The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission hopes to provide guidance in developing a growth plan for the Olentangy River watershed.

MORPC representatives are visiting community leaders in the watershed area to gain support for the program. Development of the "Olentangy River Watershed Balanced Growth Plan" would be funded by a $100,000 grant from the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, said Jerry Tinianow, MORPC project director, at a Liberty Township meeting last week.

To apply for the grant, MORPC must have "resolutions of intention to participate" from 75 percent of the jurisdictions in the watershed, said Tinianow.

"We need 75 percent participation rate in three ways: 75 percent of the population that lives within the watershed, 75 percent of the jurisdictions and 75 percent of the land area," Tinianow said.

The watershed comprises four counties, 17 townships and nine municipalities, MORPC documents show. It is about 57 miles long. Delaware County's section is about seven miles wide and runs from the northern to southern borders.

Powell and Liberty and Orange townships are among the jurisdictions in the watershed.

Powell City Council last week approved a resolution of support for the program. At a separate meeting, Liberty Township trustees opted to delay the vote until their Nov. 16 meeting. Orange Township trustees are reviewing the MORPC proposal with their legal counsel, said Gail Messmer, township administrator.

Representatives of the jurisdictions would form a partnership that would develop the plan. The planning group would work together with MORPC to identify the "priority conservation areas" and "priority development areas" in the various communities, Tinianow said. The process would take about two years.

"It's an opportunity for each community in the watershed to identify areas within their boundaries that they would like to conserve as preservation areas; where they want to limit the amount of and kind of growth that is happening there," said David Rutter, the MORPC representative who spoke to Powell City Council.

The plan would "not create a legally binding commitment, only a set of recommendations," Tinianow said. After the plan is approved by 75 percent of the participants, MORPC would go through the possible "protection tools" with the planning group.

Tinianow said "protection tools" include "things you can do with ordinances, land acquisition and things you can do with tax incentives."

Liberty Township resident Ellen Hardymon asked how property owners are protected or involved in the plan development process.

"(We're landowners) with a lot of acres along the river," Hardymon said. "I can see our value just going away if our property is designated as no-use or little-use. That scares me. I worry about our value if we wouldn't be able to develop."

Tinianow said that typically priority conservation areas are already publicly owned lands or private lands whose owners want their land designated as conservation land.

"Once we have an endorsed plan than those participating jurisdictions would be eligible for certain benefits for state projects consistent with the plan. ... Your projects would go to the head of the line; there are financial incentives, grant packages you may get extra points for having a project that is consistent with one of these plans," said Tinianow.

MORPC would be the facilitator, organizer and information provider for the plan development, Tinianow said.

bbutcher@thisweeknews.com