By Kathleen Leese
For Miami Valley Today
HUBER HEIGHTS — Huber Heights City Council approved annexation of approximately 300 acres of land located in Bethel Township in southern Miami County at its meeting on Monday, July 22.
The issue, which became heated at times, involved land located in the area of U.S. 40 and Ohio 201. The action was approved with a 6-1 vote by council members. A second vote approved 6-1 as well, allows for an agreement between Huber Heights and Carriage Trails Co. LLC, will result in a new school in the area as well as a community park and a fire station.
The nearly 300 acres will be used for a new housing development and the school is expected to be built prior to the housing construction getting underway. The school will be part of the Bethel district.
During Monday’s meeting, many residents continued to express displeasure with the planned annexation; however, they were unable to persuade council members to vote against the annexation.
The next day during the Miami County Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday, the commissioners issued the following statement in regard to the Huber Heights Council approving the annexation:
“The Miami County Commissioners were not surprised to learn that the city of Huber Heights approved the annexation of nearly 300 acres from Bethel Township.
This annexation will have a negative effect not only on Bethel Township, but on Miami County for decades to come. Overcrowded schools, traffic congestion and the potential burden of serving this area with water and sewer services are all challenges that Huber Heights have inflicted in our residents.
The growth at all costs mentality from Huber Heights will only cause larger problems for the city and the county in the future. Let’s not forget, this is a community that just two years ago spent millions of dollars to repair numerous water main breaks. The City obviously can’t handle what they currently have, yet, they are driven to expand northward and couldn’t care less about the quality of life for their future residents.
This commission and staff will continue to work with our legislation and state organization to amend this. This is a sad day for Miami County and for Huber Heights;
“We need to get this law changed,” Miami County Commissioner Wade Westfall said to Miami Valley Today after the meeting.
The writer is a regular contributor to Miami Valley Today.
