Preferred Land Use Plan
The Steering Committee reviewed and developed the Preferred Land Use
Plan using a two-phase process that extended from April to August
2005. First, the Township was generally divided into a series of
Development Potential categories as a means of differentiating between
areas that were expected over the course of the Plan period to
experience new development, areas that were expected to experience
redevelopment or revitalization needs, and areas that were expected to
remain stable in terms of their land use characteristics. The
Development Potential is presented in Figure 15.
This analysis was then used to determine preferred land use strategies
for the areas that were expected to experience new development,
redevelopment or revitalization. The resulting Preferred Land Use Plan
is presented in Figure 16, and items on this map that require
additional explanation are identified below. Readers should note that
the land use designations below and on Figure 16 are general in nature
and do not represent existing or proposed zoning.
Development Potential
As noted in the capacity analysis, Miami Township has a
relatively small amount of remaining undeveloped land; the majority of
the Township’s land is already occupied by some kind of development.
Conventional models of land use planning usually focus on changes to
future land use, assuming that most of the land uses that exist at
present will have the potential to change over the time frame of the
plan. However, the majority of Miami Township’s land is not only
developed, but it has been developed recently enough, and at a high
enough level of quality, that it is unlikely to change over the Plan’s
20-year period. As a result, a comprehensive plan for Miami Township
must not only anticipate new development, but it must account for the
character of existing development and support the continued quality of
life available in existing developments.
For this reason, the Miami
Township Comprehensive Plan frames the various areas of the Township
in terms of four main policy strategies. The Plan Strategies identify
broad land use policies that should be applied in areas that fall
under these classifications. These strategies provide the primary
framework for the Plan, and more specific strategies will be applied
to particular areas.
These strategies were determined on the basis of existing and
anticipated future development trends and the Vision and Goals
developed by the Steering Committee. The areas identified on the map
are approximate and do not follow specific parcel boundaries.
Maintain Present Character (Yellow)
The majority of the Township’s lands fall under this category.
These areas are dominated by existing development that may be
reasonably expected to continue for the 20–year window of this Plan,
such as newer residential subdivisions. In Maintain Present Character
areas, the existing land use patterns should be perpetuated in order
to protect the value, stability and quality of life of the surrounding
areas.
Maintain Present Character areas do contain undeveloped parcels and
parcels that may become available for redevelopment during the 20-year
period, but these are not the predominant existing land use and they
tend to be interspersed among existing developments. As these
properties are developed or redeveloped, it will be vital to ensure
that they support the continued viability of the surrounding areas. In
general, land uses and gross densities of new development in these
locations should be compatible with surrounding properties. The use of
clustering strategies will often be appropriate in order to preserve
open space, foster walkable neighborhoods and promote efficient
infrastructure, but total densities of such developments should be
comparable to that of surrounding properties. Whenever possible, open
space that is preserved in a clustered development should be placed
between the developed area and surrounding developments, particularly
if the net density of the developed area is significantly greater than
the surrounding properties. |
Maintain Present Character areas are also high priorities for the
acquisition and development of park and community recreation
facilities, as land suitable for these uses becomes available. These
areas will continue to house the majority of the Township’s
residents over the 20 year period, and are likely to produce the most
demand for recreational amenities.
The Sugar Camp Road area in the southernmost section of the Township
is included in this strategy despite the fact that it is relatively
undeveloped. Although it is likely that additional homes will be built
in this area over the 20 year period, significantly changing the land
use or increasing the density of development in this area would
require substantial and potentially costly infrastructure investments,
including extensive road reconstructions and sewer and water extension
through difficult terrain. Since the costs of these investments will
be substantial and the resulting impact on the Township’s
residential offerings and fiscal capacity will be minimal, the funds
that would be necessary would be more prudently expended in areas that
can accommodate more intensive land uses.
