Village may annex another 50 acres

FORT RECOVERY - Fort Recovery councilors on Monday night heard local property owners plan to request an annexation of over 50 acres into the village for future development.

Village administrator Aaron Rengers informed councilors at their regular meeting that landowners Nathan and Jamie Fortkamp plan to submit a petition for the annexation of 51 acres on the corner of Flaler and Fort Recovery Minster roads.

"It won't be anything huge to start off with. He's not planning on doing a big housing development. It may be only seven houses to start off with, but it's a start," Rengers said. "It'll all be included in the CRA (Community Reinvestment Area) whenever we get that in it, so that's what we're going to wait on now for the CRA."

Following the meeting, Rengers clarified to The Daily Standard that Fortkamp plans to farm the land for the "foreseeable future." Annexing the land would allow for any future residential development to be eligible for the 100% tax abatement included in the village's planned CRA.

A CRA that would encompass the entire village has been in talks since August 2025, but was put on hold shortly thereafter pending the completion of several village annexations.

As the proposal currently stands, property owners would receive a 100% tax abatement for new construction or remodeling of residential, commercial and industrial properties.

The 100% abatements would last 15 years for a residential remodel, eight years for a commercial remodel, 10 years for the construction of a new residential property and eight years for the construction of a new commercial property.

The Fortkamp annexation, if accepted, would mark the village's fourth annexation in a year.

Councilors accepted the annexation of a 15.588-acre parcel on State Route 119 in December 2025. The parcel is owned by Nathan and Allison Ruhenkamp and classified as agricultural use with outbuildings.

Two other similar parcels were annexed in 2025. During the fall they annexed a 1.035-acre parcel of land located at Fort Recovery Minster Road. It was also owned by Nathan and Jamie Fortkamp.

Prior to the first Fortkamp annexation, they accepted the annexation of 7.417 acres of land in Gibson Township into Fort Recovery. That land involved four properties with four owners on Union City Road - a 4.075-acre parcel owned by Wendel Realty Group LLC, a 0.67-acre parcel owned by Miracle Bowling LLC, a 1-acre parcel owned by Mercer County Joint Township Community Hospital District and a 1.5-acre parcel owned by Fred J. and Cindy M. Westgerdes.

Also on Monday, councilors heard the first reading of legislation amending the town's sidewalk program.

The most notable proposed change to the village's sidewalk maintenance program is that the village will now inspect sidewalks in the fall and notify homeowners in the winter, so residents have more time to make changes throughout the spring and summer.

If passed, the ordinance would also up the program's minimum cost from $250 to $500.

The ordinance will return for a second reading at their next meeting, set for 7:30 p.m. March 16 in council chambers.