CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Ross County commissioners have thrown their support behind transferring roughly 1,200 acres of state-owned prison land to the county, with an eye toward turning three parcels into sites for workforce housing and economic development.
The Ross County Board of Commissioners adopted Resolution 028-26 at its Sept. 14 meeting, urging the state to release excess land the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction holds around the Chillicothe Correctional Institution and Ross Correctional Institution. The land is not needed for secure prison operations and has historically been used for farming or housing, according to the resolution.
Commissioners identified three tracts of particular interest: about 65.78 acres fronting State Route 104, roughly 92.36 acres fronting Pleasant Valley Road and about 54.31 acres fronting Sandusky Boulevard. All three sit within growth corridors the county flagged in its comprehensive plan, which commissioners held a public hearing on last month.
The resolution calls for local control of the land through one of the county’s economic development arms — the Ross County Community Improvement Corporation, the Port Authority or the Land Bank — to advance market-rate housing and infill development in those corridors. According to the resolution, reusing the property strategically is intended to help retain the local workforce, attract new investment and keep the county competitive regionally.
Commissioners said collaboration between the county and the state will still be needed to evaluate, designate and formally transfer the land before any development could move forward.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Ross County Board of Commissioners.
