“I want to be clear that this is not an objection to the hospital itself,” wrote chapter President Derrick Foward. “Rather, it is a recommendation, based on community and stakeholder input, to work collaboratively with the City of Trotwood in identifying a location that is both feasible and aligned with the City’s long-term vision.”
Dan Tierney, a DeWine spokesperson, told this outlet the letter was received. He offered no direct comments on its content. The Ohio Department of Behavioral Health and the Department of Administrative Services did not immediately respond to this outlet’s request for comment on the site’s status.
The letter came two weeks after the state approved a $2.5 million appropriation to purchase the 133-acre site from its private sector owners with the intention of building the Miami Valley Behavioral Healthcare Center — a 208-bed, state-run hospital — by 2030.
Foward wrote that the site raises “significant concerns for our community, including issues related to accessibility, safety, and the potential impact on surrounding neighborhoods.”
His concerns are in keeping with those of long-opposed Trotwood city officials, who have hoped to bring a mixed-use development project to a site that has stood vacant since Hara Arena’s demolition in 2020.
“Long-standing plans envision this corridor as a mixed-use district featuring housing, commercial amenities, and job-creating enterprises that would generate essential property and income tax revenue,” Foward said. “Converting the site to a tax-exempt institutional use would permanently eliminate these possibilities.”
Meanwhile, Harrison Twp. officials have supported the state’s hospital plan, pointing to an expected boost in the area’s job market and the rippling effects it could have on further development in the area.
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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