New Development (Green)
New Development areas are those remaining portions of the Township
that are largely undeveloped. Although some of these areas have few
development constraints, others may be characterized by relatively
steep slopes, minimal existing roadway systems and other limitations
that have prevented development to this point. However, these
constraints are likely to become less of a barrier to development over
the course of the 20 year period, as the remaining undeveloped parcels
in the Township become more valuable due to their scarcity and the
local market’s increasing potential.
New Development areas will generally develop in a more intensive
manner than the Maintain Present Character areas, both because of the
prices they will demand and because they will be designed to
differentiate themselves from their surroundings. Many New Development
areas will provide opportunities for types of land uses that are new
to the Miami Township market, such as mixed use developments that
combine housing with office or commercial space. Evaluating and
accounting for potential traffic impacts will be particularly vital to
the success of many of the New Development locations, as they may
generate a higher number of vehicle trips than many types of
conventional development.
Redevelopment (Pink)
Redevelopment locations are those where substantial land use change
is likely to occur, and where land use change may be appropriate
because existing development is being rendered obsolete by changes in
the regional economy, traffic patterns, real estate market or other
factors. Regardless of the condition of existing land uses,
Redevelopment areas have significant advantages, such as regional
access, visibility, relatively large parcels, or other factors.
New land uses in Redevelopment areas will be generally more intensive
than the previous land uses, although their intensity may be measured
in terms of the built environment or their level of commercial
activity. Since Redevelopment areas may include preexisting
characteristics that could have negative consequences is perpetuated,
such as numerous curb cuts or conflicting adjoining land uses,
detailed site development and access management controls will be
necessary to ensure that their redevelopment supports the Township’s
quality of life.
Revitalization (Blue)
Revitalization areas are those where existing development patterns
are fundamentally sound, but additional improvements should be
encouraged to foster the area’s longterm viability and benefits to
the Township as a whole. Revitalization areas are likely to require
some public sector investment in order to facilitate their
improvement, although these investments may range from
entrepreneurship seed grants to large scale infrastructure
construction.
Two of the Revitalization areas identified are historic
riverfront communities located on the Little Miami Scenic Trail and
surrounding residential areas. These communities provide a small-town
quality of life that is attractive to many residents. Efforts to
support and upgrade residential facilities and amenities will support
this population and provide a unique lifestyle opportunity within
Miami Township. In addition, these communities have the potential to
function as regional destinations for bicycle trail users and others
looking for a small-town environment. Both communities provide
opportunities for goods and services that can be oriented to visitors;
at the same time such businesses will enhance residents’ quality of
life by providing convenient goods and services that the local
population alone might not be sufficient to support.
The other two
Revitalization areas include the Township’s two major employment
centers. Both the Park 50 Tech Center and the Wards Corners
interchange area have existing viable businesses, but both have
additional capacity that has not yet been capitalized upon. In both
cases, efforts to support new development and ongoing investments in
existing development will have substantial impacts on the fiscal
viability of the Township, the school districts that serve the
Township, and Clermont County.
Preferred Land Use Plan
Figure 16 presents the Preferred Land Use Plan as approved by the
Steering Committee by consensus in August 2005. The map generally
identifies the preferred land uses for each of the Redevelopment,
Revitalization or New Development areas identified on Figure 15. The
color of the overlay hatching indicates general land use
characteristics that are further described on the labels.
Some of the land use descriptions on Figure 16 require additional
explanation, as noted below:
Light Industrial
Light industrial land uses include any type of for-profit operation
for which direct sales are not the primary purpose and that can be
conducted without creating significant nuisances for surrounding
parcels. Light industrial uses generally include facilities that
manufacture, process, fabricate, assemble, package, or provide
incidental storage and distribution of previously prepared materials,
finished products or parts. Land used primarily in the Light
Industrial land uses would typically have all processing within
buildings, require limited exterior storage, generate small amounts of
truck traffic, and be reasonably free of hazardous or objectionable
elements such as noise, odor, dust, smoke, glare, or other pollutants.
Light industrial land uses should be compatible with a variety of
adjacent non-industrial uses, particularly commercial and office uses.
