When we first moved to Lewis Center, there were still farms along South Old State Rd.
I remember that I loved seeing the sheep on our left as we headed north – and there were also a couple of black calves in a field on our right. It all felt rural and a bit wild, as if we were far from “the city” and even the hustle and bustle of the Polaris Parkway area just south of us.
But Orange Township development has continued at a rapid pace for the 13 years we’ve lived here. Now, there are fewer farms, countless new neighborhoods and traffic is a daily problem on S. Old State and other main roads around the LC. The traffic and chaos of Polaris is steadily encroaching northward.
And if neighbors don’t show up and speak out, soon there will be even more over-development crowding our Lewis Center green spaces and congesting our roads.
In particular, there are two Orange Township developments in the planning phase that I am vehemently against.
A parcel of land at Lewis Center Rd. and S. Old State Rd. is under consideration to be rezoned for commercial development and then turned into a gas station and strip mall. This would be a nightmare from a traffic standpoint – that intersection is already busy. And, it would destroy the natural, park-like qualities of this section of Lewis Center backing up to Alum Creek State Park.
These developers are so out of touch with what the people of LC want. We want bike trails, parks, playgrounds and slower speed limits so families have even better access to the lake and other state park amenities. We don’t want any more gas stations, car washes, vape shops or convenience stores in Lewis Center!
The other upsetting development is the proposed 24-home neighborhood developers want to put in at S. Old State Rd. just north of Orange Rd. As if we need another 24 homes with “onsite amenities” stuffed onto S. Old State, which is already overburdened with traffic during morning and evening rush hours.
If you feel as strongly as I do that Lewis Center does not need these developments and that they will hurt our quality of life more than they will help, then please speak up. You can:
- Go to an Orange Township zoning meeting, which are held at Orange Township Hall and are open to the public and allow public comments. The next one is 10/16 at 6 pm.
- Go to an Orange Township trustees meeting, which are also held at Orange Township Hall and open to the public. The next one is 10/8 at 6 pm.
- Email the Orange Township zoning committee and staff at orangezoning@orangetwp.org to let them know how you feel.
- Email the Orange Township trustees to share your concerns and hear their views. Their email addresses are:
- Mike Ringle: MAringle@orangetwp.org
- Erica Fouss: EFouss@orangetwp.org
- Lisa Knapp: LKnapp@orangetwp.org
I served on an unrelated local nonprofit board with Mike Ringle and got to know him a bit; I trust that he has our community’s best interests at heart. I don’t know the other trustees personally, but I’m sure they are willing to hear from residents.
Let’s join together to keep Lewis Center as green, natural and family-friendly as we can. Say yes to bike trails and playgrounds, but no to gas stations and strip malls in our beautiful state park-adjacent community!
