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The future use of the land in question has been a subject of long-range plans for many years. We"ve known for quite some time that this land represents a major opportunity for the community to grow. By making this purchase, we control our own destiny - not just in terms of how the land will be used – but in the physical quality of the development. We’ll be able to influence and define the character of the community for years to come. “With this move, we are taking control of development in Vandalia for the next 20 years,” said Vandalia City Manager Rob Anderson. “By owning this last major parcel of undeveloped land, we’ll be able to control the quality and type of development that goes in. This insures that in a very competitive environment, we’ll be able to maintain and extend our reputation as a high-quality community in which to live and work.” The practice of municipalities owning land is not new. In the past decade, a number of Montgomery County municipalities have purchased land expressly to control development. “It’s happened in Englewood, Clayton, Huber Heights, Brookville, and Kettering just to name a few,” City Manager Rob Anderson said. “The mayor and council have charged us through policy and direction to pursue economic development, and municipal-led development gives us the greatest amount of control in the City’s development.” Anderson also stressed that development on Vandalia’s west side is one piece of a larger puzzle. “We’re committed to seeing development continue in the Northwoods Boulevard, Miller Lane and Benchwood Road areas,” Anderson said. “There is a tremendous amount of activity underway in those areas as development continues.” Anderson said that the land being purchased will not undergo any immediate changes. “I want to stress that this purchase is not being made for any impending project,” he said. Anderson said the benefit to Vandalia in purchasing the land will be long-term and lasting. “We don’t anticipate the land being completely developed for another 20 years,” he said. “But as this land is used in economic development, Vandalia citizens should know that we will recoup this investment many times over.” Anderson also stressed that energies focused on the City’s west side are part of a larger overall plan. “Our downtown area is now and will continue to be a focal point for economic development,” Anderson said. “We believe that this land acquisition will allow us to create additional users for our downtown and complement any future efforts there.” |
With an eye towards controlling future development, the Vandalia City Council unanimously voted to purchase approximately 200 acres of land on the City's west side.