Residents along River Road in Newark-Granville area oppose adding multifamily housing
NEWARK − The section of River Road from Thornwood Drive Southwest to Canyon Road is short, just 1.2 miles, but it has a long history of disputes about housing developments.
A potential new development continues that tradition.
The latest focus lies south of River Road, just west of Thornwood Drive, in the city of Newark. Two River Road residents in the Granville Exempted Village School District and one in the Newark City School District said they were recently approached by a real estate agent seeking to buy their land for a multifamily housing development.
The housing shortage in Licking County and the thousands of employees coming to work at Intel Corp.’s $20 billion computer chip manufacturing facilities near Johnstown have combined to put development pressures on much of Licking County.
River Road is not only where Newark and Granville school districts meet, and where suburban and rural lifestyles intermingle; it’s where housing developers and new housing opponents clash.
Allison Sergio, who lives in the 2900 block of River Road in the city of Newark and the Granville school district, across from Redwood Apartment Neighborhoods, said Scottenstein Real Estate talked to her about a month ago about her property.
"I know it’s in the name of progress, but I don’t like it," Sergio said.
“I feel like I’m living in the Land of Lorax, tearing down trees. I’m going to have to be faced with all these apartments. I don’t know how to fight this.”
Sergio said two of her neighbors have agreed to sell, one of them owning 20 acres.
Dr. Mourad Abdelmessih, a neurologist who lives next to Sergio in the 2900 block of River Road in the Granville district, said he declined an offer from Schottenstein Real Estate and opposes adding multifamily housing along River Road. He moved there in 1996, a few years before construction started on the Park Trails housing subdivision, which began the area’s transformation.
Abdelmessih said he prefers single-family housing to multifamily housing because there is “less burden on the streets and on the schools.”
But he said what he really prefers is the rural environment that was there when he moved into his home.
“I like to see the cows,” Abdelmessih said. “We know the area is going to develop. It’s going to happen someday, but we can ride the storm as long as we can.”
Jeanne Crumrine, who lives just east of Sergio on River Road in the city of Newark, but in the Newark school district, said she reached a preliminary agreement with Schottenstein Real Estate on the sale of her 5 acres on River Road. She said it was hard to pass up.
“The only reason I would is because of the offerings,” Crumrine said. “What do you do? I’m older. Nobody wants to be surrounded by apartments. We’re just in an LOI, letter of intent. No contract. I’m waiting. It’s ultimately up to the city to allow the rezoning.”
Newark City Engineer Brian Morehead said the city is aware of the latest development possibilities on River Road.
“Schottenstein has been in here and said they’re interested in doing a project in the city and will be looking around, but we don’t know exactly who they’ll be talking to,” Morehead said. “We haven’t seen any plans or layouts, but I know developers are talking to all kinds of folks in that area.”
Morehead said everything on the south side of River Road and west of Thornwood Drive is zoned single-family residential, so Schottenstein would need rezoning approval to move forward with any apartment project.
Jason Ullman, a real estate agent who said he represents a potential developer, said he is not aware of any timeline or deadline for the developer to purchase the properties or begin the development.
“They’re just trying to acquire some ground to get some projects started,” Ullman said. “I am just trying to get neighbors interested in selling. They’ve been very open to speaking with me; not a door-in-the-face situation. Development is coming to Newark, regardless.”
Other housing developments
About a mile away, south and just east of Thornwood Drive SW, Vista Properties plans a nine-building, 308-unit apartment complex on West Main Street, between Thornwood Drive SW and Coffman Road.
Scott Hartley, regional partner for Vista Properties, said 42 acres are under contract and three of four parcels were rezoned in September. Hartley said he hopes the project will be on the Newark Planning Commission agenda in January.
The development will include one- and two-bedroom apartments in two- or three-story split buildings. If approvals are obtained from the city, Visa Properties could break ground in summer 2024, he said.
Another housing development is underway on the north side of River Road, between Park Trails and Redwood Apartment Neighborhoods, where Rockford Homes is building Willow Bend, a 67-lot housing subdivision on 30 acres.