Potential Light Industrial land uses can include the following:
•
Food & Drink Processing, Distribution and Storage
•
Manufacturing & Assembly, Light (e.g., electronic product assembly
or packaging)
• Greenhouses, Vegetables & Floriculture • Small
Shops (Machine, Tool & Die, assembly, etc.)
• Flex Industrial
Center (office attached to distribution or assembly operation) •
Mini Warehouse
• Research and Development Facility
Unique Housing
Unique Housing is particularly noted in the Preferred Development
Scenario in the Riverfront Redevelopment area. Due to the geologic and
environmental concerns located in this area, as well as the potential
high demand for housing development in this location, this location
has the potential to support a higher price point housing product and
will need to do so in order to address needs relating to the aquifer,
the Little Miami River and any brownfields in this location. The
Riverfront Communities Concept Area, which includes Riverfront
Redevelopment area between Miamiville, Branch Hill River Road and the
I-275 overpass, is a distinctive area worth attention.
Although the
type of unique housing that may be feasible will depend on market
characteristics, potential types of unique housing may include the
following:
• Tightly clustered homes in a development that also
provides extensive recreational amenities
• Ridgeline development
with access to a public riverfront park.
Architectural guidelines for
new construction that reinforce the unique character of the Little
Miami riverfront area may also be appropriate.
Visitor Services
Miamiville and Branch Hill’s physical character and developing
reputation as an attractive stop on the Bikeway will provide
opportunities for a variety of services that may be oriented to
passerby. In addition to conventional small-scale retail and services,
potential visitor services may include:
• Services and retail
oriented to visitors, including canoe and bicycle rental, repairs and
supplies
• Information services, such as a kiosk or tourism
information center.
Recreational
Recreational land uses throughout Miami Township can include both active and passive uses. Active recreational uses include the various sport fields (baseball, basketball, football, and soccer), playground equipment, exercise trails, etc. Passive recreational uses incorporate leisure activity spaces such as: walking trails, gardens, and seating areas. A greenway could also be considered a recreational use and would be considered a passive use.
General Policy Statements
Finally, the Preferred Land Use Plan is presented with the understanding that it also recommends the following general policies.
Hillsides
Much of Miami Township is characterized by hilly topography,
particularly near the Little Miami River and in the Route 50 and Sugar
Camp road areas. This hilly terrain provides a high level of visual
interest and lends these areas a unique and attractive character. Like
much of southwestern Ohio, Miami Township’s hills tend to be
composed of soft clays and glacial till and can be highly susceptible
to slips and landslides, particularly if development increases loads
on the hillside without reinforcement of downhill areas. Additionally,
hills and hillsides are frequently a key defining characteristic for
specific areas. Between Miamiville and the Wards Corner interchange
area, for example, a hillside demarcates the historical boundary
between the 19th century river community and the outlying areas that
were developed in the 20th century.
To the extent possible, Miami
Township’s hillsides should be preserved for their environmental and
aesthetic values. To the extent possible, hillsides should not be
substantially altered in the process of development; development
should be clustered and arranged to preserve the natural character of
the site. This preference for the preservation of hillsides is not
intended to preclude creative or innovative development. Areas that
are extremely hilly, including the Sugar Camp Road area and the Happy
Hollow vicinity, should not be subject to intensive development.
Hillsides in Miami Township should only be altered when all geological
characteristics have been accommodated through industry standard site
analysis and engineering.
Community Center
The survey that was
conducted during the early stages of this Plan development indicated a
relatively high level of interest in the concept of a community
center, a topic that has been discussed in Miami Township for several
years. Despite this interest, it is not clear whether Miami Township
residents would support financial investment in a Community Center, or
what kinds of facilities such a center should offer.
Miami Township’s
residents and officials should continue to evaluate options for
Community Center development and determine residents’ willingness to
support development of a community center.
[4] Comprehensive Plan
Vision & Goals
| [6] Transportation System Analysis