Preserving Nature

ST. MARYS - Council members at Monday's meeting heard from upset residents who said they felt blindsided by the city's decision to allow a portion of land near the Sleepy Hollow Nature Preserve to be developed into a residential subdivision.

About 20 people attended the meeting which became contentious at times. Many residents said the area should remain undeveloped for wildlife and for future generations of people to enjoy.

Councilors in March approved an emergency ordinance to sell the Dabbelt farm property located at 15241 St. Marys River Rd. at an auction and to use the proceeds to develop the subdivision.

The proposed 16-lot housing subdivision would be called Sleepy Hollow and would be located south of Canalview Estates. Keels Road would be extended and necessary utilities would be added at a cost of $650,000, city safety and service director Greg Foxhoven had said.

The sale of the 16 residential lots on the property would help the city to recoup its development costs, he had said. The city acquired the 15-acre Sleepy Hollow property in December 2020 using a combination of state grants and city funds. The Heinrich family donated the balance of the property, which runs along the Miami-Erie Canal, Foxhoven said.

The 7.8-acre Sleepy Hollow nature preserve will not be developed, Foxhoven said. Of the 16 lots, only four lots at most would be located on the west side of the road closest to the nature preserve, he said.

The remaining acreage that would be used for the subdivision is largely an open field with some trees, Foxhoven said. He noted the city aims to keep as many trees as possible because it's what the Heinrich family would want and what the city wants as well.

Resident Bill Metzger of Noble Township said the town is losing its wildlife and natural beauty to development.

"I've seen this city from having great places for wildlife to mowing (down) every darn thing they can get a mower on," he said. "Just like big agriculture, they can't stand to have weeds. They don't realize that the birds and stuff need a place to nest."

Shirley Bernard, who lives on Coventry Green, said she built her home near the Sleepy Hollow area because it's beautiful.

"Sleepy Hollow has been there forever. My husband played there, my kids played in it, my grandkids play in it. There's no place for kids to play and be a kid," she said. "I think St. Marys is destroying this place."

Nate Carmean, who also lives on Coventry Green, said he had posted about the plan to develop the Sleepy Hollow subdivision on social media to draw attention to the issue. He said the Sleepy Hollow area is part of the town's history and other cities would kill to have such a greenspace in an urban area.

"It's sad. We do need trees, we do need conservation, we do need wildlife," he said. "I think about everybody in here made their way back in Sleepy Hollow at some point."

Carmean questioned council members if they had asked constituents their thoughts on the issue and if council members had considered what the development would do to the surrounding wildlife.

Councilman John Bubp said it's not typical practice to do so and said the city is very short on affordable housing. Several residents had commented houses are still available in Canalview Estates, but Bubp said those houses are upscale and cost $400,000 to $500,000.

Carmean was eventually cut off by council president James Harris after peppering councilwoman Ashley Randolph with questions about her election platform of developing the Sleepy Hollow area, her relationship with city manager of industrial and community development Mike Burkholder and her work as a real estate agent with Cisco Realty, which she acknowledged is handling the sale of properties in the nearby Canalview Estates.

Randolph said as a real estate agent she recognized the need for additional housing in town and her platform reflected that. She said her relationship with Burkholder was no secret and she is an elected official while Burkholder is in a paid position with the city.

While she works for Cisco Realty, Randolph said the individual who is selling the Canalview Estates properties chose a specific realtor at Cisco Realty to help sell the properties before she was a licensed real estate agent.

Randolph said she has not sold any of the lots but has shown some of them. She said she has not mentioned the Sleepy Hollow development because it is new information.

The next city council meeting is 6:30 p.m. April 25 in council chambers at the city building, 101 East Spring St.