BATAVIA, Ohio — As the Village of Batavia's council prepares to decide the fate of a near-800 home-building project, there is concern the development could lead to the municipality's demise.
A petition aimed at dissolving the Village of Batavia has been circulating recently, Batavia Township Administrator Karen Swartz said.
Currently, the village operates within the township as its own entity.
"The only thing I'm hearing is that the airport had started a petition to dissolve the village, and they're kind of spearheading it," she said. "I think residents in the area are upset about the development, and they're seeking alternatives."
Officials with Clermont County Airport, also known as Sporty's Airport, were not immediately available for comment Friday.
Sporty's CEO Michael Wolfe spoke with WCPO 9 News about the development earlier this month.
"The village seems to be trying to supercharge their growth,” he said. “They'll get a big impact. But, you know, they're not … looking ahead at the future."
Batavia Village’s Planning and Zoning Commission passed the developer’s plan to build nearly 800 town and single-family homes on Tuesday. It will take place on the land annexed between Clough Pike and Taylor Road.
The village council will now decide its fate during a public meeting next week.
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To incentivize growth, the development is utilizing a tax incentive program called the Community Reinvestment Area, which offers a 15-year tax abatement. Residents would make payments instead of taxes (PILOT) directly to the village, which can allocate them as they wish.
"We do not support the development due to the density of the development, the proximity to the airport and additionally, the tax incentives with the development," Swartz said. "We just think that that's unfair, as it basically cuts funding to all the levied services in the area."
While Swartz and the other township leaders are opposing the housing development, they aren't taking a stance on the dissolution of the village.
"I feel like, probably, some of the residents feel like they haven't been heard, or that the village maybe isn't taking their concerns into play," Swartz said.
WCPO reached out to the Village of Batavia several times on Friday but has yet to hear back.
Under dissolution, everyone living within the village would remain township residents, like when the Village of Amelia dissolved in 2019.
"[Village residents] would just become Batavia township residents, and we would provide services for them, just like we do our residents that live in the township today," Swartz said.
Under current laws, the earliest a petition for dissolution could appear on the ballot is 2026.
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