More housing may be coming to fast-growing Delaware County, following the Delaware County Board of Commissioners' approval of two land annexations for housing development in the city of Delaware.
An annexation petition for almost 117 acres of land in Berlin Township to the city was granted by the board Sept. 17. A separate petition was approved for around 58 acres of land from the Village of Galena Sept. 3 after it was previously blocked. The board received more information about Galena's plan for road maintenance, which led to the eventual approval.
Attorney Michael Shade is representing the property owner of the land from Berkshire Township. All acreage of the property is located below Berlin Station Road, Shade said, and within the Southeast
Focus Area, an area of 3,000 acres with a large tract of undeveloped land.
The annexed land is designed for residential use, with utilities to be provided by the city of Delaware. Notably, the land falls within the Olentangy Local School District. The district recently broke ground on its 18th elementary school and fifth high school, and it's the state's fourth-largest district at around 24,000 students and counting.
The developer behind the 58-acre annexation is Maronda Homes, a residential developer, Tom Hart, an attorney representing Maronda Homes, said. Currently, the land planned for development is a farm and may need to be rezoned, Galena Mayor Jeff Kinnell said. Additionally, Kinnell said the village must bring sewer lines to service the area.
It will take a significant amount of time before any real development occurs, Hart said. After the Board of Commissioners approves an annexation, Galena City Council will have to vote on it, and council members could go through multiple readings before making a decision.
If the land annexation is passed by council, the rezoning process can take between four to eight months.
Dispatch Reporter Nora Igelnik can be reached at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Delaware land annexations prime the pump for more housing in fast-growing county
