The Delaware County Commissioners today voted to authorize the purchase of nearly 141 acres at the intersection of U.S. Route 42 and Sawmill Parkway on the City of Delaware’s south side. The intention for the $17.7 million purchase, explained the County’s Economic Development Administrator Chad Smith, is not to develop the land for future County facilities, but to advance the County’s economic development strategy.
“This purchase is key to protecting the infrastructure investments the County has made here over the last two decades,” Smith said, “and ensuring that development is achieved intentionally rather than reactively.”
The four parcels of land, located to the south and east of the 42/Sawmill intersection, stand opposite land already being developed for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets youth hockey facility and the 250-acre, mixed-use and entertainment project that has been dubbed “Maridel.”
Commissioner Jeff Benton, president of this year’s Board, said that the guided growth enabled by this purchase “is a critical part of our long-term strategy to diversify the County’s economic base and attract new businesses and jobs.”
Smith also said: “Rather than allowing this property to be developed in a piecemeal manner, the County can comprehensively position it for opportunities that create quality jobs, grow our commercial tax base, and reduce the burden on our schools. This area was one of several identified in the County’s strategic plan to focus its efforts.”
For more information about Delaware County’s Economic Development Department, visit their website.
