Make no mistake; this is a high density development

By  Robert Rau

My name is Robert Rau, and my wife and I live at 106 Hawks Ridge Circle in Brandywine Subdivision.  Tonight, or in some coming meeting, you, as our elected representatives on the Loveland City Council, will be asked to vote on an Ordinance establishing a Special Planning District for two parcels of property located along Butterworth Road and Ohio State Route 48, effectively re-zoning it from its current low density, single family home status to a high density attached clustered home status.

This property, to be known as the Summit Pointe Community, consists of approximately 16 acres, now known as the Crane property, on which a developer plans to build 70 (or 72) condominium units, plus the adjoining approximately 11 acre parcel known as the Christman property, which has been bought and owned by the City of Loveland, ostensibly as a City of Loveland public park.   

We would like to register our objections to the proposed re-zoning of these two properties.  The developer is painting a picture of 15 beautiful buildings, containing 70 (or 72) attached condominium units, on nicely landscaped grounds, all contained within the 16 acre Crane property, but including the adjoining 11 acre City of Loveland public park property for density calculations.  This yields an artificially lowered density of 2.6 dwelling units per acre, on 27 acres, rather than the real density of 4.4 units per acre on 16 acres.  Make no mistake; this is a high density development that flies in the face of the Loveland Comprehensive Plan of 2002, which includes among the stated Goals and Strategies for the North State Route 48 Area to “Maintain similar development densities for all new development or redevelopment” and to “Preserve open space, rural atmosphere, river quality of the Little Miami River, and other areas of sensitive development.”  The proposed re-zoning and development runs directly contrary to these two points.

The argument has been made that the method of density calculation for the proposed Summit Pointe development is similar to that used at the White Pillars development on the east side of Loveland in Clermont County.  This is not a valid comparison.  The White Pillars property is a considerably larger, single contiguous parcel, and the land retained by the City of Loveland and used as green space in the density calculation was contained within the original parcel.  That green space land at White Pillars, consisting of the stream banks, a cemetery, the original house plot, and land for a water tower, was not bought by the city as an adjoining piece for a public park.   

The proposed City of Loveland Public Park included in this proposal should not be included.  By the time this 11-acre City of Loveland parcel is carved up and developed to provide an elaborate entryway to the condominiums, as well as possibly being carved up to provide space for additional condo buildings and parking in the future, as was originally proposed, the remaining space will no longer really be a park useful to the public.  This 11-acre parcel should not be included in the request for re-zoning at all, or in the density calculations.  And although it may be technically legal to include this 11-acre public parcel, bought with public funds, in the density calculations for a private development, it certainly appears to be morally unethical, and would set a dangerous precedent which the City of Loveland should not follow.  Including this public land in the density calculations makes no more sense than would including the adjoining public roadway and highway areas.

As an aside, the 11-acre public park is being presented as a “free” park, with no cost to the citizens of Loveland, through the creative financing of a “TIF”, or Tax Increment Financing.  This method of financing does not really provide a park “free” to the public, but rather uses property taxes captured from the proposed Summit Pointe development to pay for the property.  This diverts those tax monies from the funds required to support the normal services and infrastructure provided by the City of Loveland to a special fund to pay for the park land.  Funding for services and infrastructure would still be required, on an increased level with the addition of a developed Summit Pointe, and that funding would come from the taxpayer, directly or indirectly.

Finally, the developer of the proposed Summit Pointe states that only a multi-family development of this magnitude is economically feasible.  Perhaps this indicates that the land is over-priced and that the developer is paying too much money for it.  The City of Loveland and its citizens are not obligated to provide profit making opportunities for commercial developers.  If development of these parcels must take place, it should be within the confines of single family homes consistent with the existing low density requirements.  No re-zoning should be made.

Over the past month or so many citizens of Loveland and the surrounding area have appeared before the Planning and Zoning Commission and this Council to speak about this proposed Summit Pointe development.  Not one of them has spoken in favor of this development.  Doesn't  that send a message?  Tonight I respectfully urge you, Mr. Bednar, Mr. Elliott, Mr. Weisgerber, Mr. Schickel, Mr. Daly, Mrs. Showler, and Mr. Osborne, as our elected representatives, to vote against this Special Planning District and zoning change. 

Thank you.

(This is a re-print of an address given at the Loveland City Council Meeting, July 10, 2007)