UNION — An ordinance accepting the annexation of 86.248 acres in Butler Township was adopted Monday under emergency status at the Sept. 25 meeting of Union city council.
Owners of the property requested to be annexed into the city.
A public hearing was held for a change in zoning for the land from A-R Agricultural-Residential to L-I Light Industrial after the annexation was accepted. The land is located on the west side of Peters Pike on the south side of N. Montgomery County Line Road.
No one spoke in opposition to the change in zoning.
Mike Desch, owner of Airport Deluxe Indoor RV Storage located at 11710 Peters Pike, said the zoning change would benefit his business but was concerned about how the widening of Peters Pike would impact customer access.
“Where our setback is and how we are setup, we are geared to handle 45 foot motor homes, large fifth wheels with big dualies (four wheels on the rear axle),” Desch noted.
He explained that where his gate is located and the length of the driveway the motor homes and fifth wheels can safely access his business while waiting to get the gate open. He was concerned his business might lose some of its driveway depending on how the road is widened.
“We would hate for a trailer to be sticking six, eight, or ten feet out into the road as they are entering their gate code to enter the property,” Desch said.
City Manager John Applegate discussed the plan to widen Peters Pike to three lanes. The city will contact each property owner that has a current entrance / exit to the roadway.
The city has just started working on the preliminary plan to widen the road. Applegate said the city would be widening the road within the existing 60 foot right-of-way.
“We will meet with you once we start locating and pinpointing utilities and we find out more about what needs to done,” Applegate explained. “We would like to talk to you about just annexing just the right-of-way in front your parcel.”
The city will also talk to owners of another four parcels in an effort to annex right-of-way in front of their properties.
“Until we get the full plans and see the preliminary information I can address your concerns a lot better,” Applegate said.
He said he could then sit down with Desch to show how the road widening would impact his business.
In a related matter, council adopted an ordinance under emergency status to amend the official zoning district map to reflect the change in zoning for the annexed acreage.
The next meeting of city council is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 10 due to the observance of Columbus Day on Oct. 9. Meetings are held in the City of Union Municipal Building, 118 N. Main St. at 7:30 p.m. The entrance to the council chambers is located at the back of the building adjacent to the parking lot.
Reach Ron Nunnari by email: [email protected].
