Council dedicates 0.113 acres as public right of way to complete Park Street replat

Xenia City Council voted unanimously Sept. 25 to dedicate 0.113 acres of city‑owned land in the G.W. Weatherholt addition as public street right of way and accept a section of Park Street built on that land, a step staff said is necessary to consolidate several city lots for sale and infill housing.

City manager Merriman said the city owns several parcels in the location and seeks to consolidate them to facilitate sale and redevelopment; portions of those parcels extend into roadways that were never formally designated as right of way. The ordinance was introduced earlier by Councilman Reynolds and, after a public hearing, council moved to pass the measure.

During the public hearing Thomas Scrivens, a neighborhood resident, told council he supported the replat and said the site once contained a vacant structure known locally as "Scottio’s" that has been gone for about 30 years. Scrivens said an adjacent alley has a gully that holds water and creates mosquito problems during summer months and that vacating and addressing the alley would aid redevelopment and resolve the drainage issue.

Council then passed Ordinance 2025‑24 on roll call with all members voting in favor; no amendments were made. Merriman said the dedication will allow the city to maintain the road separate from constructible parcels and facilitate the overall redevelopment project.

No formal timelines or dollar amounts for parcel sales were provided during the hearing. Staff indicated the dedication is a preparatory step ahead of future sale and development activity.