Harrison Township Adopts New Comprehensive Plan
On August 1, 2022, Harrison Township voted unanimously to adopt their new comprehensive plan.
Knowing the housing and development pressure upon central Ohio, this plan aims to identify tactical ways in which the Township Trustees, Zoning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals should consider applications for development.
Understanding how the community would like to develop is critical to maintaining the rural nature of the Township while allowing landowners to exercise their private property rights. It is critical to the orderly development of new housing to be contained to property that has readily available access to central water and central sewer infrastructure. See Appendix for identified properties fitting these criteria. By utilizing a conservation design or similar development techniques, the Township will reduce the infrastructure it must maintain, and the private property owners still has access to housing density at identified on the future land use map and/or the Township zoning resolution.
It is also important to recognize the current situation in and around the Village of Kirkersville. There has been one, and there may be more, property owner who has petitioned the court system to be removed from the Village boundary. The future of the Village of Kirkersville should be monitored carefully as it could impact the Township in many ways.
Opportunity for developing specific areas plans focusing on development (Railroad Overlay and Broad Street) and redevelopment (Happy Homes) exist within the Township. Limiting development to specific areas allows the Township to understand where their resources will be needed and prevents leapfrog development. This also ensures the active farming and agricultural community may continue to operate by reducing the development pressure and uncertainty on prime agricultural property.
During the development of this plan, Intel announced a $20 billion investment in northern Monroe Township which will be annexed into the City of New Albany. This plan aims to take advantage of the ancillary manufacturing businesses designated within certain areas of the Township that make reasonable accommodations for that type of land use.