Let's Talk Clermont

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Episode 26 of Let's Talk Clermont. We start off with some news from around the county. Invasive box tree moth alerts, rain-garden classes at Pattison Park, a Tate Township BZA hearing, and Eastgate Mall’s ongoing shake-up. Then an in-depth interview with Batavia Township Administrator Karen Swartz and Planning & Zoning Director Taylor Corbett on the Baumann airport-area development, how CRAs work, and fire/EMS funding. We wrap some events roundup and a teaser for next week’s candidate interview.

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We've been living in it since so long.   All  

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Welcome to episode 26   of Let's Talk Claremont. I am your host, Patrick,   and I really appreciate you listening.   And, I have to say I am in a very good mood, and I think a lot of that has to do despite the rain, it's still fall,   and I love fall. So I'm I'm   I'm pretty happy.   And we're getting a lot of new listeners, which is great. That's also really exciting.   And if you are new, let's just talk about what we're doing here. We're gonna start with some news, and then we are going to go into our interview. And we will wrap things up with some events that are going on around the county that you might be interested in going to.   So let's start with the news. We're gonna we're gonna do Clermont County as a whole first.  

There is an invasive   box tree moth   that is spreading across the East Side, damaging   boxwood shrubs.   This moth was first detected in Loveland in 2023,   and Ohio,   I think in March,   expanded the quarantine area to   include Claremont, Hamilton, Butler, Greene, Miami,   Montgomery,   and Warren County. So quite a large area,   that this moth is in.   If so if you're in any of these areas, you can't move boxwoods   out of them.   And the big problem are it's not the moths, it's the caterpillars.   The caterpillars   rapidly defoliate and and kill boxwoods. So if you do have them, and boxwoods are quite an expensive piece of landscaping, you're gonna wanna look for things like chewed leaves, webbing,   and green yellow caterpillars with dark stripes.  

And you wanna inspect them carefully and confirm the infestation   and follow state guidance or contact your local OSU   extension branch,   if you find signs of the box dream moth.   And shout out to my wife, Katie, who was about a week ago, noticed that all the boxwoods in Milford were dead.   And we do have boxwoods, and she's very, very concerned because she loves them.   So this is for you, Katie. You were absolutely right.   Moving on, there's some rain garden classes that are coming to Clermont County.   On Thursdays,   starting on October 2 from one to 4PM at the Pattison Park Lodge in Batavia.  

In these classes, you'll learn about how native plant gardens   filter stormwater and reduce pollutants before water reaches drains and waterways.   It's led by partnership,   between the Clermont County Soil and Water District and the Clermont County Parks District.   And, shameless plug for a previous episode,   in episode 14, we talked with John McManus, the director of the Soil and Water District. So if you and we talk about rain gardens, quite a bit. So if you wanna hear more about them and why they're important, check out episode 14.   Moving on to Tate Township.  

There is a board of zoning appeals public hearing   for zoning case one nine zero SSB.   The applicant is wanting conditional use zoning on 11 acres at 2350   State Route 133   in Bethel, Ohio   to operate a licensed automobile dealership   from an accessory building.   The meeting is September 30   at 7PM at the Bethel Tate fire department,   and you can learn more about it, at the   Tate Township   website. Last little bit of new news we have comes from Eastgate.   The mall is struggling, which if you've driven past it recently or actually probably not   probably don't need to be that recent, but,   this probably doesn't shock you very much.  

Vacancy is at 59%   and could reach 75%   next year. Stores like Furniture Connection, LA Nails, and Time Warp Comics, which I should check that out. I love comic stores.   But all those stores say that they are relocating   due to poor upkeep and falling foot traffic.   And all of this, the the stagnation of them all seems to stem from a court battle between Whole Property Group, which is a company out of Georgia that bought the mall in 2023,   and Kroger.   They're fighting over the former Sears site, and it sounds like Kroger   bought the Sears building partly to block Costco from moving in, which is a bit of a shame. I wouldn't mind a Costco close by.  

Hall also floated a plan to tear down the mall for a Kroger and a Menards facing '32.   And quite frankly, this whole thing, it just seems like a big legal mess and was kinda hard to sort through.   But, I'll keep my eye on it, and we'll keep letting you know if anything important is going on with that mall.   Alright. So that is all the news.   Today in the interview, though,   when we're talking with Karen Schwartz and Taylor Corbett, both from the township, and we're talking about growth and specifically the Baumann development,   but we talk about their growth policy plan. So I thought it would be and we don't talk about it very in-depth in the interview, so I thought it'd be good to take a moment before the interview to talk about it and kinda give a a high level look at at what's in it.  

So the plan is dated from 2018.   And I think in the interview, Taylor even said that that there is a need to revisit this and update it.   But I believe he also said that they are on track with all the metrics that they're that they're looking at.   But still, even though it's dated 2018, this is the playbook the township is using to guide growth. And so they have a couple of priority issues that they're focused on. They're looking to grow jobs and grow a balanced tax base. They want to protect   environmentally sensitive areas.   They also want to preserve township character, and I wanted to go into this one a little bit more because I hear a lot about preserving the character of places, like townships, villages, whatever.  

But you never really hear what that, you know, quote, unquote character is. And I'm sure if you asked 10 different people, you'd get 10 different answers.   But this is what it is in the plan. They're looking to keep low densities where sewer and urban services aren't aren't present.   They want to cluster   open space subdivisions to protect views,   stream corridors, and habitat. So they're looking to keep subdivisions kind of   clustered so that, you know, all of our views and streams and habitats are protected.   They want to secure permanent open space within new neighborhoods.  

They want to direct new homes to serviced areas. So I take that to mean they want new homes in areas that already have sewer and water.   They want to place nonresidential   only where context, access, and infrastructure fit.   They're looking to identify appropriate places for mixed use or higher intensity housing types.   And the last thing, to preserve the character of the township,   they want to strengthen buffers and transitions   so new intensity doesn't spill into existing neighborhoods.   The other priorities they have, they wanna set high standards for new development,   plan and coordinate with agencies, like services and infrastructure,   and they wanna expand parks, trails, and open spaces.  

Also in this plan,   they have a land use plan, And they have a nice map. If you go to the website, you can find this plan. It's completely   free to the public.   But they have seven land use concepts for the   on the future land use map.   And they're all on the map. It's all nice and color coded. So you can see where they're looking to put these,   put development.   And here are the land use concepts that they've split the, the township into.   They have existing neighborhoods in infill.   Now infill is   is is a planning and land use approach, and it   promotes new development like housing on vacant, underused,   or redevelopable   parcels within existing already built up urban or suburban areas.  

So that's just gonna be making the stuff we have better, essentially.   The next,   little land use concept area that they have is, neighborhood development.   I take that to mean new neighborhoods, new developments.   They have spaces blocked off for rural and agricultural use, spaces blocked off for business development.   Commerce development is another category.   They have a a specific,   category for S R, the State Route 125 corridor,   and they have the East Fork State Park, which clearly there there won't be any development on the state park. So   and they've got some key residential guidance. So this is what they're gonna be looking for when they do develop residential.  

For existing neighborhoods in infill,   they're generally gonna want two to three to I'm sorry. Two to three   dwelling units per acre for single families.   Eight to 10 dwellings per acre for multi families   slash attached   with planning developments.   For planned developments, PDs,   they they are encouraged to achieve better design and open space protection.   Now a planned development or planned unit development, that's a zoning district that allows developers to create integrated,   mixed use, or specialized developments   not permitted by traditional zoning.  

They and I believe yep. This is   the last one. Neighborhood development areas next to existing neighborhoods or near sewer and water. So   this is gonna be, I believe, newer developments.   They're generally gonna want one to two dwellings per acre. Planned developments are encouraged,   and nonresidential   uses are gonna be tightly controlled. And what that means, it's gonna be things like churches or, I guess, maybe,   like,   food places or things like that.   In their commercial and corridors here in their commercial corridors, here's what they're gonna focus on. And this is, I think, very specific to the State Route 125 corridor. They're gonna treat it as an overlay. Now a zoning overlay is an additional layer of specific land use rate or regulations   that apply to a geographically defined area or an overlay district.  

And this is layered on top of the existing zoning,   the ex the existing zoning regulations for that area.   And what this is used for is to manage specific issues that standard zoning doesn't cover. This is gonna be things like protecting historic neighborhoods, environmentally sensitive areas like flood plains,   or directing development around transit hubs like 125.   The commercial corridors and focus, it's also going to emphasize   coordinated commercial office growth, commercial development and office buildings   into two commercial development focus areas.  

They're going they're gonna try to manage traffic and access   and consider overlay zoning districts. They're also gonna try to mitigate impacts near   existing neighborhoods.   And the last   little bit of guidance they have is for parks and natural resources.   They wanna conserve East Fork State Park and river corridors,   and they wanna expand trail connections, access points, and open space linkages   across the neighborhoods.   So that is a, I would say, a very high level view of the growth policy plan. And, Karen and Taylor, if you are listening and I got any of that wrong, please feel free to get in touch with me.   I'm happy to to make a correction in the next episode.  

Alright. So let's look at next week because like I said, last week, I need to probably start promoting these these episodes a little bit more. We're gonna talk to John Harper. He is a candidate for Batavia Township trustee,   and he was a really interesting guy. It was a fun interview.   He talks about, obviously, what he wants to do for the township.   He also brought some three d printed gun parts, which was pretty fascinating. He's a pretty,   I don't know what you call it. Do you I think he's a guy that likes projects. I think that's   probably fair to say. So tune in next week for that.  

I also wanted to make a a real quick note about the political interviews. I was hoping to break them up. So, you know, you get a an interview with a political candidate, and then you'd get some other type of interview with a business or somebody doing something interesting.   But to get everything out before November 4,   I'm going to have to publish all of these candidate interviews   back to back and maybe twice a week. So stay tuned. And if I have to do that, I'll let everybody know if there's gonna be two episodes a week leading into the November 4.   Now this is really isn't intended to be a a podcast   only about local politics,   but I have a feeling that this time of year, we're gonna be devoting a lot of time to local politics, and I think it's important.  

Local candidates don't really have a great way to just sit and talk for, you know, an hour or more about why they're running and why you should vote for them. And you should hear from these people so you can make the most informed decision possible   when it comes time to vote. And as the fourth gets closer, we are gonna in an episode instead of doing news, we're gonna go over all the ballot issues and talk about what they are so you'll have some information about those too when you go to vote.   And I think this is all very important work to be doing, which will lead us right into.   We are a value for value podcast. That means if you find value in what we are doing, all we ask is for a little value in return, and that can be in the form of time, talent, or treasure. For time and talent, just get in touch with us. Let us know what's going on in your neighborhood. Let us know who you'd like to talk to or who you'd like to hear from rather. You know, we wanna talk about the things that are important to you and your community, and we wanna talk to the people that you wanna hear from.  

For treasure, go to the website. Click donate.   There's two ways to donate, Stripe or PayPal, and any dollar amount is appreciated.   It helps us keep doing what we're doing, helps us keep bringing you, you know, news and informations about what's going on around the county.   So like I said, any dollar amount, very appreciated.   But for   donations $50 and above, you will get a special mention on the show. For donations 200 and above, you will get an executive producer credit that I will vouch for. You can put that on IMDB. You can put that on your resume,   and I will back you up on that. And I'll read a note, that you send in.  

