Tag: planning and zoning

Second step in securing grant money to preserve Grailville a success

David Miller is the Managing Editor of Loveland Magazine

by David Miller

Miami Township and Loveland, Ohio – “The members of the Grail Land Preservation Group in attendance were excited by the unanimous support of the Miami Township Trustees. The opportunity for open green space to be protected in perpetuity has been a desire for many group members,” said Loveland resident Sharon Scovanner.

The quest to get formal support from three government jurisdictions moved to step two last evening when the Miami Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to give their stamp of approval. Andy Dickerinson with The Cardinal Land Conservancy, based in Miami Township, appeared at the township meeting to explain the proposal and answer any questions. His appearance was probably unnecessary as both Ken Tracy and Mary Makley Wolff, as well as Township Administrator Jeff Wright spoke enthusiastically about the Grailville land remaining greenspace.

Loveland City Council voted their unanimous support in June. The next step is to seek the support of the Clermont County Commissioners. (Council endorses request by residents for Grailville grant application filing)

The Cardinal Land Conservancy and many Loveland and Miami Township residents are asking local governments to lend their support to a plan that could save 89 acres at Grailville as dedicated green space in perpetuity. Dickerson, on behalf of the Conservancy, is requesting votes of support for a grant application that would be submitted to the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund, to purchase 89 acres of the Grail property.

This is the site where Drees Homes was denied the zoning change they requested in 2022 after local residents filled Planning and Zoning chambers to urge that the site be protected. The Kentucky home builder had requested the land become a Special Planning District which could have allowed 209 homes on the site. The same parcel is also where the Loveland City School District proposed building a campus until the funding they wanted was denied by voters in 2019. The site is bounded by O’Bannonville Road and State Route 48 (Oakland Road).

After the re-zoning Drees requested was denied, local Grail members and other local residents coalesced to find the solution. The Grailville Land Preservation Group worked together to stop the zoning change Drees wanted.

If the grant application is successful, the 89 acres of land would be deeded as dedicated green space in perpetuity. The proposed purchase by the conservancy would be adjacent to the 100-acre Clermont County Park District property, which was also acquired from the Grail using Clean Ohio funding.

Scovanner added, “It has always been our hope that the land will be preserved to respect not only the legacy of the Grail and their members past and present, but to also be a gift to future generations. We appreciate our partnership with Cardinal and look forward to garnering support from the Clermont County Commissioners as the next step in the process.”

In this LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video, Andy Dickerson explains the details of the grant and what he was asking the Miami Township Trustees to do.

For background: History of Grailville – The Grailville Archive

Jul 19, 2023
[Video] Jamie Smith: Grailville brought joy to her mentally and emotionally exhausted family

David Miller

by David Miller

Loveland, Ohio – Jamie Smith has lived her entire life in Loveland and raised five sons here. She said she has a “very deep connection” to this place, and her family’s favorite place is Grailville.

She testified during the May 4 meeting when the Planning and Zoning Commission was deciding whether or not to allow 209 Drees homes on the 111-acre Graville site.

She speaks of her very stressful lifestyle, most of the time as a single mother, and living with the father of her children who struggled with an opioid addiction his entire adult life. She added that he has been “clean” for the past ten years however the experience of dealing with the addiction within her family was traumatizing.

She defined her financial situation as havoc and how she has maintained a full-time job and two or three additional part-time jobs for her sons’ entire lives. To be able to be a contributing member of society and a good mom, she designed their lives around something she could afford, spending time in nature. “Not only because it was all we could afford, but because it was healthy and fulfilling,” Smith added. “And it brought joy to a mentally and emotionally exhausted family.”

She took listeners on a journey with her boys down the Grailville path to the respite of the cool waters of the O’Bannon Creek.

