LEBANON, Ohio — Warren County is experiencing a population boom, and the city of Lebanon is feeling the growing pains.
The city is one of 14 Ohio counties seeing significant population growth, and residents are split on whether the development is happening too quickly.
At our "Let's Talk" event in Lebanon Wednesday, we heard from residents like Kathy Stine, who told us she's concerned about disappearing farmland.
"(Farmland) will never come back. It's gone forever," Stine said. "Where's the stuff coming from to feed the animals that feed us. Where does all that go?"
Jim Norris, another Lebanon resident, called for officials to slow down development.
"Slow it down. Call for a moratorium," Norris said.
Hear about the concerns residents shared with us in the player below:
However, not all residents oppose the changes. Some told us they see development as inevitable and necessary.
"We've got a massive amount of farmland that people are not interested in or willing to maintain, so sell it to developers," one resident said. "I totally understand when things change, it can be scary. But it's going to happen ... let's do it in a way that is welcoming."
The population growth has created demands on Lebanon's infrastructure, including electricity and roads. The city's capital improvement plan includes more than $11 million in improvements for roads, water, sewer and parks.
One development project, Rarock, is drawing attention. It's a 313-acre property being annexed by the city, and developers plan to build 518 homes on the site.
Some residents have raised questions about how the hundreds of new homes will impact local schools as more families move to the area, potentially leading to overcrowding and higher taxes.
Donna Norris said she worries about the financial impact on fixed-income residents.
"I'm a taxpayer. A senior citizen, retired. We're living on fixed incomes," Norris said. "How is that going to affect me down the road? And it most certainly will."
Now, we're looking into resident concerns and will bring you stories in the coming weeks born from our conversations.
