CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – Pickaway County commissioners denied annexing hundreds of acres of farmland for a new development. 

It comes after residents had been sounding the alarm over the proposal. The meeting was filled with community members who had voiced concerns about this project and the Pickaway County commissioners seem to have agreed, denying the annexation 3-0. 

This all stems from a proposal to develop about 1,200 homes on over 300 acres of farmland. The project would be built along Gibson Road and State Route 762. Many residents in the community say this project would cause significant issues, such as increased traffic flow, overcrowded schools, and increased property taxes. 

After careful review of the proposal, the county commissioners voted against the approval of the annexation into commercial point. Citing the fact that all seven points of the criteria were not met, specifically the code for sanitary-sewer capacity.

“We’re not exactly sure what’s going on there, in one recent one, they couldn’t do it, but on this one, they said they could do it,” said Jay Wippel, president of Pickaway County commissioners. “So that kind of threw up a red flag for us because those are the main things that we look at.” 

Residents expressed after the meeting that it felt like a small victory in a big battle. But remain hopeful for the future of their community.

“It shows me know everybody doesn’t always talk with each other and everybody seems like you just see people online, but we do have a strong community,” Cory Wasmus said. “People do care about each other and the place we share in common. That’s a place we love, where we live, and work.”

The attorney for the developer noted that they believed they did meet the bar in the code for sanitary-sewer capacity.