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Pickerington: Mystery Community? No! Try, ''Laughing Stock!''
Pickerington is laughable when it comes to trying to attract ?“real?” businesses to their community. Oh, they?’ll tell you, ?“We?’ve got a movie theater, restaurants, and a few specialty stops in strip malls?”, but what about real businesses? What about businesses that are not directly linked to residential/retail customers? Nadda! Zippo, you won?’t find any.
Pickerington has no industrial base, nor any plan to get an industrial base. They just plain don?’t know how to do it!
When cities incorporate they are given the privilege of raising money through taxes. They are also burdened with maintenance of the lands that they now ?“own?”. Hence the reason for the need to maintain a diversified tax base?…
As far as compensating schools for lost tax revenue due to tax abatements that attract ?“legitimate?” businesses, as per the ?‘mystery community?’ article, Pickerington actually TAKES MONEY AWAY from our schools to help them (the city) finance infrastructure improvement projects to attract more retail and even more residential development! Sounds ludicrous, I know, but that is exactly what is going on. Our school board says nothing except, ?“we?’ll need a new levy in 2002 or early 2003.?” Well, we wouldn?’t need one if our board were protecting our money!
Pickerington?’s TIF?’s take money away from our schools and our schools have to get their money somewhere. That?’s exactly why we true township residents are ticked off! They are using our tax money (school tax dollars [half city; half township]) to enabled themselves to build more homes!!!
Now, being an unincorporated Violet Township resident that I am, I could not care less what Pickerington does?… AS LONG AS IT DOES NOT EFFECT ME OR MY WALLET (this is P.A.T.A. I'm talking to right...''T'' = ''taxpayer''!)
But now it is affecting me, so I?’ve got to start hitting below the belt! Pickerington?’s former Mayor, Lee Gray, now works for Dominion Homes!!!! Does that tell you anything Pickerington residents? Pickerington is so close to homebuilders that one scarcely knows where the homebuilders end and Pickerington City Hall begins.
You city residents are doomed if you don?’t wake up!!. Once the cat is out of the bag, and Pickerington?’s true financial picture is exposed, your property values will either remain stagnant or home values will begin to show moderate decline. All this will happen as Pickerington City Hall insists that they must have a tax increase, ?“or else?”.
And all this while I?’ll be saying, ?“I told you so?…..?”
By u.v.t.r.
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Good points XXX community not us
Well u.v.t.r. - Good points regarding some of the differences between the ?“Mystery Community?” XXX and Pickerington. Your right community XXX isn?’t Pickerington.
Community XXX is developing a ?“Business Center?” of 950 acres. Pickerington (and Violet Township) are developing over 1,100 acres of subdivisions.
Community XXX pays for roads out of budgetary funds. Pickerington pays for them out of bonds and grants. Did you know that the Courtright realignment (the subdivision into the northern end of Pickerington Run) was bonded at approximately $150,000.00 ?– as this subdivision didn?’t line up with the rest of the land uses by the Post Office. A very good example of poor planning and bailing out the developer after the fact. We?’re now supposed to be ?“proud?” that we got a ?“good?” bond rating and finance charge on this project. The question should be about the embarrassment of lacking forethought and planning and wasting funds to fix something that should have been done right in the first place. Don?’t forget that bond?’s financing requires payment of the principle and interest.
TIF?’s rather than abatements --- You nailed it again. TIF funds go to pay for the infrastructure improvements. The business moving into the TIF?’d are still pay their share of taxes ?– but the funds go to fund the improvements. Portions of those taxes would have gone to the schools, police, fire, etc. ?– but they get applied to the improvements instead. One might have a very legitimate question about a community?’s ability to finance a business center concept strictly under a TIF mode.
Our former Mayor is noted for ?“working?” with Homewood not Dominion (your conjecture otherwise could be true ?– but I just wanted to clarify). One other interesting note would be to listen to the taped discussion of the Planning & Zoning meeting related to the discussion and final vote of the Cell Tower. It sheds great light into how a business might feel toward location in this community. How business friendly is a community who?’s Mayor tells AT&T that he wishes they would take their Cell Tower elsewhere ?– local residents have other choices in meeting their cellular communication needs? I heard this one with my own ears, as did about a dozen and a half people, and just couldn?’t believe it was said. I also couldn?’t believe it received no public reaction for the Chamber of Commerce.