And that can be anything. I mean, ad read for your business. It could   be bragging about your kids. It could be and I know I say this a lot, and I think I'm secretly hoping somebody does this. It could be an an really nasty note about something. I'd you know, if you donate 200,   I will read within reason just about anything that you send in.   I've also been thinking about the idea of, like, a club or some kind of title   and some kind of thank you gift for people that cumulatively   donate   over a thousand dollars. I thought about doing some kind of mafia type thing where you get to be an underboss or a capo or something like that. Katie didn't like that idea. She thought it was a little too violent, and   after I talked with her, she's probably right about it.  

And, frankly, with a last name like Ventrella, I don't want people to think that I'm starting to,   trying to actually start a mafia in Claremont. So   but I bring that up because if you have any suggestions for something like this,   let me know. And I'm I'm in racking my brain. I haven't thought anything fun or cool. So let me know what you think.   And you can connect with us on Facebook at Let's Talk Claremont podcast. We're on Instagram at Let's Talk Claremont.   We have a newsletter. Go to our website, www.let'stalkclaremont.com.   Click on newsletter. Put your email in there. And every Thursday, when a new show comes out, you will get a fresh email in your inbox, letting you know that it's up and live.  

And we have, you know, links to the stories,   that I talk about in the news.   Sometimes we have movie reviews. I mean, it's a it's a fun little thing. So sign up for that, and you will   be updated every Thursday.   And please follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whatever it is you use for podcasts.   It helps the show out a lot, but also helps you out because you'll get notified every time there is a new episode.   And as always, if you just wanna get in touch, send a message, say hi, whatever,   info@let'stalkclaremont.com.   I'd love to hear from you.  

For our interview today, I mentioned a little bit earlier, but we're talking with Karen Schwartz, who is the Batavia Township administrator,   and Taylor Corbett, who is the director of planning and zoning for the Township.   I really enjoyed this. I've I know I say this about all of them, but I really enjoyed this interview. And we get into the whole CRA thing by the airport   that's stirred people up. And if you're not familiar with it, there's a development   up by, the airport. I think they call it the Baumann Development.   I've I think a lot of people have heard about this. But if you haven't, that's what we're talking about, and you'll learn all about it in the interview.  

But it was really nice to sit down and just have a, you know, a reasoned conversation with people from the opposing side. You know, people who are not too thrilled about this development going in. And we talk about it all. We talk about what these CRAs actually do, you know, what they are,   why the township is opposed to the Baumann development,   and in general, how the township thinks about and approaches growth, which is very important because   Claremont is growing, and it is growing fast.   So, again, overall, I think it's a great interview, and I'm still trying to get some more people on to talk about this.   Specifically, people who are in favor of it because I'd love to have the other side.  

And I had I do have emails out to the village of Batavia and the airport.   I haven't heard back from any of them, which is okay.   And then I haven't tried Batavia schools yet. I don't think Batavia schools are too thrilled about this. But   if anyone listening knows someone out there, from any of these organizations,   please let me know. Please put me in touch with them because,   especially if they're for it. Because I I think it's very important to get the other side of this this whole   I guess you'd call it a kerfuffle.   I'm gonna call it a kerfuffle. So so, anyway, let's get into the interview, and I hope you enjoy it.  

Okay. So,   I start all these the same way. Why don't you just both tell us who you are and what you do?  

[00:18:47] Unknown:

I'm Karen Swartz,  

[00:18:49] Unknown:

township administrator for bit, for Batavia Township. Well, actually, this since there are two people in just one microphone, let's just start with you and you tell us who you are and what you do. And then tell them when you come in, you can give you a background. So Alright. My name is Karen Swartz. I'm the township administrator for Batavia Township. Okay. And just some background. What does a a administrator do? Like, what is your role here?  

[00:19:12] Unknown:

I basically, I manage the daily operations for the township. So that includes anything from,   road projects,   zoning,   managing the park here,   just overseeing all the operations, the cemeteries.  

[00:19:28] Unknown:

Yeah. I think before we started recording, you said you're the you're the marketing person, you're the parks person, you're the  

[00:19:35] Unknown:

administrator. Yeah. I do it all. I do I do all the social media, the marketing,   the   contract management.   What else did I say I did?   We only have a staff of four administrative   people. So that's two for zoning,   myself, my assistant, and then we have,   seven   seven   service employees that work on the roads and do projects around the township. So trimming trees,   culvert replacements,   most importantly, plowing the roads when it snows. So everybody likes to see them come down the road. So I do.  

[00:20:11] Unknown:

Especially,   especially last year, man. We got a Yeah. That snow. That was a hard, And our septic went out during it too. Oh, jeez. Oh, yeah. That was no fun. Yeah. It was a rough time at the Pintarello House, to be honest with you. The, yeah. Our our guys worked really, really hard during that event.  

[00:20:27] Unknown:

They, actually slept at the, firehouse   the night of that storm.   They'd been out, and they had plowed for hour you know, probably twelve hours. And then   they really couldn't go home because the roads were so bad. Right.   And that was you know, nobody was out during that event except for, obviously, if you absolutely had to be.   And they we actually have cots for them,   so that if they have to stay the night in the firehouse, they have a place to sleep. So, obviously, it's not ideal, but it's a very nice cot that we bought from from Amazon. It's a very nice cot.   Padded. I mean, we did buy them a nice one.  

And then I I I always in snow events, we all so I guess in addition to doing other duties on snow events, I always run to Kroger   and,   buy buy them food,   to make sure that they have food during the event because McDonald's and Yeah. Arby's, they're not open. No. And and I I think even in that snow event, the gas stations were closed too.   So we have to prepare for that and make sure that, our staff is ready to,   to do that event. But, anyway, we our staff stayed at the firehouse and the main their their office is at the firehouse as well. But the main reason why they slept stayed overnight was if the fire department got an emergency call Mhmm. Our snowplow would have led them to the event. Oh, I think that Yeah. So we provide that service to the fire department as well to make sure that they they get where they need to be. So,   so during a snow event, like, we may not be in the office, but, like, we're on the phone. I'm, you know, taking calls and Bringing people call. Yeah. And those poor guys, they hate the snow, but  

[00:22:03] Unknown:

I think it's beautiful. I love the snow, but Well, now that we get it. Snow when the snow comes, I'm like, oh, no. School's gonna be off. Yeah. Yeah. What are we gonna do? I'm gonna have a five year old in the house.   How long have you been doing this? So I've been here three years. Okay. So,   yeah. And so I've worked in local government for over twenty years. So so I previously worked at the county. Okay. And, Taylor, if you wanna just jump in and give your background, and then we'll get into the meat and potatoes and everything. Yeah. So my name is Taylor Corbett. I'm the director of planning and zoning for Batavia Township.  

[00:22:34] Unknown:

And, my role is to pretty much guide and,   instruct how development is,   developed in Batavia Township,   based on the zoning resolution and our growth policy plan.   We also kinda try to think outside the box, when it comes down to future planning,   and how our township services are going to grow as our community grows. So So what what does your normal day to day look like? Because I I honestly don't know what a zoning person does. Yeah. So a normal day to day is,   a lot of communication via email and phone calls with,   developers,   property owners that have questions via zoning. So it could be as minor as, hey. I want to install a fence or, what's the process for a pool permit,   all the way up to, hey. We have a large scale,   residential or industrial projects,   wanting to come to your area.  

What are our rules and our regulations that we need to follow? And so I usually am on the call on the phone, quite often, probably,   75% of the time. Mhmm.   And then,   really, it's just,   building those relationships and, trying to, create   a a better community. So And how long have you been doing this? I have been in planning for twelve years. So I had two years out of my I graduated from Miami, University, so I'm a a local guy. J Crew you?   Pretty much. Pretty much. Yes. I'm sorry. I had to have a few people with me. It   it's pretty obvious when you go there. So   but, yeah. No. I,   left Miami University,   went to, Williston, North Dakota,   and worked in planning. Yeah. You know, I graduated in 02/2013,   so it was, not a good year Yeah. In the economy when it comes down to jobs and planning or development. Yeah. But where it was growing was when Williston, North Dakota in the oil industry and started the Bakkam, the Bakkam oil field.  

So, it was an interesting two years experience.  

[00:24:33] Unknown:

We went from a population of 20,000 to 40,000 up there with, around 10,000 of transients. So you're forced You're well versed in high Planning. In planning. Okay. Yeah. Because I've worked in I didn't work in North Dakota, but for about a year, I worked on oil rigs. It's kind of a Oh, really? Yeah. It was a it was basically, like, a geology. I studied geology in college.   So I was called a mud logger, geosteer. I'd, like, look at rock samples and tell them where they are and, like, oh, no. Because I imagine they did horizontal drilling out there. Oh, yeah. So my job fracking. Yeah. My job was to make sure that they were in their target window as they're going horizontal.  

[00:25:07] Unknown:

So that was fun. That is that is it's an incredibly interesting field. Yeah.   And coming from Miami where you don't really or Ohio where fracking is more out East. Mhmm. But going out West was an incredible experience. Yeah. A lot of learning, and then I took that, knowledge that I learned and brought it back to Clermont County and worked for, Clermont County as the planner for the past eight years. And so I've been with Batavia Township for two years now,   and so we're still in the the planning field. So Yeah. Yep. Awesome.  

[00:25:36] Unknown:

Alright. Well, I think   that's good background on both of you. So, like I said, we'll get into the meat and potatoes of this is Okay. The I guess, is the official name of it would be the village of Batavia CRA, or is there an official name of this Yeah. Development? Whoop. No. You're alright. It's just the,   yeah, the village CRA. Okay. So So I think the best place to start is what is a CRA and what is it designed to do?  

[00:26:04] Unknown:

A CRA is defined by,   a higher revised code and,   that it's just a community reinvestment area.   Those are   implemented by the local district. The local district decides what area is considered a CRA.   Examples of that would be, like an Over the Rhine   where,   the city of Cincinnati has taken certain areas of the city and said this needs to be revitalized,   reinvested,   and   regrow that area,   you know, you know, get some activity in that area. I think they've done some in the East End as well.   And usually, they have incentives tied to those for the developers   and the residents,   including   tax incentives   or tax reductions   to encourage people to build those houses. So I know in the East End, they had some   very large homes that were built, like, right on the river there in in East End, and they offered some type of, like, incentive. Right. So those incentives can be anything from, you know,   no taxes at all to,   you know, 75%   or whatever. It's all depends on the legislation,   and the the local jurisdictions  

[00:27:16] Unknown:

determine that when they when they implement that those CRAs. So the tax incentive can be it can be determined pretty broadly. Correct. Okay.   And what what is the because the tax incentive would be for the resident correctly. What are the incentives for the developer? Like, how do they get an incentive with the CRA? Well, they can do they can do pre annexation agreements.  

[00:27:37] Unknown:

They can   do development agreements with the local jurisdictions   to get reimbursed for the infrastructure that they're putting in. They can do TIFs. Okay.   So there's all kinds of incentives,   to encourage development,  

[00:27:52] Unknown:

but the money comes from somewhere. Right. So So overall, a CRA is just a development tool   to give people and developers a bit of a break on actually building this and living there. Correct. And the residents. And the residents. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.   So in terms of this Batavia CRA,   can we get kind of a history of it? Like, when did all of this start and and where are we now?  

[00:28:16] Unknown:

I don't I know they have three subdivisions   that are currently in a CRA, and I'm gonna say that it started it,   I may not be correct on this. It's somewhere around 02/2012.  

[00:28:26] Unknown:

Okay.  

[00:28:28] Unknown:

They have   a subdivision stream side, and then they have a subdivision called Harvest Meadows.   And then the village, of course, like the,   village proper, the downtown area.   Those those were   created and put into a CRA   in and about, I think, 02/2012.   And so then there's different incentives tied to those developments   and   those areas.   The,   and then the most recent one would be   the subdivision   near the airport, which doesn't have a CRA tied to it yet, but that's pending as Right. You know, there's agreements signed   and, different things. So that's pending. And when did the annexation of that airport property take place? That took pit place in the '24.  



