HAMILTON COUNTY — In the quiet northern parts of Hamilton County, some residents fear the sounds of cicadas and wind chimes could soon be replaced with traffic from new housing developments.
“Peace and quiet. Why would I want 147 homes with cars coming in and out and ruining everything I got?” said Scott Griffin, who lives in unincorporated Hamilton County in Jackson Township.
Development is booming across Hamilton County, but Griffin and his neighbors say they have limited power to stop it.
“We have no voting rights on what we do; all we have is our voices,” Griffin said.
“We cannot vote in the town of Cicero because we don’t live in city limits — so if that cornfield wanted a development, they are voting 10 miles out of their city limits to approve it.”
Cicero Town Council President Joe Cox said the issue dates back decades.
“Back in the 1970s, they signed what’s called a joiner agreement with the town of Cicero, to which they were given representation on the plan commission as the unincorporated area,” Cox said.
“It’s worked up until recently. A few decisions were made that some residents disagree with. And now that agreement is essentially being challenged.”
Cox said the town has tried to involve township residents in zoning discussions.
“We have tried hard to represent them; they do have two seats on the planning commission, there were multiple public hearings,” he said.
“We’re working through it. It’s a little challenging right now because we have some moving targets, but we are really, truly trying to make it work for everyone.”
While residents and town leaders disagree on decision-making power, both sides say they want to preserve the rural character of northern Hamilton County.
“We’re trying to help them maintain the identity of the rural areas as that’s what we want to see as well,” Cox said.
“I’m not big on growth. I ran on moderate growth.”
“This is what I love, you hear nothing but some wind chimes, the cicadas, the wind blowing, this is what needs to be saved,” Griffin said.
“If you don’t save it, it’s gone forever.”