So community XXX isn?’t Pickerington, your right.
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XXX = Dublin
It sounds like Dublin. dublin has a strong business and commercial base, a fair amount of condo and apartment units, very nicely designed and quite upscale looking. They have a world famous golf course that Tiger is proud to play on, Muirfield. They have just completed a new road that goes from a major interchange through a cornfield to the business center. It has stubs for driveways and roads, it has turn lanes, it has water and sewer services. This major project was done in a manner that was keeping with their plan. The business end had a stub ready for the road to connect to. It is obvious that there is some planning. The City of Dublin just completed a bridge repair and upgrade project that they should be very proud of. On 161/33 west of 270 the Avery road exit and overpass is something to behold. It is retentin ponds with fountains and lights, stone work along the highway and exits, landscaping with plants and flowers. Pickerington's parks are not this nice. In fact Pickerington's parks SUCK compared to Dublin's exit ramps. I do not know how Dublin paid for extras, but it certainly is a nice touch. When you enter Dublin from 161/33 you get a good feeling when you see the fountains and landscaping, when you come off 70 into Pickerington you are met with traffic congestion and one sign, (that sign is nice).
Dublin is now expanding it's residential base, the commercial base is in place and the schools are being funded and future growth can take place at a good rate between Residential and commercial.
I am very glad I do not live in Pickerington and will fight as hard as I can not to live there or be sucked in. I will also help others to fight the undertow that they may feel if the wave of annexatin draws near. [To contact me you can send a messge through Bob Harding or PATA]
By Violet
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XXX not Dublin - a comparison
Well Violet a very good guess ?…. But Dublin is not the ?“Mystery Community?”
XXX yet Dublin has a lot going for it. Their balance between residential and commercial / industrial is much more in line with a community that will not be snow under with debt from the cost of community services as they develop agricultural land into either Commercial / Industrial or residential. Their building codes are certainly something many communities could model after. The Rt 161/33 exit was quite costly, but it does make a significant statement as one enters their community. This type of inviting ?“entrance?” is part of what signifies a community as inviting to business and residents. They have certainly made transportation improvements that will aid the growth of their business parks and lead to the increases in that tax base.
Their park system is growing, particularly related to soccer, and is very impressive between Avery Park and Daree Fields. Many local parents know this as they drive cross-town to compete against the Dublin teams. Beside their electrical utility pole lines and rail lines they have placed some of their recreational opportunities (parks) ?– not more subdivisions, as we do here. Like many beltway communities they?’re feeling growing pains, but they have utilized their proximity to freeways and highways to a very good advantage. A higher level of taxation ?– definitely! However, they have made a significant commitment to maintaining property values for both their business and residential property owners.
Dublin schools also acquire a much greater level of financial support from area business. This is not to speak against our local businesses that support our schools, but the disparate in potential is very dramatic.
As Pickerington has now annexed the township lands southward along Diley Road there will be a very interesting dichotomy to a traveler that is unfamiliar with this area that exits off the new Rt 33 ?– Hill/Diley interchange. One wonders what the future signs will be? A traveler will first see the Canal Point Industrial Park. A short distance north, as they enter Pickerington and the PLSD, they will then run straight into the 520 homes of a newly approved subdivision by Dominion Homes ?– coincidentally based out of Dublin, OH. The subdivision is full of ice cube tray stacked homes (just look at the Preliminary ?– which was also the Final Plot plan). Nice homes on 8,500 square foot lots ?– just like the township R1 zoning of 20,000 square foot lots (must be new math). Dominion?’s contributions to the PLSD will be $0.00, unless they kick into a future levy campaign to have all area residents?’ increase their millage burden for support of the schools. Their homes to the west of Diley Road will be squeezed into a section of our ?“FORMERLY?” identified Business Park. The traveler with then see our impressive, increased capacity pumping facility for ground water sources of the underground aquifer. This as R.D Zande (representing both the developer and the City of Pickerington) says it is o.k. to pump and pump and pump (February 2001 report). Ponds, well Pickerington Ponds isn?’t in view over the rooftops. Just up the road the traveler will get a dramatic view of the newly proposed and constructed $25,000.00 retention pond paid, in part, from the storm water fee (not tax) of the local residents.
No community XXX isn?’t Dublin ?– or Pickerington.
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