Representatives from the developer who had proposed building a mixed-use, youth-sports focused development, including a stadium and a field house on the private land next to Summit Park has withdrawn their application. “We have heard the community’s feedback and believe it is in all parties’ best interests to reevaluate the development of the remaining undeveloped Summit View PUD property,” wrote Steven Dragon on behalf of Vandercar. You can read the withdraw letter here.

Why did they withdraw?

Earlier this week the developer told the Enquirer that he believed that the project wasn’t going to pass. He was right. This proposal was causing strong feelings on both sides – feelings that were not good for our city. I’ve heard more talk about “they” and “them” in the last three months than I’ve heard my entire time living in Blue Ash. One thing that makes Blue Ash the best place to live in Ohio is that our residents – families and businesses alike – have a long history of collaborating to get the best results. We need to get back to that.

What comes next?

While the developer didn’t say what sorts of changes they were considering, I’m convinced that these changes will be significant enough to require the developer to re-start the approval process. That means seeking approval from the Planning Commission, that means a public hearing in front of Council, and that means multiple meetings of council before the proposal can be considered. I suspect it will take several months for the developer to settle on a new proposal and then it will take several months before council could vote. When this happens, the city, my fellow Council Members and I will do everything we can to inform our neighbors so they can again take part in the process.

How to get a plan that will pass council

In my opinion the only way to get an approved concept development plan, short of building what was approved in 2016, is to begin with collaboration: collaboration with council, collaboration with neighbors, collaboration with community groups. Currently, the community does not trust the developer. Trust must be built. That will take effort and that will take time.

There are elements of the proposed project that have promise but need refinement:

• The Fieldhouse would draw a steady stream of visitors to Summit Park and the surrounding business throughout the year – even in the middle of winter when business struggle and the park is mostly empty. However, the previous proposal had too many hotel rooms. The rooms need to be significantly reduced, built in phases, or delayed until more rooms from existing hotels are removed from inventory.
• The business hotel would meet a need identified by our business residents but here too we must consider the overall number of hotel rooms included as well as the existing inventory of hotel rooms. Right now the city has too many.
• The element that contributed the least to the project and caused the most concern was the stadium. Best case, it goes away entirely and is replaced with a smaller adult-focused venue. If some sort of stadium/entertainment venue/sport court is included, the developer should engage with local (as in Blue Ash) groups and find a way to ensure a broad range of users. Even better find land a minor league baseball or soccer team to anchor the venue. If the Blue Ash Blue Fins agree to swim at a new natatorium, if the Greater Sycamore Soccer Association will use new fields, if the Sycamore Athletic Boosters or the Sycamore Community Schools endorse a new facility, that would go a long way to gaining community support.
• If the next plan includes an “authority” or some sort of tax-exempt entity, the plan needs to be well thought out and communicated – again in collaboration with community partners.
• If there is the possibility of large events that depend on surrounding, existing parking infrastructure, detailed plans for how that will work and how people will be discouraged from filling free park parking or invading residential neighborhoods need to be developed. When I go to an Ohio State football game, I’ve found the best place to park is near the big shuttle bus stops that convey people from west campus to the stadium. Maybe bussing can be part of the solution.
• A successful plan will include an appropriate amount of additional housing and retail.

Not every objection raised is a problem

You may be surprised to see that I didn’t list your primary objection in my list of things that need to change. First, I’m writing this quickly so I may have missed something. And, I don’t agree that some things will be a problem. The land we are talking about was intended to host as many as 4,000 workers a day in offices. The infrastructure, as it is, was designed to handle that amount of traffic. The roads surrounding Summit Park were designed to accommodate this traffic plus thousands of additional cars from the former P&G facilities. The roads will be fine with a similarly sized usage. I am also confident that a quality project will not have a significant negative impact on police or fire services.

You are encourage to participate if you’re willing to be part of the solution

As this will be a public process, everyone is allowed to play a role. I hope everyone will choose to be constructive. If you are willing, I especially encourage you to participate in building trust and in collaborating with developers (if they are willing to dialog). As we do, we have to remember that this is a private development on private land paid for with private money. Just as I shouldn’t expect a backyard pool you might be building to provide a significant benefit to me, we must accept that not everything that will come to this land will provide an obvious benefit to us.

As you talk about the possibilities with your friends and neighbors, I invite you to consider the language you choose to use. Do they invite relationship, are they kind, are they neighborly?

This won’t be an easy process. Frankly things are in a pretty bad spot right now. However, I am confident that if we have a willing partner, the city and the community will step up to find a good outcome for this land.