ANNEXATION POLICY & PROCEDURES,
VILLAGE OF YELLOW SPRINGS. OHIO

Rev. 5/12/92

The Village of Yellow Springs, Ohio is committed to -maintaining its small, rural village character while at the same time allowing for economic growth from within the Yellow Springs/Miami Township community. Further, the Village is committed to making consistent, fair, and well-informed decisions regarding land use proposals, including annexation requests, to help ensure that public interests are met. For these reasons, the following policy and procedures will be used by all Village planning and decision-making authorities in considering and making decisions regarding the issues of annexation of land into the Village.

POLICY

1. Only areas that are contiguous with the Corporate Limits of the Village may be considered for annexation.

2. Village representatives will not actively solicit annexation of land into the Village merely for the purpose of expanding the Village limits.

3. Annexation decisions will be consistent with the objectives of the most recent Village Plan, except where the Plan is inconsistent with Figure 1 (attached), in which case the information presented in Figure 1 will supersede the Village Plan. In particular, annexation beyond the limits of the "Suggested Limits of Urban Expansion" shown on Figure 1 should not be allowed unless.-there is overwhelming reason (i.e. a development proposal would involve properties within the boundary and just adjacent to the boundary, watershed protection) shown for such annexation.

4. No annexation request will be granted without prior agreement by the petitioner-" that all Village utilities will be extended within a reasonable period of time onto the territory to be annexed.

5. Annexation studies should be conducted for all proposed annexations. These studies should evaluate the net benefit or harm to the public over the short and long term, taking into consideration the following issues:

· Economic benefits to the public
· Costs to the public
· Tax revenues
· Other benefits to the community
· Public infrastructure
· Land use plan compatibility/owner's use intentions
· Population projections
· Consistency with the objectives of the Village Plan, the attached
· Figure 1, and other relevant planning documents
· Timing of developments
· Environmental impacts

The annexation study should be conducted by the Village Planner pursuant to an annexation request but prior to the Village Council's decision to accept or reject the annexation. The level of detail of such study should be commensurate with the size and intended use of the land, the overall contribution or impact to the community and the complexity of the issues to be addressed when considering the annexation'.- The cost for such study may be recovered from the petitioner, if warranted and if agreed upon -by the petitioner.

5. The Village should resist proposals for annexation where the result would be an isolated development. Two aspects in particular should inform annexation policy in this regard. First, additional density should be accompanied by integration into the Village street network, so that vehicular traffic can be dispersed and pedestrian circulation throughout the Village is encouraged. Second, new development should be accompanied by provision of public open space, either as neighborhood parks or as additions to the Greenbelt. It is recommended that a condition of annexation be the ability to contribute meaningfully to the public open space system, with a target of ten percent of the land area of the annexation as either internal or external open space. In cases where a land donation is not appropriate, a monetary donation equal to the value of the land donation required, shall be provided to the Village's greenspace acquisition fund for future use.

6. Pre-annexation agreements specifying the terms of the annexation decision (including negotiated infrastructure improvements or other public benefits, for example) should be developed when appropriate.

7. A document outlining the specific procedures for implementing this policy is filed in office of the Clerk of Council and should be used when such action is being considered.