Cornerstone’s plans call for the development, once called “Cornerstone at Centerville”, to be constructed on 225 acres at Wilmington Pike and Feedwire Road. Members of the Dille family are partners in Cornerstone.
Initial plans included three big-box retailers, outlet stores, a village center with restaurants and boutiques, a hotel, offices, a lake, a pavilion and residential areas.
Centerville annexed the property in October 2006. Since then, it has been part of both Sugarcreek Twp. in Greene County and Centerville.
Oberer cites what he calls Centerville’s desire to shift costs of an “unreasonable amount of roadway improvements” to Cornerstone.
Oberer contends that the original scope of the project for a proposed mixed-use development was estimated at about $15 million, with $11 million of that to be used for infrastructure and property improvements.
Since then, however, Centerville has raised overall development costs to $27 million “while offering Cornerstone only a fraction of funding for on-site public improvements contained in the pre-annexation agreement,” Oberer said in a statement.
Centerville City Manager Gregory Horn said he had not seen a copy of Oberer’s filing as of about 4 p.m. Monday, but he said Oberer called him Friday to notify him of his intent to detach the property from the city. Horn said he could not immediately comment on whether the city would fight the request.
“We have negotiated for some time with Mr. Oberer and his associates, we felt, in very good faith,” Horn said.
Oberer said that in talks with Centerville he felt Cornerstone was being “burdened” with producing security for bonds for infrastructure improvements “that have nothing to do with our property.”
That intersection of Wilmington and I-675 has “significant” traffic issues today, Oberer said. Remedying that should be a burden shared among several communities, he said.
“We’re willing to pay our fair share,” he added.
At this point, Centerville has spent no money to improve the property, Oberer said. “We’re saying ‘No harm, no foul. Let us out of the agreement, let us out of the city. We’ll go back to the township,’” he said.
Oberer is confident that since the property has not yet been improved, the court will be open to a petition to remove the property from Centerville.
He believes detachment from Centerville will change the project’s timing, but he “hopes” that prospective tenants will stay on board. “We don’t anticipate that will be a problem,” he said.
“We have major, major anchor tenants … ready and willing and able to go into this development,” Oberer said. He declined to identify the tenants.
In April, the Ohio Supreme Court heard arguments regarding Sugarcreek Twp.’s opposition to Centerville’s plan to apply tax incremental financing on the property. The parties are still waiting on a ruling. But according to the court’s online docket Monday afternoon, Sugarcreek Twp. had filed to dismiss its appeal in the case.
On Monday, Sugarcreek Twp. trustees voted unanimously to put a limited home rule issue on the November ballot.
Township Administrator Barry Tiffany said the limited home rule form of township government would allow the township to use many of the same economic development tools that cities use.
Sugarcreek Twp. Trustee Mike Pittman said Washington Twp. has successfully prevented Centerville’s annexation attempts using its limited home rule status.
“We need to be prepared in case it could be of use to us,” Pittman said.
Staff Writer Amelia Robinson contributed to this story.
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