[00:29:18] Unknown:

Okay. And can you explain because and if if you don't know, that's fine. Sure. But because there's several different ways that things can get annexed into a village or out of a township, I suppose.   What was the mechanism they used to annex this   piece of property specifically?  

[00:29:35] Unknown:

They they actually filed two annexations. The first annexation was denied by the commissioners because they felt like,   the subdivision   didn't   it was not for the greater good of the community,   which is one of the determining factors the commissioners can use to deny an annexation.   So they did deny it because of its   proximity   to the airport.   The then they refiled   as a type two annexation,   and they essentially added a what I will call a sliver of land Mhmm. On the property   that then qualified it to be a type two annexation.   And that bypasses   essentially,   any consideration   negative consideration for the community.  

So the commissioners can't   evaluate   the need or how it's gonna affect the community. They have to approve it if it meets the criteria. Right. And it met the criteria, so they passed it. And I'm I'm gonna forget the criteria of a type two, but it essentially  

[00:30:35] Unknown:

it almost is just the owner of the land and the village just have to agree. Correct?  

[00:30:40] Unknown:

There's a there's a few more things. Like, it has to have a contiguous border. Okay. I believe it's only 5%. Yeah. So they met that. That's what the sliver of land that's why the sliver of land was added. Mhmm. So, essentially, the,   the church on East Bauman Road is if you look at their   parcel, they're basically it's almost like a u shape. So they went around Yeah. Yeah. That entire parcel to get that contiguous border. And that's just I mean, and that's not that's just something villages can do. Oh, yeah. I mean, it it's it's not like anybody was being sneaky. It's No. That's what people can do. They're permitted to do it, and, developers,   have the option of annexing when they do have a, quote, touch to the village,   and this developer did that.  

So yeah, they   all of that was,   currently allowed in the Ohio revised scope. And there is a bill that will change some of that in the legislation. Right? There is a bill currently in legislation. We'll see if it passes or not, to change that so that it increases, like, the contiguous border from 5% to 20%.   It makes   it makes the annexations a little harder,   and   there's some CRA language in there as well. But,   you know, at this point, I don't know if it's gonna make it through or not. We hope it does. But Did Adam Bird sponsor that one? Yeah. Adam Bird did sponsor that one. He's got a couple in there that are kind of development related Yeah. Which makes sense because Claremont is Right. Developing. So His district is developing. Yeah. Very rapidly.  

[00:32:09] Unknown:

So now that we kind of have an idea what a CRA is and and a little bit of the history of this, I I wanted to bring both of you on   to get the opposed side, the opposing view. So from I guess, the fairest way to ask the question is from the, what are the issues with this from the perspective of the township?  

[00:32:26] Unknown:

The issue with the township is that we've so we've had   the CRAs developed in the village   and in those new subdivisions, so in stream side and harvest Meadows.   And   our issue with that is the residents that are in those,   communities   only pay taxes   to the auditor   on the land value.   And when the house is built, all of the increase in taxes   either are are basically paid directly to the village.   So that bypasses,   the school district. It bypasses,   the fire district.   So we have a joint fire district, central, joint fire and EMS that serves Batavia Township and the village of Batavia.   And that has been in existence since February. So we're partners. So there's a levy that's applied to all residents in Batavia Township,   and the village that pay into that fire district.  

But when you do an incentive   that takes those taxes away,   those people are now now   they're still paying taxes,   but they're only paying on the land.   And then all the increase in taxes   is essentially going to the village for them to do what they want with.   So   that   creates an issue for our fire district. And then going forward,   levies that are passed are gonna be,   you know,   increased on the township and decreased on the village,   which   isn't really right for a township resident. So that's kind of our issue. We wanna be partner we're partners with them. We've been partners with them since 2000   in creating our fire district.  

And the fire district does a great job.   And   we just want that to continue. But it it's hard to   work with someone when they're kind of, you know, not paying for their   their share, their fair share, and they're actively doing this. So,   you know, they're gonna have   over, I think, 1,500 homes that aren't paying taxes to the fire district or to the school district. Right. But our main concern is the fact about the school district. Yeah. Yeah. The school district's a whole another issue, but but the fire district is our issue. Yeah. The school district I I mean, I won't say the school district isn't our issue because that is part of our community and they're part you know, they're partners with us. We   obviously want to have a good school district. We have three school districts in Batavia Township.  

We don't want to do anything to harm those school districts or prevent them from doing what they need to do to provide the service to our residents. So,   but the the village has created these CRAs, and so our main issue is is the fire district and the fact that they're not funded. And I'm assuming you made that issue clear to the village. Correct. So we've made that clear,   and they have   as of today, they have not negotiated with the fire department or,   given any   funds to the fire district or to the fire district or said, hey. You know, this next CRA, we're not gonna do this to the fire department. It's kind of a moot point. Like, they just it's just not up for discussion or it's not there's no action being taken is what I'll say. So there wasn't an effort on the because if I'm thinking if I'm in the village,  

[00:35:51] Unknown:

I would want to   make everybody whole in some   way, shape, or form, And that hasn't  

[00:35:58] Unknown:

happened? No. Not well, not not at least with the fire district. So I guess making everybody whole would be not offering the incentive.   Right. So Right. It's kinda   yeah. But there's been no   movement towards   funding the fire department from these   essentially I think it's 15 it's like four 1,400 or 1,500 homes. Yeah. So there's been no movement from the village to help fund the fire department.  

[00:36:25] Unknown:

So   because the other question I have in my head about this is is, you know, it seems like the village is saying, no. This won't hurt,   you know, services.   And the township is saying, yes. It will hurt services. Is there any   study that can be done? Or because in my in my mind, it's it seems like you could project   the   the increase in population, and you could project the the hardship that it would have on your services Yeah. And then look at the funding,   and you could project this out. Has anybody is that something that is done, or can you do that? Yes.  

[00:37:00] Unknown:

So the Central Joint Fire District has done a study on what they need   to operate at a level that's acceptable according to, like, fire national fire standards.   And   they,   they need another firehouse.   And and and I will say this, the village has growth, but we've had growth too. So it's not all the village. I mean, we've, obviously, we've grown as well.   But   the the fire district,   needs another fire department. They need,   another location, need more staffing so that they can reduce their calls to acceptable levels.   So they've evaluated that.  

We've done some evaluation on,   the village is paying, I think, 7%   of the,   funding for the fire district, but they're 17% of the calls. Okay. So so there's a little bit of an imbalance, and some imbalance is always gonna happen.   But it's a more dense area. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that would make sense. But that number is gonna spread further apart   as they add houses and add calls   and decrease the you know, the funding is gonna be decreased and the township grows and, you know, so it's that number is gonna get further. It's not just gonna be a 10% difference. It's gonna be much larger going forward.   And then we also have the issue of there are TIFs in the township,   residential TIFs that were enacted, I believe, in 2005   for, in their thirty year TIFs. So they're gonna be around for another ten years.  

And those were enacted by the   the commissioners   at a time in 02/2005.   The economy was not good. And and housing was I remember graduating college in 02/2008. It was pretty bad. Yeah. Yeah. That was not a good time. I mean, I worked at the county then and it I was actually in the commissioner's office when all those,   tiffs were enacted. And they were all, you know, essentially vacant farmland that they tiffed and the with the idea that those funds would help improve State Route 32 in the in the in the Claremont County TID.   What's the Claremont County TID? That's a Claremont County Transportation Improvement District. So it's basically an arm of   the commissioner's office and   the engineer's office Okay. To help,   do, transportation   projects in the area. So they you know, all the stuff with 32,   things in Miami Township,   big large projects. Yeah. So   they coordinate with ODOT and funding, and they do a great job.  

Obviously, they do a great job because thirty two is amazing right now. But,   the so, anyway,   the the TIFs, that's what they fund. And And,  

[00:39:46] Unknown:

so they cut you off. Yeah. Can you explain what a TIF is and maybe the difference between a TIF and a CRA? Yeah.  

[00:39:52] Unknown:

A TIF is a, tax   in increment financing. Make sure I say that right. We use the acronym so much. We don't know what it stands for. Don't worry. I'll I'll I'll stop you when you start using them so you can Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Sorry.   So those are   used   those are used a lot in Ohio for   economic development.   So the county used a TIF,   in   it was it was   it's five neighborhoods,   but it it was Stream Side, which then was annexed. So so in o five, it was part of the, quote,   county TIF, but now it's in the village.   Vista Meadows, which is off Harold Road and then,   Forest Glen, Glenwood Trails, the two subdivisions right here by us.  

And that's   in Lexington Run Yeah. As well. So that's the big one. And those are all TIFs. Not Those are all TIFs. These are all county TIFs. So Batavia Township does not control those TIFs. So the money and the the people that live in those   neighborhoods, if they go to the auditor site, they'll see a difference between their taxes and someone who's not in a TIF.   They still pay their taxes   as normal,   like but all the money essentially goes to the county. The county then distribute distributes some of that money again to the TID to help with those   transportation and,   improvements.  

The   but the fire department   is not reimbursed. Yeah. So the only people that are made whole in a in those county TIFs that are in four of our neighborhoods   are, the school district's made whole, and then we're made whole. The township is made whole. So we reached an agreement   with the commissioners during that negotiation during 02/2005.   We said you can't, like, you can't develop four neighborhoods in our township and not have it, you know, not give us any money. We need something. Yeah. We need something to buy plows with. And,   so we use that money to,   for capital improvements and for park so amenities,   things like that. So a lot of the funding  

[00:41:57] Unknown:

is used for the park here. And the way it's So and paving. And the way a TIF works, and correct me if I'm wrong. And, also, Taylor, if you wanna jump in on any of this, just raise your hand at one. Nope. We'll get the mic back and forth. Okay. I don't know why I don't want you to feel like we're ignoring you. No. You're doing a great job. If   and again, like I said, correct me if I'm wrong about how a TIF works,   but it's essentially   the residents will pay the same amount of tax. It's just increments of that tax go to different things. Correct. So, like, a little bit of that tax might be used to help the developer put in infrastructure, sewer, roads, things like  

[00:42:30] Unknown:

that, or it can be used in different ways. Is that essentially how a TIF works? It can be. Yeah. So the TIF the the county TIFs are not so a TIF can be used to give money back to a developer for infrastructure costs like sewer, water, roads.   The county tips were not used for that. So so none of the developers who developed any of those subdivisions I just said received any money for those things.   The county just is using that money for infrastructure   to help  

[00:42:57] Unknown:

improve State Route 32 or, you know, essentially State Route 32. Okay. The the Clermont County TID. So those projects. But I guess the the big difference between a CRA and a TIF is people in a TIF are still paying all the taxes. Yes. It's just those taxes are redistributed in different ways. Yeah. In a   CRA, at least if we can use a concrete example of this Batavia one,   they won't pay I believe it's property tax on they'll pay property tax on the unimproved value of the land for, I think it was, twenty years, something along those lines. Fifteen. Fifteen. How long they say? Yeah. I mean, it Yeah. I guess the overall point is is that it's not it's not like two years or something. No. And I don't think any of these tax incentivized developments. It's a pretty long term play. Yeah. I mean, the minimum's ten years. Yeah. But the village CRA specifically are thirty.  

