CENTERBURG — The “make or break” issue deciding whether the Table Rock Golf Club subdivision project will proceed largely depends on the golf course owner’s negotiations with the Village of Centerburg over sewer system access, said Darrel Severns, secretary of the Knox County Regional Planning Commission.
Last month, the RPC approved the site concept and sketch map, on which the developers — Table Rock Golf Club owners Jeff and Chris Hackett — are proposing to build townhouses and patio homes on 23 of the golf course’s 140 acres. As proposed there would be 63 patio homes and 10 townhome buildings with multiple units resembling condominiums for a total of 57 units, Severns said. Residents would belong to a homeowners association and have access through the property through construction of loop roads.
If the next step in the project proceeds as planned without any problems, Table Rock could be approved by all involved parties, including Knox County Commissioners, within four months, Severns said. That next step would be a preliminary plat map showing where utilities including water lines and sewer lines would go. Stormwater could be handled through ponds already on the site serving the golf course, which could be modified and enlarged to handle stormwater. Water to the project would come from the Del-Co Water Co. Inc., which has lines in the area.
Severns and Village of Centerburg Mayor Greg Sands said the biggest issue facing the project involves sewer system access, with those negotiations ongoing. And within that issue is whether or not the developer will allow the Table Rock subdivision to be annexed into the village or not. Sands said from his perspective, Table Rock is a badly needed subdivision project for Knox County and two of its political subdivisions — Centerburg and Hilliar Township. The largest growth area in Knox County is near Centerburg, which borders Delaware County and is only a 15-minute drive from Westerville. The village is willing to work with the Hacketts, whatever their preference is, Sands said.
There will be a trade-off of sorts whichever way the developer wants to go regarding annexation, Sands said. If the Hacketts decide they don’t want to be annexed, the village council will need to change its ordinances to allow a subdivision to receive sewer service without being annexed. Under village ordinances, if the subdivision is not annexed the village would be able to charge double the amount of its regular sewer rates. Centerburg’s sewer system is fairly new and has plenty of capacity.
The other option would be to allow annexation and pay normal sewer rates, Sands said. The village appreciates the new business because it charges some of the highest sewer rates in the state to pay off its new system. More customers spread out the debt burden more. But, those annexed into the village are subject to Centerburg’s 1 percent income tax, said Sands.
Messages left for the Hacketts this week at the Table Rock Golf club office were not returned, as of press time.
Severns said the Table Rock subdivision would have to abide by the county’s subdivision rules and regulations, and there are many steps ahead including more public meetings. There has been one public meeting so far, when RPC’s Land Use Committee met Feb. 18 after RPC received the project application with its sketch plan Feb. 12. The last time a major subdivision project was proposed in Knox County was around 2009, and it would have been constructed on the opposite side of Yauger Road from Wolf Run Regional Park. But the recession of 2008-09, including a badly damaged housing market, stopped the project.
Other developers offered proposals over the years for Table Rock subdivisions, but they wanted to develop the entire 140 acres, Severns said. The soil throughout much of the property is not suited for that purpose because it is too compacted and so does not drain well enough. He added that one advantage Jeff Hackett has is his background as a general contractor who knows how to plan projects. The Hacketts worked on their project sketch map with Terrain Evolution, an engineering firm from Columbus.
One potential hindrance to the project may involve the inability to hold public meetings due to coronavirus concerns.
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