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Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > April > 05 > Entry
Sprawl fears fuel connector fight
OXFORD — When Oxford Twp. passed its comprehensive plan recently, there was no mention of a road connecting U.S. 27 and Ohio 73. The line wasn’t on the map.
Township trustees and residents say they wanted a plan that emphasized maintaining rural character and environmental protection. The road, they fear, would spur sprawl and damage waterways such as Four Mile Creek.
But the comprehensive plan doesn’t decide whether the road gets built. The money is already allocated via federal earmark and the Ohio Department of Transportation is moving ahead with an environmental study.
Every public meeting has brought out dozens of opposed Oxford Twp. residents. Oxford Twp. resident JoAnn Martin has assembled hundreds of names on a petition urging, “more effective solutions to the traffic problems in our area.”
But can the township stop such a large project? Yes, according to Oxford Twp. Trustee Larry Frimerman.
Frimerman and other township leaders are urging planners to consider alternatives: roads bypassing Oxford to the west, limited access roads to channel traffic to Yager Stadium, weigh scales leading into the city.
Miami University officials, one of the largest proponents of the project, say they’re “open to alternatives” as long as they don’t require more money or slow down the process, according to Stephen Snyder, executive assistant to the president.
The township’s proposal would undoubtedly do both, as money and a timetable are already in place for the connector. And the fight continues.
“This has got to stop,” said Frimerman. “There is no point in having citizens fighting government and government fighting government,” he said.
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