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County staff advance application for six-year tax exemption on new private golf course; hearings and school notifications next
Summary
County economic development staff said an exemption application was received from the Osterfeld family for a private golf-course development at State Route 222; staff reported no local objections so far and said required notices to townships and school districts will be sent before a final resolution returns to the commissioners.
Clermont County economic-development staff told commissioners on March 5 that the county has received an application under Ohio law for a time-limited tax exemption tied to a new private golf-course development, and staff will send required notifications to affected townships and school districts before returning a resolution to the board.
Chris McClintock, director of economic development, described the application from owners identified as Jay, Jeff and Jake Osterfeld for a private golf course on roughly 200 acres at 4987 State Route 222 (portions in Stonelick and Batavia townships). McClintock said the owners operate the nearby Stone Lick golf club and that construction and site work are already under way.
McClintock said the owners applied under Ohio Revised Code section 5709.52, which allows a local jurisdiction to permit property to be taxed at its predevelopment (farm) value for a limited period to ease the upfront tax burden on developers. He explained the provision is limited to a maximum of six years and becomes operative when a building permit is issued; the countystaff projection was that the site could be complete by 2027, meaning any tax benefit would likely be for a short portion of that six-year window.
McClintock reported he had already contacted affected local jurisdictions and school districts and that Stone Lick Township (as reported to the board), Batavia Township, Clermont Northeastern and Batavia school districts had no objections. He said the county will still send formal letters required under the statute to the townships and school districts and they will have 30 days to comment; after the comment period expires staff intends to return a resolution placing the exemption on the parcels.
Commissioners asked procedural questions about the timeline and next steps. McClintock said the formal resolution to grant a local exemption would be presented to the board only after the statutory notice and comment period and the required legal documents are prepared by county counsel. He said the countyhas not yet finalized any tax-collection estimates tied to the exemption and that the owner-paid upfront development costs would remain the primary economic driver during construction.
No formal objections were recorded in the meeting record; McClintock requested direction to proceed with the statutory notification process and final legal drafting. The board did not vote to approve an exemption at this meeting; the matter was described as pending and likely to return to the board in April or May after the required notifications and the 30-day comment window.
The application covers six parcels held by Veterans Club LLC (as listed to the board) and was characterized in staff presentation as a substantial, privately financed development. McClintock said the county had not previously received many applications under section 5709.52 and that staff sought commissioner direction before advancing the resolution process.
