita Ricketts and her husband, John, for the subdivision.
John Ricketts said he does not know why Dominion withdrew its application. The contract they entered into with the developer, he said, was ''subject to zoning,'' and he and his wife maintain ownership of the land.
They had included a term in the contract that limited the subdivision's density to no more than two homes per acre, similar to levels in the city of Pickerington.
Ricketts said the contract also stipulated that ''they had to build the highest-quality houses.''
Attorney David Fisher, representing Dominion, did not return four calls from ThisWeek seeking comment.
He said at a zoning commission meeting in October that subtracting out acreage for rights of way would yield a net density of 2.3 homes per acre.
Fisher said the developer would initially ask for 334 homes on 80-foot by 150-foot lots. Township resident Chris Logsdon said, however, that current township zoning would allow for only 212 lots.
Ricketts said he and his wife are not actively seeking another buyer for the property.
''They came to us,'' he said of Dominion. ''I'm not necessarily interested in selling. It doesn't make any difference one way or the other.''
Dominion had been in negotiations with the Pickerington Local School District to donate a 23-acre portion of the land for school use.
Board of education president Lori Sanders said last week that the school board could not be too disappointed that the plans had fallen through because the district never had the land to begin with.
''Because so much of it was preliminary as far as negotiating land, I mean, this stuff happens,'' she said. ''I guess my thing is that we want to make sure that we're included if another builder decides to -- attempts to -- purchase that land.''
Sanders said the board had discussed using a building on the land as a maintenance building, but other than that, members weren't sure how the property would have been used.
''We'll try to work with whoever else may decide they want to purchase that property or any developer for any of the farmland around,'' she said.
By Happy Camper
