Morgan Township zoning board to resubmit 5‑acre minimum proposal after Butler County tabling

Morgan Township’s zoning board voted Dec. 3 to prepare and forward a resolution to the Butler County Planning Commission asking that a subsection of the township’s Chapter 7 zoning rewrite be considered at the county’s January meeting.

The board’s chair told members the BCPC subcommittee had reviewed several items — including agriculture provisions, swimming‑pool fencing language and proposed fines — and had tabled one piece because township representation was not available at the county hearing (the chair identified the BCPC report date as Oct. 31). Board members agreed to repackage and resubmit the tabled section for the county’s January agenda, and the board approved a motion to send a signable PDF resolution for that resubmission. A roll‑call style assent in the meeting record shows Mr. Zankert, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Morrissey and Mr. Tumbleton recorded as voting “Yes”; the chair announced the motion approved.

Much of the board’s discussion focused on a proposal to increase minimum lot sizes in selected areas to 5 acres. Proponents said the larger lot size would reduce the number of driveway cuts and help preserve the township’s rural character. One member summarized the reasoning this way: by making lots larger, “you’re essentially lessening the amount of driveways there, and in turn, keeping the area… more rural.”

Opponents and other members raised practical and legal concerns. Speakers pointed out that many lots were platted decades ago and that legally nonconforming parcels could be grandfathered under current code. The board discussed whether combinations, consolidations or divisions of existing lots would trigger new review by the Board of Zoning Appeals; members disagreed about when a lot change would be treated as a new action rather than a continuation of a lawful nonconforming use. The chair and others noted rezoning or creation of conservation districts as alternative tools to meet land‑use goals, and several members emphasized that R1 provisions permitting lots as small as 20,000 square feet apply only where public sewer and water are available — an infrastructure limitation that the township said it does not currently have.

Board members agreed to finalize a resolution and submit the tabled item in January so the BCPC and county staff can consider the lot‑size language alongside the other Chapter 7 updates. The chair said the resolution would be circulated to board members as a signable PDF for signatures by Kevin and Bill prior to filing.

What’s next: the township will send the resolution to Butler County for the January meeting; zoning staff and board members expect to continue land‑use discussions in January and to bring refined code language back to the board before any final local adoption.