Delaware County approves expansion and governance change for Northstar New Community Authority

The Delaware County Board of Commissioners on May 29 approved an application to add certain real property to the Northstar New Community Authority and amend the authority’s petition under Chapter 349 of the Ohio Revised Code.

Greg Daniels, counsel to the Northstar New Community Authority, told the board the amendment does three things: adds newly acquired commercial property to the authority, recognizes a change in the developer entity, and preserves the county-appointment process for successor trustees instead of moving to trustee elections.

Daniels said the amendment will allow charges to be collected from the new development to fund infrastructure already constructed or planned by the authority, including roads and water and sewer improvements. “Charges can be collected from that new development to help fund all the infrastructure,” Daniels said. He also described the developer change as a technical correction reflecting a transfer of interest to a new development entity.

The petition also continues the existing process of having county commissioners select and vet successor trustees for the authority’s board. Daniels said trustee elections have performed poorly in similar community authorities because of low turnout and limited candidate interest, and that many authorities have continued the county-selection approach.

The board held a public hearing on the petition, then voted to approve Resolution 25-412. The vote was recorded as President Barb Lewis: Aye; Commissioner Gary Merrill: Aye; Vice President Jeff Benton: Aye. Commissioners closed the public hearing at about 9:50 a.m. before taking the vote.

Commissioners and staff noted ongoing development activity in the Northstar area during the meeting’s other agenda items. No specific timetable or commitments for future commercial tenants were provided during the hearing; Daniels said only that there is hope for additional retail along the 36/37 corridor and that some pieces of property added could accommodate a range of uses, from retail to larger commercial or multifamily, “up to the market.”

The petition and the board’s approving resolution cite Chapter 349 of the Ohio Revised Code, the statutory authority governing new community authorities in Ohio. The application before the board addressed commercial additions and governance language; the resolution approving the application was read into the record as Resolution 25-412 and approved by unanimous vote.

The board did not specify further implementation steps at the meeting beyond approving the application and amended petition; the transcript does not record new dates for construction or tenant commitments.