[00:43:43] Unknown:

But, yeah, the people that live in TIFs in Batavia Township, TIFs properties,   they   they are paying   the full tax rate.   It's just not going where they think it's going. They think that they're paying for the library. They think that they're paying for,   you know, the fire department. They think they're giving money to all the local levy services. Right. But that money is literally going to the county. Okay. So and it, you know, and that's basically   in in some regard, it's the same setup as a CRA. Yeah.   It's just c r a CRA would operate almost the same way, except you can give a discount to the resident, and they can instead of paying a 100%  

[00:44:22] Unknown:

of what they owe Right. They would pay, like, 50% of what they would normally have owed. Oh, and, again, correct me if I'm wrong, but the village it seems like there was something in the CRA   that was going to raise funds somehow. So there wasn't gonna be a property tax, but it was gonna go to some kind of   fund or something. Am I right about that? Did I misread that?  

[00:44:46] Unknown:

I maybe  

[00:44:48] Unknown:

I probably should've read about that before I came. Is it about the airport   No. I submission? I can't remember. Well, they I'll be honest with you. They have pilot payments. So That's what I Yeah. So the residents   Payments in lieu of of taxes.   Yes. That's what I was referring to. So, Harvest Meadows, those residents  

[00:45:05] Unknown:

don't pay any pilot payments. It's a 100% abated. Okay. So that subdivision doesn't pay that. So they pay property taxes on their land, and then that's it. They obviously pay their 1% income tax to the village since they live in the village.   But   I believe stream side, I believe it's at 50%. You'd have to verify that with them. But, yeah, I think it's 50%.   And so those residents pay   50%   of what they would have paid on those improvements.   They pay that to the village. And that's the payment in lieu of taxes. So if they would have owed   I know it's kind of confusing, but if you That's alright. If you pay This is a long podcast. Yeah. If you pay if you pay a thousand dollars, we'll just do a thousand. It will say this property should be paying $5,000   a year in taxes.  

If they lived in the village and they're in stream side, they would pay we'll say that the land's worth a thousand.   So they pay a thousand dollars to lend to Fraley,   and that pays for their property taxes on their land. So then the remaining $4,000,   they get a 50% discount. So Okay. So 2,000   is a discount. That's their Kohl's coupon. You get $2,000   off. And then the remaining $2,000   is paid to the village in that pilot payment, which is the payment in lieu of taxes.   So   then and then they also pay their 1% income tax. So   they're basically paying well, you know, in that example, they're paying $3,000   a year in taxes,   and but they're getting a $2,000 discount for fifteen years. So but Harvest Meadows pays Nothing. Just a thousand Yeah. To the auditor, and they get the $4,000  

[00:46:40] Unknown:

discount. So So what would these pilot,   I guess, funds you would call them?   What are they normally gonna be used for? Because, again, I'm I'm thinking if people need to be made whole and they're getting   payments in lieu of taxes,   that seems like a a a way that they could go to other people in the township or schools or whatever and say, we got this money. We can help make you whole. Correct.  

[00:47:03] Unknown:

So they can do I believe they can do whatever they want with the money. So they can reimburse the developers,   for infrastructure cost. They can pay for improvements in the village. I mean, they can do anything that they're, I believe, allowed to do.   I mean, that probably be a better question for Ken because I don't I don't have any of that money. So Yeah. Oh, that's fair. Right. But,   you know, I   I guess the only example I could give you is Union Township, for instance, has a lot of TIFs,   and they have TIFs on their residential neighborhoods.   They have their own police and fire department.  

So if they take their tax dollars that normally would have paid   for levies in their community, but they're getting the money,   they just basically   transfer money   to their fire department from their general fund. They just take their money they take their TIF money and they say, oh, the fire department needs money. Here's a million dollars. Yeah. And then they, you know, here all the police department needs money. Here you go. And   but they have their own services. Yeah. We don't. The village and the township share the fire department. So we don't have the option of, quote, taking that money and just transferring it to CJFED.   So the levy is where   CJFED is funded. Right. And so they they need the residents to pay for those services via their taxes.  



[00:48:21] Unknown:

So one of the I guess you'd call it a criticism I've heard   from the village stamp Mhmm.   Is,   you know, all these other you know, the township can use TIFs and CRAs. All these other places can use this mechanism, but when we do   it, we get in trouble for it and and everybody's up in arms about it. How would you respond to to that criticism?  

[00:48:42] Unknown:

I   my first response to that would be   that,   I spoke to a a large production builder   who builds, I believe, in, like, eight states.   And the only   subdivision   that has a 100% abatement is in the village of Batavia.  

[00:48:59] Unknown:

Okay. So I'm where where is this guy? Not normal. Okay. This is not normal.  

[00:49:05] Unknown:

To have a brand new single family community,   have to have 1,500 homes   that   I think attract young families, which is great. Yeah. You know? That that,   you know, we're attracting those people. I think we live in a very nice area. I like living here. I, you know, I think we have good schools.   But to have those people come in and not fund   the services   is   a negative on everyone in the community. So   I understand their need to want to grow. And we're okay with wanting to grow them wanting to grow. We don't have any objections to that.   It's just how they're choosing to roll out their economic   development plans   to achieve those goals is what we disagree with. We want them to fund   CJ Fed. We want, you know, and we I want them to fund the school district, but that, you know, that's more of a personal note for me. But, you know, I mean, that's   I think that when you tell people that this is what's happening   and that it's legal, they're shocked. Yeah.  

They don't think it should be legal, and I don't disagree with them.   It it's just an I don't know how anyone I don't know how the fire department is supposed to,   you know, just have 1,500   more houses   and no funding. No additional funding, essentially, except for the land. And that's kind of their argument. It's like, well, they're paying taxes. I'm like, they're paying   a very small portion. Sure. And and that, you know, the CJ Feds portion of   that small portion of the land value, I think it's I think   I did, like, just a percentage thing.   It was, like, 8%.  

Yeah. You know, so for, you know, every $100 that people in the TIFs are are in the, CRAs are paying, you know, CJ Feds getting $8. And then obviously, the county   TIFs don't help either. So,   from the village's perspective, you know, that's kind of their argument is we have TIFs and   they're right. Yeah. We we do have TIFs. But their county TIFs, we don't we didn't negotiate those. We didn't do that.   We we lobbied for the fire district to get,   paid back during that process, and that just for whatever reason, in 02/2005, it didn't happen. Sure. So now we're stuck with it.  

[00:51:26] Unknown:

So Yeah. And   I'll add  

[00:51:30] Unknown:

a little bit of kind of history of, you know, when County Techs were Before we start, did we we already got into who you are and what you do. Yes. Sorry. I just wanted to make sure we covered it, basically. Taylor Corbic director of plans. Thank you.  

[00:51:43] Unknown:

But,   no. We   you you have,   TIFs that were in the county, and you have to think of the context of the time period of when those TIFs were enacted   and what was the fifteen year goal if they were fifteen or thirty year TIFs.   What was that goal to get us to where we are kind of now?   And a lot of that TIF money went to, you know, Icolts,   State Route 32,   Miami Township, a lot of our western,   townships, which had the most growth at the time   to try to extend growth out east, which now we're kind of living in this time period in Batavia Township and farther out east. Even if you talk to Mount Orb, they're seeing growth too. And it's all kind of spurred off of the planning thirty years ago   of what the, you know, the State Route 32 improvements were going to, you know, cause the growth to kind of look east. You know, growing up in Liberty Township, we were always forty five minutes north of Cincinnati. Yeah. And   it was always farm fields back in 1996.  

But as that grew, growth just continued up. You know, Dayton grew south. I'm originally from Middletown, so that's exactly what you did.   Exactly. The the growth kinda just kind of grew from   those, you know, 75 corridor and what we've seen now in Liberty Township with the connection   of, 129   that goes all the way out to Hamilton and the growth that spurred off of that highway. Now 32 existed.   It just wasn't a thoroughfare where you have no stoplights. You had stoplights all the way through Union Township.   Now you have overpasses. You have exits.  

That spurs growth where you can now get downtown in thirty minutes from Clermont County, which beats the forty five minutes of where subdivisions were growing at that time. So people are just attracted to this area based on the fact that they can live and work,   in Clermont County, or they can commute to work to Mason. They can commute to Kentucky,   and all be within thirty minutes of where they need to go. So the spur of growth   is a little bit different now than it was back in the early two thousands.   Batavia Township at that time, we had to kind of somewhat think of a how do we attract. We see all this growth in everywhere else. How do we attract development?  

Well, we need one sewer service. You need water. You need all your typical infrastructure.   And then how do you get that into those areas? Well, you have to kind of tiff those properties, and and hopefully that infrastructure gets back into those those areas.   Nowadays,   we have sewer service in areas.   We don't necessarily need to attract development because, again, the developers are already looking at us, and they're already talking to property owners. We don't have to have that,   I'd say, economic development arm,   in the residential aspect. Now commercial growth in attracting businesses   and and companies to move to Batavia so that we have a diverse economic,   you know, I guess, you know, income coming in tax base,   that's going to be,   like, the key is is trying to attract those businesses. So if you start to see, you know, where TIFs are, you know, being even talked about, it's not really the residential. We don't need to TIF a residential,   unless we see infrastructure improvement, say, a road, you know, that needs to be widened, then a TIF might be something that you would look into at getting that road improved so that one safety   on that road is is better. So,   those are the only times that TIFs are even discussed in residential,   but TIFs in,   commercial, when you're taking money away from the school, when it comes down to our commercial development,   it's it's the tax base necessarily   that's from those workers   that are going back into hopefully hopefully   increasing the infrastructure around the area that those TIFs are there. So if we if we were looking at township TIFs, we're looking at a smaller area.  

County TIFs, they're looking at a more regional area.   So, again, the difference is you need to know,   you know, what jurisdiction put the TIF on. That kinda usually directs you where the money is gonna go.   However, in a in a perfect world, we'd all say, just get rid of all incentives Yeah. And just let the market kind of, drive development,  

[00:56:03] Unknown:

which is a a a theory. So yeah. And I guess I would add to that the difference between   what you know, because I I know their argument. They're like, you do it too.   I would say   we do have a few TIFs.   They're very select. Like, they're mostly in industrial areas.   The school's reimbursed.   That's improved by the school.   So that's part of that process, and that's you know, the schools are aware of that. And, typically, it's a industrial   development that we do, and the schools are reimbursed at 75 percent. And   no one's being educated,   by, like, hudamaki.  

No. Yeah. You know, there's not a 100 kids going to school every day from Houdemaki.   So   but the difference between the county TIFs and what the village is doing with the CRAs   is the county TIF is   taking that money and using it back to the community.   You can agree or disagree with how they're doing it or, you know, I would like for the fire department to have their money,   but they are spending   it on public services and improving the area.   And   the village is taking that money and giving it back to developers   and to the tune of millions of dollars.  

And   that's, you know, I think a fundamental difference   that we're,   you know, that these residents are paying these pilot payments or however they're funding it, that's on them. But, you know, they're signing agreements to give back millions of dollars to,   developers to   incentivize the growth. And   we just don't think that you need to do that. The growth is gonna happen. You know, the with with the TIFs and the improvements on State Route 32, developers wanna be here. We don't, I always joke that, I said, I think our residents think that I wake up every morning and say, what farm am I gonna take today? And,   that is not what we are doing here. You need a monocle in the top hat and twirl with the mushroom. You know, and I mean What small farm in my gobble in today? Yeah. And that is not happening.  

