Nick McWilliams reporting – With a proposed housing development on the north end of Dover, the city is looking to make the next step while some in the neighborhood have concerns.
The proposal would see construction of 30 custom homes built by Lawver Homes in an area to be named Crimson Cove near the northern border of the city.
In order to assist with what they called the first major housing development in years in the city, officials want to utilize tax increment financing, or a TIF, to invest in the company’s endeavor.
Mayor Shane Gunnoe says that the TIF, which is intended to play the long-term game by diverting some tax costs for the construction of the homes and incorporation of the lot, would have the ultimate goal of eventually recovering the public infrastructure costs.
“The current lot pays approximately $250 a year in property tax revenue. Using the assumption over 10 years of a $400,000 home, and the developer has quoted the price of the homes at $350,000 and up, the TIF creates approximately $181,000 in new tax revenue from third parties.”
The proposal, which is in its early planning phases, would require the developer to not introduce more water than currently flows into Goettge Run, the stream that runs near the planned site.
Despite the hearing organized with the purpose of solely discussing the tax measure, runoff and flood water was the main sticking point for some residents from the city, who said that plans to introduce two inches of fill to negate flooding concerns would not do enough.
Resident Roger Tylke (till-key) was worried that the current floodplain was established almost four decades ago in 1987, and that current rain waters bring levels to the cusp of overflowing.
“When the flood waters come up, it’s right there at the top, and it scares the heck out of me. And any more water at all is a concern. I’ll stop there with that because there’s going to be studies done, and hopefully they can figure it out.”
Another resident, Jill Lengler, the former Tuscarawas County floodplain coordinator and regional planning director, had concerns on who takes responsibility of the retention pond after the developer completes work. She also wanted to see extensive work in establishing a floodway, and adherence to more “strenuous” standards than current EPA regulations.
Gunnoe says that the early plans call for a dry water retention pond to negate water, something that the concerned residents were not fully sold on.
In total, around five individuals spoke about their concerns.
The tax issue and the development as a whole is expected to receive more conversation in upcoming meetings while the early planning phases continue and studies are completed.
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