Gahanna council adopts pre-annexation agreement with Trivium Development; council members stress further engagement

Gahanna City Council on May 5 adopted Ordinance 0021-2025, approving a pre-annexation agreement with property owners Jimmy Tony, Darlene Tony and Trivium Development LLC for two parcels and waiving the second reading.

Councilmember Renner moved to suspend council rules and waive a second reading; Councilmember Schnetzer seconded the motion. A roll-call vote recorded unanimous support and the council then voted to adopt the ordinance with the same roll-call result.

Councilmembers described the pre-annexation agreement as an exploratory, multi-step process to determine whether the parties want to pursue annexation and any future zoning changes. Councilmember Renner called the agreement a “smart move” that preserves the property owners’ rights while allowing the city to explore service delivery. Councilmember Weaver characterized it as “time to see if the parties want to go to the dance together,” saying the agreement allows developers and the city to examine whether municipal services can be provided and noted outreach to neighbors by the developer.

President Bowers said the agreement is only a first step and promised “ample opportunity for community engagement, feedback, and for us to continue to hear from residents about their thoughts.” The ordinance waives the township zoning change now and does not itself change parcel zoning; any rezoning and future approvals would follow the city’s legal processes, council members said.

Van Meter read the ordinance into the record and council thanked the developer for attending the meeting. The council’s action adopts the pre-annexation agreement; subsequent steps — including public meetings, zoning reviews and potential annexation procedures — were described as future work that will allow resident input.