Land purchase will allow city to expand bike path

ThisWeek CW 01/29/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/01/26/land-purchase-will-allow-city-to-expand-bike-path.html

Canal Winchester officials are hoping that approval to purchase old canal lands at the corner of Gender and Groveport roads means an extension of city parkland is in sight.

Canal Winchester City Council unanimously approved emergency legislation Jan. 20 authorizing the city to purchase an irregular piece of land previously owned by the Ohio and Erie Canal; it is currently owned by the state.

Development Director Lucas Haire said the property is one of three separately owned, irregularly shaped plots that make up a site directly adjacent to the northwest corner of the Gender and Groveport road intersection.

“The bike trail parkland on the east currently exists in the area, but not on the west side, and this proposal gets us closer to that by acquiring the land from the state,” Haire said.

“The parcel just north of this is the old Boekhoff property that we purchased last year. The middle parcel is the state property and the Detty property is south, with the Detty home sitting across all three properties — which makes this complicated.”

In January 2014, the city purchased the 7-acre Boekhoff land for $90,000 and later sold about 2 acres to HFI LLC so the company could expand its business on Gender Road. HFI produces elements for vehicle interiors, such as seat and door trim, sunroof covers and center console assembly.

The state-owned parcel will cost the city about $4,000, Haire said.

“Our only cost in acquiring this is about $3,500 for the site survey and closing costs of a couple hundred dollars,” he said.

“Then it’s a matter of dealing with the Detty parcel, which is in probate court right now. The owner is deceased and taxes haven’t been paid for a few years now.

“The long-term goal for this is to make an extension of the bike path. Ultimately, even more long-term, we’d like to extend this trail to connect to Groveport’s and potentially provide some parking,” Haire said.