DevelopOhio

Applause doesn’t usually follow a rezoning vote, but “claps abounded” after Orange Township trustees approved rezoning for 550 acres between Lewis Center Road and the border with Berlin Township, allowing Evans Farm Land Development Co.’s plans for “one of the biggest developments in township history” to proceed, ThisWeek Community News reports. The project is designed to feel more like communities from the past, with small businesses and recreation areas within walking distance from residences (for more, see our January 27, 2016 blog post). Daniel Griffin, a partner in the development company, said “the first part of the project to be built will be the ‘village center’ off Lewis Center Road,” and that he hopes that part of the project will give all township residents “the gathering place they never had,” according to the article. Tony Eyerman, also a partner in the development company, said “developers want to see ‘at least’ four baseball diamonds along the western edge of the site,” and they have also been in communication with YMCA of Central Ohio about a possible branch at Evans Farm. Griffin also said the developers “are ‘very much focused’ on creating an ‘outdoor pool complex’ within the community.”