Ever since Granville Township landowner Gebhard Keny filed a request Oct. 31, 1994, for his 281-acre property to be annexed into Newark, River Road has been a battleground. Keny had the land under contract for sale to Columbus developer M/I Schottenstein Homes, which eventually built 361 homes.
A five-year court fight followed Keny’s request, with the Ohio Supreme Court approving the annexation on May 13, 1998. Granville Township Trustees appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the fight ended Oct. 6, 1999, when Granville Village Council approved a resolution in support of an agreement between Granville Exempted Village Schools, M/I Schottenstein Homes and the city of Newark to provide at least $3.3 million to Granville schools during the next 20 years.
The Park Ridge housing subdivision developed on the south side of River Road, just across from Park Trails. Redwood Apartment Neighborhoods was built on the north side of River Road.
The Licking County Auditor's Office shows 489 parcels on Park Trails, Park Ridge and River Bend. Add in 113 apartments in Redwood, and that’s an estimated 600 households emptying onto River Road before the addition of the Rockford Homes development and any Schottenstein apartment development.
Impact on schools
Newark and Granville school districts have taken a somewhat different approach to housing developments adding to their enrollments.
In March 2021, overwhelming opposition from the community and Granville school officials halted Corridor Development’s plans to build 322 homes and 180 apartments on 111 acres within the Granville school district boundaries.
Newark Service Director Dave Rhodes, who is also director of the Newark Planning Commission, told Corridor Development he would not approve the rezoning, prompting Corridor to cancel its request.
Granville Schools Superintendent Jeff Brown said he continues to monitor all potential housing developments in the district because Granville schools are all near capacity
“I’ve heard rumors of some type of apartments,” Brown said of the River Road activity. "The parcels identified were in Newark (district), and one parcel in Granville Schools of less than 5 acres. Every new development matters when it comes to future growth.”
An August 2022 report projected enrollment would double in Granville schools by 2050. Capacity at the time of the report was about 90% in the elementary school, almost 100% in the intermediate school, 79% in the middle school and nearly 81% at the high school.
In Newark schools, the situation is much different.
Newark superintendent Dave Lewis said the district has lost enrollment, from between 6,400 and 6,500 students before COVID to about 6,000 now. He said it’s been a nationwide trend.
“COVID pushed people to other forms of education,” Lewis said. “An increase in homeschooling, charter schools or other online academies.”
The district acquired the former State Farm building, where three preschool classes from Cherry Valley and Hillview elementary schools will move in fall 2024, freeing up more space. River Road students attend Cherry Valley Elementary and Wilson Middle School.
“They’re not busting at the seams,” Lewis said of those two schools. “There’s going to be a lot of growth in this region. We don’t know specifically what that means for Newark. We’re excited for growth as long as we can keep our eye on it. Right now, I think we’re in good position to absorb some growth.”
Impact on roads
Elizabeth Hampton, a Park Trails resident for 22 years, said there should be sidewalks along River Road for students walking to school. She also said the road has potholes and there are problems with water runoff.
“My big concern is Newark doesn’t have a long-range plan for the area,” Hampton said. “They let the developers take the reins and decide what needs to be done.
“We have a lot of traffic now, already. I don’t feel like it’s a safe road. You have to complain and complain and complain to get them to fill the potholes.”
Morehead said improvements to River Road will likely include a three-lane section with a center turn lane. He said the city works with developers to make road improvements, but the developers do not dictate what happens with the roads.
“We would like to make improvements to River Road,” Morehead said. “We haven’t got all that determined yet. It’s an old township road that has development."
A development a couple years ago proposed Planned Unit Development zoning and a roundabout on River Road. That development was withdrawn, but Morehead said there could eventually be a roundabout in front of Rockford Homes’ Willow Bend subdivision to improve traffic flow.
A roundabout under construction at the connection of Thornwood Drive, a realigned River Road, Reddington Road and Thornwood Crossing will ease the pain of River Road residents trying to turn left onto Thornwood Drive. The project, which includes a new road and new bridge over Raccoon Creek, is scheduled for completion in November 2024.
Lindsey Fallon, who moved back to Newark in 2020 and lives in Park Trails, said the roundabout "will be nice. But more housing? I can’t even imagine."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: River Road residents oppose multifamily housing developments in area