In fact, we do zero,   zero, absolutely zero,   quote, economic development   towards residential. And then we do do a little bit of targeted trying to get, like, certain companies to come out to Batavia.   But we   don't we don't do any residential. Like, we never call up a developer and say, hey. Come out to Batavia Township and, you know, build a bunch of houses. Like, we just wait. They just come here. And so we don't feel like they there needs to be incentives   to the residential.   And it also kind of puts us at, in competition with the village as well. It then it makes it this, you know, the well, the village is gonna give me $6,000,000   And what are you gonna give me in Batavia Township? And then it, you know, it makes us the good guy and the bad guy,   or it just creates this unnecessary   competition between the two of us that just doesn't need to be it doesn't need to happen. Right. And it really shouldn't be happening. And   like I said, we should be partners, and we should be   working together, and we should be funding our fire department and moving forward.  

You know,   and you take annexations out of the equation, the CRAs are just hurting the fire department.  

[00:59:25] Unknown:

That is the bottom line. So So and you've talked about growth a lot and how we are growing. And I think the county did a housing study very recently.   Yeah. And,   I mean, I don't think you needed a housing study to tell you that Claremont I mean, it's good that they did it. I'm not criticizing that they did a housing study. Yeah. But I think it's pretty obvious to everybody that this county is growing, and it's growing pretty quickly.   And I think there are examples of where that growth   has kind of outstripped capacity.   What comes to mind is West Claremont Schools where, you know, you've got I think there are other issues there, but, you know, you've got a middle school with, I think it's, like, 2,000 kids in it or something. Like I said, I went to Middletown High School. Our high school had 1,300, and we were considered a huge high school.  

So that all aside,   because another criticism I've heard from the village perspective is   that the township,   their their growth plan is just no growth. We don't want any growth or we don't want anything like that. So I guess my my question along these lines is what is   the plan for the township? Like, how how is the township thinking about growth? And   specifically, I think, is how how are you planning on juggling, you know, high density residential,   which seems to be coming this way,   and   kind of the low density stuff that people in the township, you know, a lot of people move out here because they like low density residential areas. They don't want to be in a subdivision. So what is   what is the township's  

[01:00:56] Unknown:

strategy and vision for how it's going to grow or deal with growth? Mhmm. So we have a growth policy plan that was amended back in 02/2017.   So it's not necessarily   the the most recent growth policy plan.   Again, I I I came in two years ago. So you you come into the existing plans and hopefully try to guide,   the growth,   that we're seeing now with those plans.   So those plans,   guide development and guide residential development on in density   requirements.   They have been pushed by developers,   as in their business model is, more homes that we would get, the more,   income that we can get off of this property. So, again, you have to understand the developers coming from a business side. The township's perspective is not necessarily   on their side or,   on a on a different side. It's more of less,   is this subdivision   or this development that's being proposed,   is this going to   be a   asset for our community, or is it going to be a detriment?  

And how can,   we,   one, mold this plan? Because a lot of all plans come on paper, and they just have this is an idea.   And we kinda discuss that idea through how does it,   you know, meet our guidelines that are in our growth policy plan, which is around two to three units per acre, as our maximum.   And, again, in the past, we have seen other subdivisions push that.   Lexington Run came back in February   or 02/2004, probably proposed in 02/2004,   and it was, like, six units per acre. So it kinda blew   that, you know, growth policy plan out of the water.   However, that   is in specific areas. And, again,   in that time period, those township trustees felt like this was what they needed to kind of put Batavia Township on the map.  

Again, I don't know the discussions,   they had at that time, but our our growth policy plan will be continuing to update it,   to making it relevant in today's,   growth period.   What we see coming out of Union Township, what we see around other townships areas.   Again, I come from Liberty Township, so I know what growth looked like there,   not necessarily meaning that that's what I want Batavia Township to be. We can learn from lessons. We can learn from buffering. We can learn from design,   and, you know, putting those,   planning practices   it to work on individual subdivisions and how those individual subdivisions   interact with the older subdivisions that are are, you know, already existing.  

So that's been kind of our growth policy plan now.   We're looking forward to hopefully,   going through a an update,   soon,   to, you know, kind of update that growth policy plan up to 2025.   Maybe have a 2035,  

[01:03:52] Unknown:

growth policy plan. So And, actually, before you steal that mic from him, I because I have a follow-up question. Mhmm.   Can you run through well, first of all, is that plan available on online? Is that just an I so anybody can go and find? Yeah. Our zoning resolution and our growth policy plan are on our website at bataviatownship.org.  

[01:04:10] Unknown:

You can pretty much click on planning and zoning, and you'll find those plans. So you have our growth policy, projections   that are in the back of the appendix items of our growth policy plan. And you can kinda see even with the dissolution of Amelia   and the growth that we've had, those numbers are all kind of,   matching up. You know, they're they're increasing a little bit bit a a bit, but that was, again, the dissolution Amelia added, several residents that weren't necessarily,   counted during that that growth policy plan. So,   we're we're on par with that 2017   plan, and,  

[01:04:44] Unknown:

hopefully, we can update those numbers. So And can you run through so let's say,   development proposal hits your desk.   What are the actual criteria that that you're kinda going through to see, like, is this good for the township? Is it not good for the township? Yeah. Just because so for a, like, a short,  

[01:05:03] Unknown:

timeline of a of a development is they submit it. Usually, we have a pre application meeting. So we're talking with the developers,   before they even submit,   talking about what   our visions are, what are our kind of no nos when it development.   So, like, minimum lot size, we pretty much say, hey. This is our recommended minimum.   If you go below it, that that kind of means that we're gonna have, you know, quite a bit of discussions or we need some additions,   to this, subdivisions. So a lot of planned developments   are that flexible zoning,   that we we kind of enjoy because the township then has kind of a say on how those, those homes are built. So if they're proposing a higher density development, then we're gonna be asking for   significant buffering,   landscaping,   amenities that may be provided in the community,   not just walking trails or a, sidewalk, but some sort of amenity if you're really, increasing the density of of a subdivision.  

We contact the schools.   We we usually send out plans pretty much right away   to the schools, the fire department,   the county planning commission is the first reviewer of it. So the county planning commission includes the county engineer, the water resources department. If it's on an ODOT route, they usually send those to ODOT,   just to get an eye on it.   Then their planning commission makes the recommendations based on the Clermont County subdivision regs, and so they have to follow those rules.   And then they get back comments to us saying, yes. They meet our water,  

[01:06:36] Unknown:

service. And this is all at the county though. Yeah. The county. Gotta the first step is you gotta get through the county. Yeah. The county. So pretty much you're asking the basic questions. Do you have water service?  

[01:06:44] Unknown:

Yes. Do you have sewer service? Yes. Do you have trans like, you know, access ingress, proper ingress, and egress to the property? That would be the Clermont County engineers or ODOT.   Main,   you know, pillars of a development. Then you have the schools, which, again, they're impacted. However, we cannot necessarily approve or deny based on the school's,   response, but we do want them to get Yeah. An eye on the number of units that are being proposed so that they can then, you know, adjust their numbers for their future funding through the states or through the you know, again, getting that tax funding so that they can address those residents.   They wanna know usually, the schools ask questions about, you know, are these shared patio homes? Are they, 50,   and up, communities when it comes down to are they marketing it to a, you know, empty nester? Or then we can kind of adjust our numbers. Maybe we're not gonna have as many kids in a 55 and up community. Right. However, we start seeing that a lot of kids are being, babysat by their grandparents Yeah.  

Quite often. So you don't know how those numbers are, but that's the school's job is to then calculate that number.   Our job is to try to get as much,   you know, comments back.   And, again,   normally, from the schools, it's not a yes or no. They don't usually say, hey. We don't want this subdivision, but they may reference some, you know, concerns that they have.   And then when it comes to the fire department, they're looking at fire access. Does it have dual entrance?   Are there any specific cul de sacs or private drives that would be dicey for, you know, a large fire truck to get back there? That's usually what they're looking at. So   the planner is not necessarily   the all, you know, seen person that just knows everything. It's it's the planner is is talking with individual agencies on their specific   goals and their specific rules that they apply,   and try to get that into a project. So,   that's kind of like the gist. It goes through zone and then it goes through zoning commission as the timeline continues. Planning commission sends their recommendations,   then we meet at our zoning commission level.  

Zoning commission is a board made up of our peers of our township, community. They're appointed to five year terms.   Then they,   make their recommendation on a township level. So using our township zoning resolution   and our,   our growth policy plan as a guide to guide them, is this the best subdivision for this community at this time?   They send their recommendations to the trustees, and then the trustees   make their determination   approval or denial   of any, plan development. So Okay. That's the timeline. Long. I've started out short, and then I started going long. I I hope you can remember what you're just talking about.  

[01:09:28] Unknown:

I took a few notes.  

[01:09:30] Unknown:

I didn't anticipate it being that long, I'll be honest with you. So what I would say in response to that  

[01:09:36] Unknown:

we are no growth,   we have a group of residents who disagree. So,   we,   I mean, we are growth,   but we we are not we are growing, I should say.   We're not actively pursuing it like the villages. So that's the difference is they're actively,   you know, contacting   property owners, contacting developers, and trying to increase their population.   We're not concerned about that.   If it happens, it happens. That's kind of our stance. And if it happens, we want to guide it and make sure   that we,   review it like Taylor was saying. And, like, one of the thing like, one of the things that we look at is connections,   connections to existing roads, connections to existing neighborhoods.  

You know, we're looking at the plans and and, you   know, assuming they have water and sewer, which they should have if they're to this point, and they've paid an engineer to do all these things. But But I think some of the misconceptions   are that,   like, one that we're actively trying to get development from our some people think we are and some people aren't. So, but we are not actively out trying to get development. It's just happening. It's the it's the capitalism. So, we   we also the developers pay for those improvements.   So when you see a turn lane, like, for instance, on Judd Road, there's a turn lane going into Rosewood Subdivision   that was paid for by the developer.  

That was not paid for by Batavia Township. Now when it gets paved in   ten years, we'll we'll pay for the additional paving, but we also have all these extra houses that are paying into   our road levy. So,   but we don't those things are not being paid for by the township or the county. Those things are being paid for by the developer. So if there's a traffic light that's added for a subdivision   or,   improvements at a connecting road that's nearby,   Those things are paid for by the developer. So,   the other issue that you you mentioned high density development. That's a really a hot topic word right now. Okay. And what I I know that. Yeah. So what I would say to you is Lexington Run is at   six six units units   per acre. That was Yeah. So it's six units per acre.  

That subdivision   is probably,   no offense to anybody who doesn't live there, one of the nicer subdivisions in our township. I mean, it's nice. You know? So it has condos. It has patio homes. It has larger homes. It has, like, you know, bigger lot, like, you know, a state home kind of look.   That's six units per acre.   You know, the subdivision that everyone is saying is high density is two units per acre.   I think most of our subdivisions   are under three. Do you know what the CRM Batavia is going to be?   It's 445,   I think. Airport? Yeah. I think it was, like, like, 4.5 or five. I think it's 4.5. Yeah. It's it's in the four or five. Yeah. I mean, they they've changed the plans   numerous times. So,   but so it's less dense than Lexington Run, the airport Mhmm. Subdivision.  

