FAIRFIELD, Ohio — Fairfield City Council approved the construction of 104 new condo units and two businesses on a portion of land at the city's southernmost border at John Gray Road and Pleasant Avenue, despite pushback from people living nearby and a recommendation against the project by the planning commission.
Complaints from neighbors, particularly those living on Carousel Circle like Patrick Gainard, centered around public safety, how the development fit with pre-existing communities and an increase in traffic to what Gainard considered an already troubled intersection.
"It's really kind of overwhelming with the kind of condos and developments they want to pack in that area," Gainard said.
Gainard agreed to talk with us ahead of the meeting near the property, saying he was passionate about the project because of what it could mean for future generations.
"I have kids on the other side of the woods here," Gainard said. "Carousel Circle is just a very nice, family-friendly street. Tons of kids playing all the time."
After a long public comment period, Fairfield City Council voted 6-1 to approve the development. The only vote against the development came from Councilman Tim Meyers, who said the council had only rejected the advice of the planning commission once in the last decade over 35 different projects.
Mayor Mitch Rhodus didn't get a vote, but we asked him whether council members made the right decision.
"We have a lot of smart people on there and they've done a lot of research," Rhodus said. "They've talked to a lot of people, and these are decisions that are tough for them."
Rhodus said the region needs housing stock like the single-floor, high-end condos proposed in the project, and the developer will be obligated to nearly $700,000 in improvements to John Gray Road that would otherwise need to be wholly taxpayer funded.
There was little chance those improvements would happen any time soon, according to Rhodus.
"This intersection is ranking 42nd or 43rd on our list right now, so that's like 10 to 30 years from now," Rhodus said.
Both in our interview and while addressing the public ahead of the vote, Rhodus said the Public Use Development zoning change on the table was the city's only chance to have a word in what happens on the private property. If developed under the current commercial zoning, Rhodus said, business development could be done with no public input.
Gainard said the council's final vote would not be the final word. He said people in the community, including himself, would seek a referendum to get approval on the ballot before construction begins.
