“We are starting to position ourselves as a premier city in the region due to our location and proximity to the Air Force base and city of Dayton. We are a great location and attracting attention just proves that point more,” he said.
“Have you ever thought about why we need this, about the taxes it’s going to generate, about the longevity of the city of New Carlisle itself? We should have a right to make sure the longevity of this city is there, and we have a right for this city to grow.”
The potential developments would be at New Carlisle Road, west of Scarff Road; Addison-New Carlisle Road, north of the Northwoods subdivision; on the east side of Ohio 235 and north of Twin Creeks.
The developments are proposed on a combined 586-acres.
DDC Management has a purchase agreement for a 115-acre farm in Miami County where it plans to build 298-single family homes. If approved, the new community would be at 8805 E. New Carlisle Road, at the corner of Scarff Road, which is at the edge of Miami County and adjacent to the Clark County border.
The cost of the homes will start at about $250,000. All of the land would be annexed from Miami County, according to the proposal.
DDC Management has contacted the Miami County Engineer’s office to inquire about annexing the land into New Carlilse, Miami County Administrator Charlotte Colley said. However, an annexation proposal has not officially been submitted and the process has not been started.
Bridge said there has been no formal paperwork submitted to start the annexation process, but the developer has submitted a review of the plat of land that was approved in March.
“We are unsure of the final plan. There has been review of the preliminary plat, but the planning board had some concerns around density and lot widths,” he said. “(The planning board) presented concerns and recommendations, and (the developer) is coming back to resubmit the preliminary plat.”
Before New Carlisle City Council takes any action on the plan, the developer must go through the annexation process in Miami County. Once that process has been started in Miami County, the New Carlisle council would then have to pass a resolution that states the services the city can provide.
Bridge said no proposal has been made to council and the annexation or services agreement has not yet been passed. He said council is working with Bethel Twp. to draft and approve the annexation agreement.
As for next steps regarding this development, Bridge said they are still talking about financing, zoning and final plat approval.
“We are still quite a bit away from anything formal because of the legislative processes we have to go through,” he said.
A joint business meeting with New Carlisle City Council and Bethel Twp., Miami County Board of Trustees was held to discuss the potential annexation and development.
Bethel Twp. Trustee Don Black said the township is opposed to the annexation. He said the township has lost 1,030 acres to annexation since 1988, which is 5% of the township.
New Carlisle does not have to reach an annexation agreement with Bethel Twp. in order for this annexation to occur. However, reaching an agreement is a way for the township to have some limited input into the annexation and development of the property.
Black added that the school district borders would not change, and the children who go to Bethel High School will continue to do so.
New Carlisle Planning Director Derek Hutchinson said if the annexation does go through, the only thing that will change is it will be considered New Carlisle and use the city’s utilities.
“I want to do what I think the citizens would want, what’s best for the city as far as the tax base, what will bring a better future to the city of New Carlisle or be able to move the city in the right direction to bring new business,” said New Carlisle Mayor Mike Lowrey.
The early stages of the plan for this nearly 300-home development started in February.
Opponents for this additional housing say it will lead to a population increase that will stretch resources and impact the schools.
Residents in both Clark and Miami counties expressed their concerns about the proposed project.
Jason Layton, who lives on New Carlisle Road near the proposed housing site, said he’s concerned that additional housing will bring additional traffic and lead to an influx of students in the Bethel Local School District.
Layton is opposed to the project and said a few key points residents have regarding the new site is childhood occupancy of the new neighborhood schools, the traffic impact and the environmental impact on Silver Lake.
“Bethel and many New Carlisle residents remain firmly against the annexation and development. It’s not right for Bethel school and we township residents don’t want the extra traffic or the environmental impact on Silver Lake,” he said.
The Silver Lake property is owned by Jeff Morford and his 35+ member family. He said the property is approximately 100-acres with 17-acres of lake, and is one of less than 120 naturally formed lakes in Ohio that has been there for 10,000 years.
“I am still and will always be against the 300-house development DDC plans to put at Scarff and Lake because of habitat and environment issues for the honey creek corridor,” he said. “In my mind, the new residents and voters can change the fiber of New Carlisle.”
As Morford continues to be opposed to the development and suggests leaving it agricultural, he has gotten signatures from residents against it. He said he went door-to-door and set up at a local church and got 117 residents who signed against the development.
700 new homes proposed.
Arbor Homes proposed a 83-acre site in Bethel Twp., Clark County to build 300-single family homes. The vacant land would need to be annexed but not across county lines, Bridge said. If approved, the new community would be at Addison-New Carlisle Road, north of the Northwoods Subdivision.
The proposed layout would include 12 floor plans; six or more elevation styles per floor plan; structural options including basement, sunrooms and room extensions; interior options such as gourmet kitchen and deluxe master bathrooms; vinyl siding; and masonry, according to the plan.
The other development is proposed by D.R. Horton to build 400-single family homes on the 145-acre Brubaker farm property on the east side of 235, north of the Chrysler dealership.
The developer had a concept plan they presented earlier this month, but due to the floodplain and studies they did, they had to revamp it.
Hutchinson said this development is unique because the developer plans to leave space near Ohio 235 for commercial use.
This project has no timeline of when the developers will submit their plan.
Fourth proposed development
A fourth potential development was proposed by a private owner of 200-acres and the Clark County Land Bank of 43-acers to build 700-single family homes that would be north of Twin Creek. The project has no developer yet, and no concept plans have been made.
Revenue from these homes will go right back into existing neighborhoods and infrastructure to repair streets and do more projects, Bridge said.
“We are hopeful that the legislative bodies are receptive to the great work the administration has brought them,” he said.
City welcoming to projects
Hutchinson said the city didn’t go after these developments, the property owners and developers came to them. He said once a property owner and developer want to work with with them, they will welcome concept plans and ideas on how to get residential and commercial properties.
“This is just the start. There’s going to be many years to follow with improvement and growth, commercially and residentially. The benefits from this for the community are going to be huge,” he said. “We want to do things right and make sure this is a benefit.”
New Carlisle has a population of 5,559 in 2,086 households. Over the next 10 years with the four potential developments, the population is estimated to increase by 4,414 in an additional 1,698 households, bringing the total to 9,973 people in 3,784 households by 2030.
New Carlisle was named the second healthiest housing market in Ohio, according to an annual Ohio housing market study by SmartAsset.
SmartAsset is a financial technology company, founded in 2012, centered around publishing articles, guides, reviews, calculators and tools to assist people in making decisions about personal finance. The study surveyed cities and towns by evaluating homeowner and housing market factors, such as the number of years that residents remain in the same home, percentage of homes decreasing in value, and others.
“We didn’t know that we’d be in this study like this... We’ve had a lot of activity with certain developers having interest in our town; we didn’t know what that was coming from, and then all of a sudden we were notified of this article being published with the scoring criteria; and it all made sense to us at that point in time,” Bridge said previously.
Bridge credited the high placement on the survey as a result of the city’s residents since the scoring was measured by metrics such as how many years residents remained in their homes and the risk of homes decreasing in value. He said that means people want to stay in the city.
Bridge, who has been city manager since 2015, said he has worked hard to make positive changes, including getting finances in order, doing street repairs and putting money into the parks.
“You need all that foundation, so people want to stay here, and move into your city. I think people are starting to notice that New Carlisle is changing, becoming a sought-after destination to live in,” he said.
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