But, like, the subdivision that some of our residents are upset about, which is called Farmstead,   out on State Route 222.   That's in the township, not in the village. It's in the township. That subdivision is at just over two units per acre. Okay.   I would argue that that is not high density. I don't have a Webster's dictionary to define it, but I'm pretty sure, you know, I would cons I would consider Lexington Run high density versus And what I'm sorry. What was Lexington Run again? It was it was, like, six. Six per acre? Yeah. Okay.   Because they have condos, so they have a mix of units, which I think makes a great community because you get a variety of people in that community. But the the development that people are saying is high density is two units per acre. And   from their perspective,   they may live on 15 acres, and two units per acre is high density to them. Yeah. But it's not high dense that's not a high density development. That's a very reasonable development with very,  

[01:13:38] Unknown:

I guess it's all about perspective. It it yeah. Like, if you live in the township and you're on, you know, like, a four or five acre lot and your neighbor is two miles away and you got a big farm field between the two of you,  

[01:13:50] Unknown:

that seems like really high density Right. When you get these And I I get their perspective that they they feel that. The other thing I wanted to say was the school districts. We can't consider the school district. So if the school district called us and said, do not take any more subdivisions, We are to the max. Well, I can't take one more kid. Like,   we're not allowed to do that. Like, that's, you know, and so we have conversations with the school district. You know, I would say we at least talk to them quarterly about developments in the community.   But one of the things that they can't do is when they evaluate and build a school, they can only I think the state law only requires them to   project 5% growth unless there is something happening in that community that is   concrete   and that they can prove that, like, hey. We're gonna have a huge growth of 10%, so we need to build bigger.  

They can only allow for a 5% grant. Funds to go to school. Okay. Yeah. So they can't they're not allowed to build a school district   that or school that's just big   and that we that then the township or the village can fill up. That's just not how it works.   The school district and and and I would say if they had eight empty classrooms,   there'd be people   protesting at the school district saying they had eight empty classrooms, they wasted our money.   Yeah. So, you know, so it's it, so we can't consider that. So but in talking with the school districts and and meeting and and, you know, letting them know when we have developments coming,   you know, we have those conversations so that they can plan for that. But their issue is as long as it's funded   Yeah. They can plan for it. So if all these young families move to Batavia Township, you know, they're gonna pay taxes for three or four years and then, you know,   you know, little Johnny is gonna go to school and and there's funding for it. So,   but, yeah, I want I just wanted to clear that up. And then, you know, Lexington Run does have high density.  

I would consider Lexington Run high density in in Batavia Township. That would be our high density development.   And,   you know, I think if you drive through Lexington Run, you do not that does not feel like a high density development. It has a lot of amenities. It has walking trails,   you know, two community areas with pools.   You know, it's a nice neighborhood. Right.   So I just you know, there's that balance of of of development and having   having those things. So I I don't know what else to say. Yeah. No. When it comes down to just  

[01:16:24] Unknown:

the explanation of density and a high density, it's all relative.   I look at it as if you're thinking of the term density, is it gross or net? Yeah. And that's the density. Yeah. Could you pull that apart a little bit? Gross or net? Oh, a gross the gross density is the total acreage of a property. So if you have a 100 acre, subdivision,   and you have a 100 lots, that would be a one acre lot density gross density.   Nothing that was taken out. No roadway was taken out. The net density is one, you take out the roads that are being proposed. So all of the new roads that are being proposed   takes out maybe an acre.  

Then you take out any of the 20%,   steep slopes that is pretty much unbuildable. Yeah. That is under our sensitive development area in our Clermont County subdivision regs as well as it also referenced in our, zoning resolution. So we take that out of our PD,   gross acreage,   and then there's,   you take out open space.   You can include some retention ponds or detention basins, when it comes down to infrastructure of the subdivision.   But other than that, that would then total the net density of a project. That's it. I didn't know didn't even think about that.   You take it, and then that can be construed by some as saying, well, you're you're you're fudging the numbers of in density because that's how you got your two units per acre because you took out all of this acreage, and now it's only a 140 acre or a a 80 acre parcel because you took out 20 acres of it.  

That's not necessarily fudging the numbers. It's just you're you're taking out the unusable land Right. That's not counted in the actual housing unit count. And, again, with Lexington Run, with the with the condo section that Lexington Run does have, that automatically   increases the density because you have eight units per building that are on less than an acre. Right. So   in that section, if you just took that section, that section may have a crazy high density if you just looked at it individually of that little section and not included the rest of the residential subdivisions.   So when we're looking at a PD, we're looking at the whole subdivision. Gotcha. All of the inner connections. So if you have multiple housing types,   each housing type is gonna be a little bit different density. You may have estate lots in the rear. You may have, shared patio homes on a cul de sac street next to it. And then you may have, say, a commercial residential development,   that has commercial below and residential above. That's a even a higher density,   product type.  

But that's what kinda creates in a lot of master planned,   communities   that creates the healthy,   residential and commercial aspect of it. Sure. In Batavia Township, we're not necessarily seeking those types of projects out. However, if they come to us,   we'll   address it and how it,   matches up with our zone resolution and and matches up with our guidelines. And, hopefully, we can get a project that meets those guidelines that we've had in our growth policy plan.  

[01:19:24] Unknown:

Yeah. I would add that, our the PD density, if if a resident has questions about that or is wants to get further clarification and kind of put it   in perspective. We have that information on our website under the, planning and zoning frequently asked questions. And so we have a list of not every subdivision, but we have a list of,   subdivisions and what the PD   density is.   So I would encourage people to to to look at that, just to kinda see where things fall.   So when because people say, well, I don't like I I like Lexington Run, but I don't want high density. And I'm like, okay. Like, so so they can look for themselves and determine what they feel is high density.   And then the other thing with, like, the PDs too is in the review process, like,   I would encourage people to look at, like, developments that don't have any common space. So if you look at, like,   Glenwood Trails, which is right behind the park, they have,   a stream that runs essentially through their their,   their community, and it ends up falling down into the village and going to the East Fork Little Miami River.  

The   that's protected in a in a PD. So that land's never gonna be developed. It's green space, you know, and, you know, the deer, the turtles, the frogs, everything's going on in those areas.   And if you don't have PDs, like and you have just,   straight zoning   and you give everybody an acre of land or a half acre or whatever the number is,   they tear down the trees, they put a pool in, they put a garage in the back, they put a shed in the back, and   it's no longer a green space. And then they then that leads to drainage issues and different things like that. John McManus, and he talked a lot about how a lot of his work is going to these subdivisions and worrying about stormwater Correct. Runoff. Yeah. And so my my just right by our office is is to me one a a good example of it is, we have,   across the street, and I lost the name of that. Is it Green Tree? Oh, Olivewood. Oh, or no. No. The The Preserves Of Olivewood? No. The Old Street. The old neighborhood here. Oh, Olivewood.  

Street? No. This one.   Sorry. Right across I think it's is it Greentree? You do work in the zoning department. Green Tree.  

[01:21:37] Unknown:

Okay. I was right. I was right. We're sure he works in the zoning department? We have a new subdivision coming across the street when  

[01:21:47] Unknown:

Quit arguing in Arizona. Well, let's Yeah. Well, I I'm like, is it GreenTree? So the neighborhood right across the street from the park here, which, like I said, name Escaped Tree. Gate Tree. That's what it is. I think in Green Tree. Anyway, Gate Tree.   That's a neighborhood. I believe they're all half acre lots.   And if you look at the aerial of just pull it up on Google Maps and you look at the aerial of that neighborhood,   you know, everybody the everybody's lot lines go to each other, and there's pretty much no trees. And they have some drainage issues, and they've had drainage issues for numerous years. And then you look over here at Forest Glen or Glenwood Trails, which is right behind the park, so literally across the street,   I would argue that that neighborhood should have more drainage issues. And they don't because, like, that green space is protected, and then they also have detention. So that stuff was put in place for that subdivision. It was a project up in Milford that, was actually, the last episode I did,  

[01:22:41] Unknown:

they had some kinda development there and something got all messed up. They've got terrible drainage issues. Yeah.  

[01:22:47] Unknown:

And usually and and people,   I used to work at the building department and worked closely with the engineer who reviewed those projects and stuff.   And we dealt with drainage complaints when I worked there. But and people don't like to hear this, but more development usually means improved drainage   because   the developers are putting in these detention or retention basins   that help slow down that water flow into those neighborhoods. So we have a development currently that's going right next to, Gaitree, Olivewood. So it's   where I pointed before.  

So, it's just right across the street from the park. So those are gonna be paired patio homes,   and they're putting in detention basins. And so they're gonna control some of that drainage on that land. Just I'm sure John explained that. Explained that. Yeah. You know, so that land is now going to go to a detention or retention basin, and   then it'll slowly drain out into Gaitree.   It currently just flows right into Gaitree. So now it's gonna be controlled and a little bit more monitored. So, hopefully those drainage issues   improve for those neighbors.  

But you know, when you tell people more development helps drainage, they're like, no way. And it's like, well, it but they're putting in infrastructure to handle those things. During the construction.  

[01:24:00] Unknown:

It it'll be messy. There there may be drainage issues. Sure. However, once the infrastructure is in,   then we will hopefully have a better better. Issues. So yeah.  

[01:24:10] Unknown:

So,   again, I'm gonna try to   and, hopefully, I get people on from the village. So Yeah. And if I misrepresent them, hopefully, they'll tell me. But   if I'm thinking about if I'm in the village,   you know, I wanna grow. I want my downtown to get revitalized.   I I want more people to live in the village.   And my worry would be is if   something like this development   gets   canceled or I guess   unable to move forward,   I'm not gonna be able to develop my village. I'm not gonna be able to get the people in that I need to   revitalize my downtown.  

So how would you respond to the village   the village's need and want to grow   and and revitalize their downtown and their city?   What what would you how would you respond to to that kind of thinking?  

[01:25:02] Unknown:

I   I don't know what their plan is for the revitalization   of downtown is what I would say. They've annexed,   out into the, essentially, into the township. I mean, they can't grow without essentially taking away from the township. Yeah. Yeah.   And, you know, I think,   you know,   they can grow,   but it's at our cost.   So so with that being said, let let's say that I'm okay with them annexing into our township, and   we just want them to fund the service   is that they were partners with us in. I mean, they're a part of the CJ fed board, So we just want them to fund that service.   And, you know, and and the school too, just because it affects the community so much.  

You know, and they they see that,   I, you know, I kinda say they grow at all cost,   and it it doesn't matter what it costs. Like, they'll do anything to grow,   and we're not like that. So when they say we're no growth,   we, you know, we met with a developer who wanted to build, the subdivision by the airport. And he came in with a plan,   and in a pre like, predevelopment meeting, and we talked to him and we said, you know, this is close to the airport. You, you know, we this is not, like, a good idea. Right. Like, we you know, you can do larger lots, like,   because of the proximity to the airport.  

And so we did tell him no, essentially, or kinda guided him towards, you know, this type of development because of the air club proximity to the airport.   Because we know that the rules of the airport regulations and we know, you know, the consequences of those things, and so we didn't, you know, want those things. And so he went to the village and they said, sure. You you can do that. Yeah.   You know,   so I   I I don't know if I have anything else.  

[01:26:57] Unknown:

That's fair.  

[01:26:58] Unknown:

From a planning perspective,   again, jurisdictions, we're we're we're gonna always have to, work with our surrounding jurisdictions just like we, work with Union Township, Pierce Township.   Because townships can annex into other townships. Right? I mean It's a much harder process. It's like a a very hard process. Okay.   Not as, easy as a village would annex.   And and coming from a planning, like, a background, it like, villages and cities grow. Yeah. And we all understand that they they do that. However,   we we want   their their growth to be in concurrent with the township's growth, not necessarily following our guidelines. In in in all honesty, I think the village   does need to look at more high intensity uses, in their village core area.  



[01:27:44] Unknown:

Hopefully, they've got apartment  

[01:27:46] Unknown:

complex going in. Exactly. Yeah. They do. They have a and and, again, that's something that I, from a planning perspective,   am not against. They they will have their own issues when it comes down to traffic and stuff like that. However, if that is what that vision that they have,   that's great. However,   the one thing that I can say is that the village and township alike,   or any jurisdiction   is is work on that plan of the future, you know, having that vision,   showing vision 2025.   Miami Township did a vision 2025   fifteen something years ago, and now, hopefully, they're they've met some of those goals in that that plan.  