May 13, 2022

A greater vision for the intrinsic beauty of the Grailville land

by Elizabeth Robinson

Dear Fellow Lovelanders,

I want to speak to you about vision and make sure you are aware of an important ongoing process before the Loveland Planning and Zoning Board and Loveland City Council. Drees Homes is requesting a change in the current low-density zoning status on 110 lovely acres of green unspoiled land, with historic buildings, currently owned by Grailville (The Grail). This land sits between where East Loveland Avenue turns into O’Bannonville Road and Rte 48. Drees desires this zoning status change to put 209 homes on this green space.

The Grail Mission and Vision Statement speaks of Care for The Earth. This has always been vital to Grailville/The Grail in its history and practice. Grail members including myself are expressing significant and ongoing distaste that the Grail is seriously considering divesting itself of this land to Drees to build another subdivision in our town.

There are important long-term practical reasons why many Loveland residents have spoken AGAINST enabling a zoning status change proposed by Drees to build 209 homes. They include, among others, an overcapacity school system, aggravating already clogged traffic and infrastructure concerns including sewer and water. (Please reference the below open letter to Loveland residents by Elizabeth Murphy for more details on these pressing issues)

I want to concentrate here on a compelling and magnanimous (great of mind or heart) vision of protection from development such as the proposed Drees subdivision. Standing up for a NO vote on this zoning status change from low density is a very important first step.

If the Grail is determined to divest itself of this land, are we as citizens willing to stand up for a vision that will honor the cultural and spiritual history of the Grail on this land, and also stand up for the inestimable value of added community green space which will do so much more than another subdivision to keep Loveland a treasured place to live into the future?

I wonder: If Loveland has the foresight to reject this proposed Drees zoning change, would The Grail accept significantly less money from the city or other entity committed to a higher vision that cares for the earth and the people of Loveland?

I have lived in Loveland all my life and our Loveland Bike Trail was just such a vision. There were many who could not see the immensely positive difference this green path of natural beauty that intersects our town and all enjoy, would make for the future of Loveland. It is with gratitude we now look back and honor those who had vision and were tenacious, so we could see the flowering of that vision.

Today Loveland is thriving. With that has come some of the problems of success mentioned earlier such as traffic and stress on infrastructure. We can make decisions now that see another subdivision that destroys precious green space and exacerbates traffic and stressed infrastructure will not be a decision that is truly good for the future of Loveland.

Loveland citizens will thank us years from now if we reserve green and natural places for the good of all, as did those bike trail visionaries.

I ask the Loveland Planning and Zoning Commission and Loveland City Council to reject this Drees proposed zoning change. Reject it not only on very real practical matters such as traffic and infrastructure, but to support a greater vision of the intrinsic beauty and value added of green spaces for Lovelanders into the future.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Robinson

East Loveland Avenue

April 11, 2022

Dear Fellow Loveland Residents,

It is important that you are aware of a process which is now ongoing involving 110 acres of Grailville land between Rt.48 and O’Bannonville Rd. Loveland City Council and the Zoning Board will have to make a decision on the Drees Homes’ request for a change in the zoning status to allow them to build 209 homes on that land.

The iniPal public hearing drew a standing room only crowd. Everyone who spoke, with the excepPon of the Drees representaPves, requested that the Zoning Board say NO to the Drees proposal. There are important long-term reasons why it is best for our community that the Drees proposal does not go forward.

We all know the traffic situaPon in downtown is bad now. The construcPon of a large subdivision on this Grail land will iniPally cause several years of construcPon trucks and dirt funneling into town from Rt.48 and O’Bannonville Rd. As the houses are built and sold regular traffic of several thousand car “trips” through town will phase in. This will never stop.

Our school system is currently overflowing recommended capacity. Extra trailers are needed for space. It is esPmated that 4-5 addiPonal classrooms of children are likely to be added by this subdivision. We are all painfully aware of the costs that would be incurred to build new schools, as well as the stresses on children and teachers involved in overcrowding. Again, once this increase is allowed to happen it is unlikely to be reversed.

