CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Circleville City Council is scheduled to cast its third and final vote Tuesday on an ordinance annexing land along Bell Station Road on the city’s north side, a step that would clear the way for a proposed subdivision known as Scioto Preserve.
The vote is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 1 in council chambers. The annexation would bring land owned by two people, T.D. Van Camp and Dwight A. Imler, into the city under an “expedited” process allowed under Ohio law because Circleville and Circleville Township have an existing annexation cooperation agreement in place, the city said in a published question-and-answer document.
Both landowners have signed the annexation petition, according to the city, which is required for the expedited process since it calls for signatures from 100% of the property owners involved. The city said the annexed land doesn’t need to directly touch existing city limits to be considered contiguous — part of the annexation crosses a Norfolk Southern Railway right of way, which state law excludes from ownership requirements for annexation purposes because it is a public right of way.
If the annexation is approved, the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission is scheduled to take up a preliminary planned unit development, or PUD, application for the site at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in council chambers. City documents describe a site plan split into three sections: multifamily housing near a dog park and a clubhouse with a pool, an area of single-family homes with a small tot lot, and a third section of single-family homes, along with stormwater retention ponds, buffer plantings, walking paths and preserved trees along Dry Run creek.
The city said fire and EMS coverage for the development would likely follow the same path used for the nearby River Ridge subdivision on North Court Street, where Circleville Township and the city each passed legislation transferring service responsibility to the city as homes were built there, in some cases after city crews had already begun responding to calls. Until any similar transfer happens for Scioto Preserve, the township would remain responsible for coverage, the city said.
Circleville is the seat of Pickaway County. The city was founded in 1810 and was originally laid out in a circular street plan around the county courthouse; it recorded a population of 13,927 in the 2020 census.
Agendas, meeting minutes and a recording of the Aug. 18 council meeting, where residents raised questions about the annexation that the city later answered in writing, are posted on the city’s website, according to the release.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Circleville.
