SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The quiet area off of Leacrest Road in Springfield Township has several streets of homes, plenty of trees and even a pond.
“It’s a beautiful area, we’ve had horses back there," said Don Schmidt, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years.
Between the subtle neighborhoods is an 80-plus acre area with horse fences and a barn. But now, that land has been sold, and residents expect a new development to take its place.
Springfield Township Administrator Chris Gilbert explained to WCPO 9 News that more than two decades ago, a zoning plan was approved to develop the land. The area was to be the third phase of residential development in the neighborhood. The first two have already been built.
"The original plan showed, I think, approximately 104 single-family lots," Gilbert said.
However, that phase of the development never happened and the planned use development (PUD) wasn't built.
Fast forward to 2024, a new private developer bought the area from the family that lived on the property, with plans to renovate the area. But these new plans have a much different look than the original.
"They wanted to do something a little different that preserves more green space. ... He's showing 120 smaller single-family lots here and 60 one-story townhomes," said Gilbert.
Check out the changes here:
Since the developer's proposed plan differs from the one approved in years past, it requires a public hearing in front of the Springfield Township Zoning Commission. That's set for Monday, Feb. 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Township Administration Building.
Before that hearing, the developer and Springfield Township had open houses with residents to let them see the plans up close and provide feedback before anything is official.
"The plans I have seen look like there will be enough green space. Not like the way it was, but I think they’re being very conscientious and trying to honor, you know, our wishes," resident Don Schmidt said. "I understand that he has the right to buy the land and do what he wants to do. My understanding is he wants to be very careful and make sure we have plenty of green space."
Schmidt told WCPO that he attended an earlier town hall and one of his biggest concerns was losing or damaging the pond on the property. He said he was told that the developer would make sure to take care of the pond.
Gilbert told us some concerns like traffic can't be answered yet and would be addressed later on in the process.
"That's something that happens during the building process and the county engineer actually will require the developer to do a traffic study and to make any road improvements that are necessary to accommodate the increase in traffic," said Gilbert.
The developer of the project, Rick Seitz, spoke with us over the phone. Seitz told us he wanted to hold these town halls as a courtesy to the community to ensure their input and concerns were considered before any project could be approved and constructed.
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