There are also serious general infrastructure issues relaPng to water. The Loveland water system is a series of wells which when run at high demand can drop the water table in a significant way. One must ask at what point will this become a problem. Water pressure has at Pmes been an issue and more homes drawing water cannot but aggravate this.

The other end of this problem is the management of the addiPonal sewage. The sewer line under East Loveland Ave. is outdated, fragile, and it is quesPonable whether it is adequate to handle a large new neighborhood. The receiving Polk Run sewage treatment plant has no more room to expand. There has been no confirmaPon of sewer availability, capacity, or access compliant with MSD standards. Will the City of Loveland be put in a posiPon of providing this infrastructure at Loveland residents' expense? With the Liale Miami River so nearby it is crucial that there be no chance of contaminaPon.
Natural rainwater run-off must also be considered. The land from White Pillars on slopes to the northwest. The homes along O’Bannonville Rd. are all in the path of this natural drainage and vulnerable to surface flows or overflowing of Bares Run Creek in Pmes of heavy rain. The new roads and houses will eliminate acreage which currently absorbs the rainwater and so more will conPnue on downhill.

The final thing I need to speak of is the special quality of this parPcular piece of land. For about 80 years women of The Grail have lived or worked there. They have tended the land, holding it, knowing the sacred nature of this place. As the Grail has shared access to their land with others
for walking and connecPng with nature, many have become aware of the spiritual calm which it provides. In today’s world we need this more than ever.

In conclusion, I would encourage everyone who feels that we do not need another big subdivision on this Grailville land, with all the negaPve side-effects, to please make your views known. Aaend the public meePngs (the next is on May 4), write or call members of the Zoning Board and City Council. In our country we have government of ciPzens for ciPzens. Our officials have a duty of honor to listen to the members of the community which they serve. They are us; and therefore, we must speak so they may be guided.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Murphy - Fallis Road Loveland OH

The Grailville Archive

Because posterity may wish to know.

Apr 27, 2022

In Search of the Grail: The Story of a Women’s Movement in Loveland, Ohio

Changing things that look impossible to change.

by David Miller

Loveland, Ohio – In 1940, an international movement of women got on a boat. The last boat before Hitler invaded Holland. They made it to America, “by an eyelash” in April of that year.

The Grail from Loveland became a voice in the United Nations.

After watching the video below and in the spirit of Grailville’s past of venturing into the seemingly impossible, as the Publisher of this newspaper I have made an executive decision to go “all in” with an attempt to inform Loveland residents about the imminent destruction and erasure of the artifacts of a great cultural event of our local history.

Grailville was the home of the National Grail movement in the United States; the symbolic heart of the movement.

Will we allow the Grailville farm to be plowed under or will we choose new furrows planted in a way that continues to grow our future as a community?

Screen shot from The U.S. Grail, a lay movement

If we lose these artifacts, it will be by choice and not that we didn’t know – or know better.

Will the City Historic Preservation and Planning Commission, the City Tree and Environment Committee, the City Planning and Zoning Commission, the City Council and City Manager, the City Comprehensive Master Development Plan Committee, the City Arts Commission, and Drees Homes stand in support or indifference of the bulldozers without acknowledgment of these, artifacts?

Will they act out of ignorance or no comprehension of enlightenment? Will our future have value? Will Loveland’s legacy contain important worth? Preserving these artifacts can be value-added.

Screen shot from The U.S. Grail, a lay movement

A choice for each resident – Follow the Holy or Follow the Folly.

We will no longer be able to say, “I didn’t know.”

For sure, expressions of dismay about the impact of 200 plus homes at Grailville and the resulting strain on City services, overcrowding of already inadequate roads and schools, etc., are legitimate, however, so is the destruction of these intrinsic artifacts expressed in this video. A quality life whether for the individual, the collective community, or our grandchildren can be one filled with the remnants of the culture that made it so rich.

