Dublin City Council took its first step Aug. 10, toward acquiring property from six homeowners along Riverside Drive for a shared-use path, water main and sanitary sewer project that would bring infrastructure upgrades to a corridor at the center of the city's school redistricting safety debate.
The vote was unanimous.
All seven council members, including Mayor Amorose Groomes, voted to introduce Ordinances 37-26 through 42-26, which authorize the city to obtain warranty deeds, permanent utility easements and temporary construction easements from property owners at addresses ranging from 7720 to 7836 Riverside Drive and one on May Apple Court, according to the council's action summary. The ordinances received first reading and head to a second reading and public hearing Aug. 24.
The acquisitions support a long-planned project to build an 8-foot-wide shared-use path along the east side of Riverside Drive between Tonti Drive and Wyandotte Woods Boulevard, according to the city's project page. The project also extends water and sewer service to homes in the Woodlands and Drexel Hills subdivisions that currently rely on aging wells and septic systems.
The six property owners named in the ordinances are Samuel N. Lillard and Monica M. Szonn-Lillard (7720 Riverside Drive, 0.238 acres); John Dawson (7726 Riverside Drive, 0.085 acres); Anita C. Plew and Charles W. Hess (7730 Riverside Drive, 0.511 acres plus a 0.143-acre utility easement and temporary easement); Sarah Strasser, trustee of the Sarah Strasser Revocable Trust (7778 Riverside Drive, 0.055 acres plus temporary easement); Rebecca J. and Wesley N. Hamilton (7836 Riverside Drive, 0.113 acres plus temporary easement); and Wilbert W. Harvey and Barbara Wieser-Harvey (4410 May Apple Court, 0.039-acre utility easement).
The project has been a city priority since at least 2016, when it appeared in a feasibility study. Senior civil engineer Joshua Miller is the project manager. Design was expected to wrap up this year, with construction slated for 2027 or 2028 pending Capital Improvements Program funding.
Safety backdrop
Riverside Drive has drawn intense scrutiny during Dublin City Schools' high school redistricting process. Shawnee Hills Police Chief Russell Barton wrote to the school board in March urging it to avoid routing students along high-risk corridors including Riverside Drive. A school bus was struck head-on by a pickup truck on the road May 16; no students were aboard, but the truck driver was seriously injured.
More than 100 parents protested before the school board's May 21 redistricting criteria vote, citing Riverside Drive and the Glick Road Bridge as safety concerns. A district spokesperson told NBC4 on March 26 that the district does not evaluate any single roadway in isolation when considering redistricting plans.
The shared-use path would separate pedestrians and cyclists from vehicle traffic on the corridor, though no council member has publicly connected the path project to the redistricting debate.
Other business
Council also voted 7-0 to adopt the final report of a zoning code and subdivision regulations audit, directing staff to proceed with code amendments for the ID-2 and ID-3 Innovation District zoning districts. Members specified that the West Innovation District would be studied comprehensively as that work advances.
Three business incentive ordinances received first reading: deals for John W. Danforth Company and Innosource LLC, both involving office relocations within Dublin, and Northwest Bank, which plans to relocate employees into the city and expand. Those also go to public hearing Aug. 24.
The second reading and public hearing for all introduced ordinances is scheduled for Aug. 24, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber at 5555 Perimeter Drive. Residents can contact Legislative Services at 614-410-4400 for copies of legislation.
