The City Council meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 27 and the Planning Commission meeting scheduled for March 6 have been cancelled do to a lack of agenda items. The Council is scheduled to meet next on March 13 at 7:00. You can watch here for an agenda that is usually posted on Tuesday. The Planning Commission is next scheduled to meet April 3.
Private Developer’s Stadium Proposal Evolves
Too Long; Didn’t Read
The developers who own the private land near the corner of Reed-Hartman Highway and Pfeiffer Road, adjacent to Summit Park have refreshed their plan from a couple of years ago. They still propose a stadium with a nice hotel and multifamily housing and an office building but they have reduced the number of apartments, added a parking garage for events, and added plans for an indoor fieldhouse surrounded by a second hotel designed to host basketball and volleyball tournaments as well as dance and cheer competitions. They have also realized that a stadium built for one private school can’t anchor the development and so they have expanded its uses and are looking for a professional tenant.
The developer has indicated that they are almost ready to file a formal proposal for rezoning consideration. They just announced an open house on March 11 from 5:30-7pm in the Council Chambers at the Blue Ash Municipal building. Read more to see how we got to this point, the strengths and weaknesses of their proposal, and what may happen next.
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Gath Intends to Run for Reelection – Sign Nominating Petition
Council Member Brian Gath, who represents Ward 2 in Blue Ash, is announcing his intention to run for reelection for the same seat in this fall’s general election.
“I’ve enjoyed serving my community in this role and I feel like I’ve made a positive difference for my constituents and all of Blue Ash,” Gath said.
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The Difficulties and Opportunities of Redevelopment – AKA Real Life SimCity is Hard
In any city there are times when the uses for a property will change. Because we have so few undeveloped pieces of land, almost anything that is built in the City of Blue Ash requires that it be built on a piece of property that already has something on it. In the SimCity simulation, if you don’t like the way a piece of land is being used, the player can just knock it down and see if something better comes or they can change the zoning and see if that will be enough incentive for the market to make a positive change at the property.
In real life, such changes are not that easy. Changing how a piece of property is used costs money: money to retrofit the current building; money to knock down the old and build new; and, sometimes, money to incentivize a land use that is of particular value to the larger community. In addition the interest of the landowner, the property neighbors, and of the City should be considered.
Read more about what this might look like and how the proposal for a Wawa convenience store and gas station as well as a car wash fits.
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Kenwood Road Townhome Proposal Withdrawn
In a letter to the City of Blue Ash, Grand Communities LLC, a Fischer Group Company, withdrew its application to re-zone a portion of land along Kenwood Road to allow for the development of townhomes.
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Citizens of Blue Ash Academy is back in 2023 – Get a behind the scenes look at your city!
Note from Brian: I had the privilege to participate in the Citizens of Blue Ash Academy program when it was last held in 2020. It is very well run and I found it quite informative. If you are considering participating I would encourage you to go for it. Feel free to contact me if you have questions about my experience.
The City of Blue Ash is pleased to announce that the Citizens of Blue Ash Academy (COBA) program will return in early 2023, and sign-ups are underway now!
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