Screen shot from The U.S. Grail, a lay movement

This 2006 film by my friend Barbara Wolf, a Cincinnati filmmaker, for The U.S. Grail, a lay movement – explores the journey of those women seeking to transform the world as a matter of personal call and communal action.

Our communal action in this present day is what?

The Grail in the U.S. and in Loveland is not defunct by any means, read more HERE and HERE.

Screen shot from The U.S. Grail, a lay movement

Will we let a Kentucky home builder know they are proposing plowing under the footprints on this good earth and artifacts of an international movement of peace, gentleness, justice, and tranquility?

We all have faith.

Important artifacts, our seed crops, are about to be plowed under.

Will our horizons call each other by name to respect these artifacts?

More reading…

Why is Grailville important? A look at the Grail founding in Loveland

David Miller – Mar 30, 2022

[VIDEO] With public outpouring, has tide turned on Grailville?

David Miller – Mar 22, 2022

Planning and Zoning Commission to hear from public on re-zoning Grailville

David Miller – Mar 8, 2022

An open letter to City Hall by the Mullins: Grailville decision…

Guest Column – Mar 2, 2022

Drees submits application for 209 homes at Grailville

David Miller – Jan 31, 2022

Apr 1, 2022
Planning and Zoning Commission to hear from public on re-zoning Grailville

Loveland, Ohio – A public hearing by the Loveland Planning and Zoning Commission on the Drees Homes request to re-zone the Grailville property has been rescheduled to Thursday, March 17^th at 7 PM. The meeting will be held in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 120 West Loveland Avenue.

The proposed development of the Grailville site by the Drees Company includes 74 patio homes and 135 traditional-style homes totaling 209 lots. The land is situated between O’Bannonville Road and State Route 48 in Clermont County. The site is approximately 111 acres.

House of Joy photo © 2005 by David Miller

Grailville’s Iconic House of Joy in 2009 and two days ago on Sunday, March 6, 2022

(Move slider left and right to compare images.)

Read background:

Drees submits application for 209 homes at Grailville

Mar 8, 2022
Meet Tom Smith Loveland’s new Assistant City Manager

by Tom Smith,

I have been fortunate to receive an opportunity to be part of the great Loveland City team as the new Assistant City Manager. My wife, Shuree, and I are from Layton, Utah. We have three children: Joshua, 14, Marissa, 9, and Tyson, 5. We enjoy the outdoors, motorcycles, and sports of all kinds.

I enjoy being active in the community where I have coached soccer, basketball, and served as a Scout Leader for the Boy Scouts of America.

Although we are from Utah, the majority of my family resides in Pennsylvania, Virginia, with a sister-in-law in Mason, Ohio. Consequently, I am a Penn State Nittany Lion, University of Virginia Cavalier, and of course a Utah Ute. As part of my formal education I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Utah Valley University and a Graduate Degree in Public Administration from the University of Utah. I have 12 years experience in the field of public administration, including my previous capacity where I served as the City Manager.

My background is in public policy, land use, utility billing, capital asset management, planning and zoning, budget and finance, and human resource administration.

I have been an active participant in the Utah League of Cities and Towns organization (similar to the Ohio Municipal League), serving as a member of the Legislative Policy Committee and the Land Use Task Force Committee for three legislative sessions. While on those committees I worked with local officials, lobbyists, and legislators to combat against the scrutiny and continued efforts of federal, state, and third-party organizations in restricting the local government control of municipalities.

As part of my professional development, I am a member of the International City Managers Association where I am working towards receiving my Credentialed Manager accreditation. My ambitions also include becoming a certified planner through the American Planners Association.

I am very fortunate to be a part of the City’s team. This is an exciting time for the City as it continues to experience growth and redevelopment. I am grateful to be brought on as a part of this wonderful team that the City Council and City Manager Mr. Kennedy have created. I am both eager and anxious to get started and to develop my relationship with you as well as the wonderful members of this community.

513-683-1052
215 Loveland-Madeira Rd
Loveland, Ohio 45140

Jul 9, 2018