Coming from a planner, it it it it helps to have that that vision plan even if it is   high level, you know, a a dream.   It shows the community and the people moving into the community   that that what that's the vision. And so that's what we're trying to achieve rather than just   kind of willy nilly, you know,   growth over here, annexation this way, annexation that way.   That's not what I would consider proper planning. That's just kind of grabbing what you can and then hopefully, when the dust settles,   you you're holding all the bag. Right.   That's not   the best way to plan a community, especially   in in this growth period. Right. You wanna have a vision   and   a clear guidelines and goals so that your community is and the surrounding communities are aware of those goals. Like, if your goals are high density development,   apartment complex, revitalizing   the downtown,   then have those goals, share that, have a vision, create a rendering,   pay an engineering firm to do those things with the the pilot payments that they may be receiving. That might be part of their goals. However,   from a township's perspective, we haven't seen what their even vision is, and I don't think the people in the village even know what their vision is other than just,   growth when it comes. Yeah. And I to me, like, from a planning perspective that   that you need a plan. You need to have a vision for the future. So  

[01:29:59] Unknown:

No. I I will say this. I do go to their meetings,   almost every month, and I have been for a year just because of all the activity going on and just wanting to,   one, keep track of kind of what's happening in the village.   And the village residents are township residents too. So, like, we need to   kinda keep tabs on what's happening.   But they've made,   you know,   comments about,   the township and   at those meetings, which I don't think is   extremely helpful.   I lost my train of thought.   That's okay. I was gonna say something, and now I can't remember. You'll edit this. Right?  

[01:30:39] Unknown:

No. Very loosely. Okay.   Well, that's okay. But Yeah. You can think about what what you were gonna say because I have a question. Okay. Go ahead. And I think in a roundabout way, you both kind of answered this question. But   in in your mind, like, let's say you're king of village of Batavia.   What would you how would you   grow that village?   More like what what from your perspective, like I said, if you're king of the village of Batavia,   how would you grow their village?  

[01:31:08] Unknown:

I would focus   on the core Mhmm. You know, the, you know, the downtown area.   I mean, I feel like they I don't know their books. I haven't, like, you know, so this is a complete hypothetical. Like, I'm nobody's gonna hold I don't know. I don't wanna say that. Yeah. So I mean I'm not gonna hold you to it. Right. I mean, I feel like they have a lot of money coming in from, you know, their 1% income tax   that like, all the school pays, all the school employees pay, all the county workers pay that tax.   You know,   I mean, I live in Batavia Township. So I would love to see the village   thrive and be more, you know, have more restaurant options or have,   more shops downtown. I mean, I drive through the village, you know, all weekend long.  

And basically, the only thing open   is, bulbs deep. Mhmm. And, you know, like, I, you know, I I gotta tell my kids. I always chuckle at that. I know. I know. The, and my joke is is there's only so many plants I can buy and kill. So in a year's time, so, you know It sounds like you're a really good customer. Yeah. Yeah. I'm I'm good with outside stuff, not the inside stuff. But anyway,   you know, so I mean, I do go in and and shop there, and I get my haircut down there. But, you know, like, it would just be nice to have more   more activity down there.  

So if if I was in charge of the village, that's what I would focus on. But Taylor's probably got better ideas. He's a plan. Alright, Taylor. You're the king of the village of Batavia. Yeah. These these are these are great questions.  

[01:32:38] Unknown:

Well, I mean, if I was the king of the village, then   I mean, it would be Would you put the first thing you do is make a big castle for yourself? No. Exactly. You put you you put that in the in in the planner's hands and that we would have a master planned community completely.   But, it it really comes down to,   getting,   the voice of the people of the the village.   Again, having a plan, having a vision,   grassroots planning when it comes down to,   asking the kids in the elementary school what what do they want in their village, what do they wanna see in their future because they're the ones that are gonna be living in that community for the in the future.   You can do so many fun,   workshops   to get people involved.  

It's   it's kind of the core of planning   is just,   community involvement,   volunteer work of beautifying areas.   That's really what you need in the village. I mean, you can see other villages and what they've done   in the past to, you know, improve their downtown.   Loveland, Milford,   they've done so much over the past couple years, to really improve their districts.   And, I mean, love no one when I grew up, no one was, like, going to Loveland to go eat. No. And I can see that in the village of Batavia. It's it's right off of 32.   You come down and you're in a nestling,   you know, bedroom home community.  

It has a nice,   streetscape that they have put investment into, and   I think they just have a really good core that they can grow. However, how do you with the annexations of the communities that are outside of the urban core, how do you connect them back in? You know, how do they you bring them back into your your your your city core. And,   you know, Loveland and and Milford have, you know, struggled in at times to do that. However, now they have this sense of pride, and I think that there's great sense of pride in Batavia. I think there's pride in the township. I think we wanna both have pride in   the shared,   you know, core that we have that we can go down and, you know, grab food.  

We can go down to the county offices, and we're all part of the same community,   but that means we have to be good partners. And so when we have a shared fire department,   we have to, you know,   make   joint decisions   in funding our joint fire department. If they were their own separate village with their own fire department, with their own police depart which are they which are they do have their police department. But if they had their own, then, yeah, they have a little bit more control, and they don't have to kind of think about the surrounding community. But from a planning perspective, you're always thinking about the adjoining property owner regardless of the jurisdiction that they're in.   And that's and that's the the goal that we have in Batavia Township is trying to work with you know, we're not gonna hopefully, you know, cause an issue with the the village,   when it comes down to their adjoining property. We're gonna look at how that impacts it, buffer it properly, and then,   make sure that the development   helps the community as a whole.  



[01:35:43] Unknown:

And and I would say that the towns the township residents   will support   businesses in the village. So if the village doesn't have, quote, the residential numbers, you have we will have them in the adjoining area. So whether we develop or they develop,   you know, those things are gonna happen, but I don't see any movement   within the village per se or on businesses. And I feel like, you know, a business opens and a business closes and, you know, there's just this, you know, kind of constant turnover   or,   you know, on the same hand, though, I I know one of our criticism, the village doesn't have a grocery store and neither do we officially do not have a grocery store in Batavia Township.   So that is something, like I talked about earlier,   about, economic development and trying to reach out. So that is something that we are,   you know, pursuing.  

But I don't have millions of dollars to give to we'll we'll just shout out to Kroger. Yeah. But I mean, I think everybody could have guessed if you're looking for street stuff. Yeah. I mean, I I've even reached out to Publix. They don't accept it anybody. Yeah. So so Publix, really? Yeah. Publix. Yeah. And they're not in Ohio. Uh-huh. So they are in Kentucky. And I will say, I live in Batavia Township, and I've driven to Union, Kentucky twice.   My family well, my husband drove twice,   to go get their chicken wings. Loves them. So  

[01:37:03] Unknown:

What? That actually be Hello? That seems like it'd be good for Publix because it's a southern Yeah. It's a southern chain. Yeah. Because when we go to vacation in Florida, and that's that's the only place. The chicken wings are the best. I've never had their chicken wings. I don't know. They're they're I'm telling you, they are the best. They are the best. So, but, yeah, like, we've reached out to to  

[01:37:21] Unknown:

we reach out to companies to try to do that. But, you know and I I don't think the public   sees this. They think, you know, we're just not, you know, like, what are they doing? We need a grocery store. And it's like, well, the you know, I don't have millions of dollars to give Kroger. And Kroger   is you know, has a lot of smart people that work for them. And so do you know, they do marketing studies.   And, you know, I was given a market marketing study. 8451,   which is just basically a big data analytics company. Yeah. So It's insane the amount of data that they Right. And the data doesn't show that that a grocery store will be supported in this area. Yeah. And so with that being said, you know you know, the village to revitalize the downtown area, you know, maybe it just isn't time yet. Like, maybe they're they're   we need more rooftops and, you know, obviously, more people is gonna do that. But I think focusing on the downtown area would   be would be a great thing because we don't have that in the township. The township's more rural. We don't have we have this park, but we don't really have, like, a,   quote, like, city center. Right. You know? And,  

[01:38:28] Unknown:

yeah. The Village Of Batavia is our that's how I view it. I Yeah. I don't see the jurisdictional lines necessarily. I see it as, well, we have a central city, and it's called the Village Of Batavia in our township, and  

[01:38:39] Unknown:

we're gonna try to work and make that the core. I might have you say that again in front of the microphone. Oh, yeah. Sorry.  

[01:38:47] Unknown:

Hope you can remember it because it sounded pretty good. So, what I was saying regarding you know, that's   what the village of Batavia is,   is our central core. And so when we build development, yes, we have our 32 corridor and our 125 corridor on the South.   Those are commercial corridors, but our our central core is the village of Batavia, and that's how we viewed the village as an asset in that sense,   is when we   guide development in our township,   you know, we're looking at how are people interacting with it. Now people use 32 in our corridors, but if they wanna take a a a nice walk downtown, that would be the village of Batavia. Yeah. So  

[01:39:26] Unknown:

So   and I think this is gonna be my final question. And, again, this is probably one that you've   answered in a couple different ways from the other questions. But   what are the things the village could do that   the township would then go, okay. Fine. Sounds good to me.  

[01:39:44] Unknown:

I think funding the fire department would be step one. Yeah. I figured that was gonna be Yeah. I mean, that's, you know, I I mean, I think   if you're gonna be a partner with us in the fire district,   you need to be a full partner.   And, you know,   it's it's it's like they're not paying their child support. Sure. They're, you know, I mean, that's No. No. That's a fun way to put it. Put it in layman's terms. You know, they're not paying their fair share. And,   you know, I think they you know, you have the county offices down there too, which they get 1% of the income. So townships don't get income tax. So if you live in Batavia Township, do not pay an income tax to the village of Batavia unless you work there.   But   we don't get that income tax. They get it from the county, and so that's how they do their funding.  



[01:40:31] Unknown:

But, you know I don't mean to interrupt you, but Yeah. I   guess it seems like if the villages had their own fire depart I guess a fire department is probably an expensive thing to run. Correct. So I guess, I would just be curious why the village   because if you took the fire department out of this whole equation,   then it seems like the township would  

[01:40:50] Unknown:

They'd function independently pretty much. You still have to deal with the airport and the schools.  

[01:40:55] Unknown:

But from the township's perspective,  

[01:40:57] Unknown:

if they had their own fire department, this would be a nonissue. Correct. Okay. Yeah. I mean, I what I would say is that the fire department,   the reason why the fire department was created was to provide that service to a smaller village.   And and they were I think,   I'd have to I'd have to go back and look at the records. But prior to 2000   to prior to February, I believe the fire the village had their own fire department,   and they couldn't afford   to maintain it. Sure. So   the idea was let's work together. So in 02/2001,   they created CJ Fed, and they created a fire department that, you know, it covered all of Batavia Township and all of the village. And so that   was,   in my opinion, a gimme to the village. Yeah. So we helped them,   and   they couldn't afford to provide that service. So we provided   essentially the township and the village got together. And so I would say that split is probably always been   in, you know, somewhere in that range. Sure.  

But,   you know, I don't   we do things like that or facilitate things like that,   but we don't get that on the back end. And so, you know, for instance, I was at fun fair,   two years ago in the '24.   And, one of their organizers said it'd be really nice if the township helped with fun fair and, you know, it's a it's a great event. Yeah. Fireworks, they, you know, bands and Coming up, is it? Yeah. It's a Saturday.   So it's, you know, it's a great event   for the community. They come down, they shut Main Street down, and it's perfect for it.   But, you know, they said, it'd be nice if you helped. And I said, well, it'd be really nice if the village didn't take hundreds of acres of land and develop it   and hurt township businesses, schools and the fire department. Yeah.  

Yeah. You know, I'm willing to be we're willing to be a partner.   We are a partner, but, like, you know, we just, you know, I feel like we're   the township is being taken advantage of. It's kind of how I feel about it.   You know, we've always been the we swoop in and save the day. They don't have money to do a fire department. Okay. Well, let's do this. We'll help them. And that's not at all, you know, then when they kind of are up a little bit and they have the power to do something, they do it, and they hurt us.   And, you know, that's not   if we were married, we'd be divorced. So   there's plenty of attorneys down in the village that say the same thing.  



[01:43:35] Unknown:

But yeah. So it sounds like the at least from the township's perspective, I can't wouldn't ask you to speak for the schools Yeah. Is  

[01:43:42] Unknown:

the fire department. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Funding  

[01:43:45] Unknown:

Yeah. Is the issue. Okay. Well, I like I said, that's probably my final question, but I do wanna give you both the floor   to say anything   that we didn't talk about or bring up any points that you want to. I'll just give you both the last word. Yeah. I mean, I the only thing I would add is that, you know, our residents are upset,  

[01:44:04] Unknown:

with the village and the funding issues.   The,   CJ Fed does have a levy on the ballot this year.   What I would say, you know, to that, that people are, you know, may may not wanna vote for it because of the issues with the village.   But what I would say is these services are needed.   It's not wasted money. CJ Fed is extremely responsible with what they have.   And, you know, I would think that,   it it would not be   unwise to vote for that levy or or a, win for the village. You know, there's a lot of things that are happening in our community, a lot of animosity in our community.   And I think, you know,   at some point, we need to   put this to bed. Yeah. And it needs   to end to a certain extent. And,   you know, we need to be better partners   Yeah. Both of us,   for the community.  

So  

[01:45:03] Unknown:

I just wanna say thank you for, you know, having this conversation with us. I think this gets the word out.   It's a good good to have conversations,   about these types of issues.   They're complicated. They're interconnected. You have multiple jurisdictions. You have laws that are referenced by ORC. Villages have different codes.   So it's it's a complicated conversation, but Yeah. This is the way that this is the new medium to do it. Yeah. I wish I had, like, a a drink to plug, but I don't. You don't. So You don't have anything you sell? I've listened to so many podcasts. That's usually when they say, well, I have a movie coming out. Yeah.  

[01:45:43] Unknown:

Or you start talking about the farmer's dog or something. Exactly.  

[01:45:46] Unknown:

Yeah. Your upcoming,   autobiography.   The,   yeah. And I would just say to any of our residents, you're more than welcome to come into our office or call.   We'll gladly answer any questions you have or issues,   you know, that I mean, I think we're very responsive and very connected to our residents. So,   I mean, we're pretty active on Facebook too. I mean, I try to answer   most of the questions. You answered my Instagram message. There you go. Interviewing Rex. I think you were my first Instagram message Really? For the record. Yeah. It's not we're not very hot on Instagram. So so follow us on Instagram. That messenger is actually a very busy neither here nor there. But I've gotten a lot of interviews by just messaging people on Instagram. Like, hey. Thanks for following me. Yeah. So, I mean, yeah, I work direct route. Yeah. It really is. I have my phone on me twenty four seven. So, like, if I'm sitting at home bored, I'm like, oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Okay. There's a there's a wasp Nest at the park. Let me let me get on that. You might not wanna publicize the Instagram messenger too much because then your phone might be blowing.  

[01:46:47] Unknown:

All the people are like, hey. By the way,   come plow my road.  

[01:46:52] Unknown:

Yeah. So,   but yeah. We   call us. Come to our website. You know? Follow us on social media. So,   yeah.  

[01:47:00] Unknown:

Cool. Well, listen. Thank you both very, very much, and, I just appreciate your time. Thank you.  

[01:47:07] Unknown:

Thank  

[01:47:17] Unknown:

you. Well, thank you very much to Karen and Taylor for sitting down with me. Like I said in the beginning, I I really thought it was a good interview, and   I I really appreciate them coming on and and just having a conversation about this.   And like I said in the beginning, if there is anyone out there   that can put me in contact with somebody from the airport, the village, or the schools, please let me know or any organization,   especially   if they are for this development.   I think it's very important to get the other side of this just so everything's balanced.   So   with all of that said, let's get into our events.  

There is a Sip and Savor Farm Inspired Cocktail Experience on September 26 from 6PM to 8PM   at the Losantiville   Farms in New Richmond.   This is a ticketed farm farm to cocktail event at Losantiville   flower farm.   You enjoy creative craft cocktails made with local ingredients,   and you get to learn mixology in an outdoor farm setting.   You do need to purchase tickets, and you can do that on the Los Anteville   Farms website.   Next up, we have a Sweetheart River Paddle, September 26 from 06:30 to 08:30PM   at the Shiloh Lock 34 Park. It is a guided romantic canoe paddle at sunset on the Ohio River.   You float upriver to the Crooked Run Estuary and back with canoes, life jackets, and paddles all provided for you.  

There's a Volunteer Invasive Plant Removal Workshop, September 27,   from 10AM   to 1PM   at Clingman Park. This is a hands on volunteer event to learn about, to learn about and remove   invasive plant species.   You'll work together,   to clear invasives from the park and enjoy a complimentary lunch. So it's very nice that they feed you.   The program is free, which makes sense because I don't   be odd that they make you pay to do this, but you do have to register.   And it is suitable for adults and teens.   So don't try to drag your five year old out and have them remove invasive plant species.   Next up, we have Heritage Crafts Black Walnut Dye on September 27 from 1PM to 5PM at Clingman Park.  

This is an adult craft workshop where a guest artist will teach you how to harvest black walnuts   and brew a natural dye. And if you ever work with black walnuts, man, those things, they'll stain you.   But you'll create your own small wrap dyed with walnut   and there are two sessions. There is one from one to 02:30PM   and another   from 03:30 to 5PM.   There is a five dollar   fee, and you do have to preregister,   which I imagine you are able to do on the park's website.   Claremont County food and farm tour, September   from 10AM to 08:30PM.  

This is gonna be in various Claremont County farms and markets,   and shout out to Sarah Eisen at Flourish in Rome. I believe she's participating,   and I think,   hopefully, my family is gonna try to get down there and say hi to her.   But it's a self guided tour,   and it, like I said, includes dozens of local farms and producers.   And they open up all their farms to the public, and you can meet the farmers. You can sample regional foods, explore agricultural heritage,   all at your own pace   at your own pace.   There'll be tastings, farm activities, local food experiences   all weekend. So check that out.  

We have the Tri State War Board Warbird   Museum war man, that is a tough word to say.   Warbird   flying showcase. Yeah. We did it. This is gonna be on September 27,   03:30 to 6PM   at the Tri State Warbird Museum.   It is a family friendly air show celebrating World War two aviation history. There'll be over 10 vintage World War two aircraft, and they're gonna be performing flying demonstrations.   You can watch from the lawn near the runway, enjoy on-site food trucks and ice cream. I don't like ice cream.   And learn about the museum's warbirds.   You do have to bring your own chairs and blankets, and general admission tickets are required.  

Kids 17 and under are free, though.   We have a community clothing swap, September 30 from six to 8PM at Pattison Lodge. This is a free community event to   protest fast fashion,   which I'll be honest with you, I don't really know what fast fashion is. But but you, you bring your gently used clothing to trade or give away,   exchanging,   items with others to refresh wardrobes   sustainably.   So if you need some new clothes, check that out.   Next up, we have the forty ninth annual Pumpkin Run Nationals, October   at the Claremont County Fairgrounds.   This is a large multi day classic car show and swap meet. It's Southwest Ohio's largest fall car event, featuring thousands of pre 1974   classic cars, hot rods, and trucks.  

It will include live music, food, and craft vendors,   a swap meet for auto parts, and family friendly contests.   Gates open early each day. It's gonna be 06:30AM   on Friday,   8AM   on Saturday, and Sunday.   And events run through the day and evening, and all the proceeds benefit children's and veterans charities, which is which is really nice.   Next, we have yoga in the park, October 4 at 9AM at Sycamore Park.   Much like all the other yogas in the park, it is a free outdoor yoga sessions for adults and teens. A certified instructor   will lead gentle nature inspired yoga on the first and third Saturdays of the month, so it is repeating.  

Participants are encouraged to bring a mat and enjoy a morning of relaxation and gentle exercise in a natural setting.   Next, we have the Milford Fall Festival on October 4 from twelve to 3PM at 5 Points Landing Park.   This is a family friendly fall festival.   That's a lot of f's there. The event features autumn activities and entertainment for all ages,   and it's hosted by Milford, obviously. And it's,   offers free fun for the entire family. So that sounds great.   Last.   Man, for some reason, before I was doing recording this, I was having trouble saying this in my head.   Wildy   Wildy second annual inclusive craft show on October 4,   9AM to 1PM   at Thomas a   Wildey   School. And I really hope I'm getting that one right. If I'm not, let me know.  

It is a community craft fair featuring vendors who create items for friends with unique needs   and works by artists with disabilities.   The show raises funds for special programs and experiences for   wild   day school students,   things like puppet shows, dances,   and field trips,   and showcases handmade crafts supporting the school's inclusive mission.   And that is all the events that I have for you. And I wanna make another quick note, and this has to do with events.   I really do my best to find as many as I can, and I know I don't get all of them. So if you know of an event or you have an event you'd like people to know about, just send us an email. Info at let's talk clairmont dot com.   And that's gonna lead us into our second pitch for value for value.  

We are a value for value podcast, and that means if you find value in what we're doing, we just ask that you show us a little value in return   in the form of time, talent, or treasure. For time and talent, let us know what's going on in your neighborhood. Let us know who you'd like to hear from in the interviews.   We want to talk about the things that are important to you, and we want to hear from the people that you wanna hear from.   For treasure, go to the website, www.let'stalkclairemont.com.   Click donate. You can donate via PayPal or Stripe,   and any dollar amount is appreciated. It helps us keep doing what we are doing, bringing you news and events and all this good stuff   right into,   right into your headphones, I suppose.  

So every dollar amount is appreciated, but for donations $50 and above, you'll get a special mention on the show. And for donations $200 and above, you will become an executive producer,   a credit which I will vouch for, and I'll read a note live on not live, but I'll read a note on air,   and it can be anything. Like I said in the beginning, it could be an ad read for your business. It could be bragging   about your kids. It could just be, you know, what you did that day. Whatever it is, you donate $200 to the show, and we'll get your note read.   And let me know what you think about that, that club for accumulative donations over a certain value. I think that'd be, that'd be fun to do.  

And, connect with us on Facebook, Let's Talk Claremont podcast, Instagram at Let's Talk Claremont. Sign up for the newsletter. Go to the website, www.let'stalkclaremont.com.   Click on newsletter. Put your email in there. And every Thursday,   you will get an email, with letting you know that the show is live,   and there'll be links out to all the stories that we're talking about, sometimes movie reviews, maybe music reviews, who knows. It's a fun little newsletter, so please sign up for it.   And you can follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whatever it is you use for podcast.   It really helps the show out, but it helps you out because you get a notification   anytime we publish a new show. And as always, if you just wanna get in touch and say hi, info@let'stalkclaremont.com.  

I'd love to hear from you.   That is all I have for you this week. I really appreciate you listening, and I hope you enjoyed the show.