LEWIS CENTER — Bale-Kenyon Road in Orange Township between Orange Road and Kendall Lane is closed through Aug. 26 for road widening, the Delaware County Engineer’s Office said.

The closure began on June 12.

The DCEO’s county and township road projects guide for this year and next calls this phase one of the Bale-Kenyon Road improvements.

“Widening and reconstruction of Bale Kenyon Road beginning at Orange Road and extending south for about 1/2 mile including new curbs, gutters, a shared use path and drainage improvements,” the guide said. “Full closure to through traffic for about 3 months with traffic maintained to residences in the work zone.”

Originally, the project was planned for July to November. The funding is $2.7 million from Orange Township, $500,000 from the Ohio Public Works Commission, and $500,000 from the Delaware County Transportation Improvement District, or TID for short.

“The Transportation Improvement District (TID) is an independent governmental unit that works closely with Delaware County and other local agencies in the area to advance transportation projects through innovative contracting methods and public-private partnerships,” the guide said.

The TID was created in 2018 by the Delaware County Board of Commissioners. The TID first met this year on Jan. 11.

The most traveled road in the township, however, is U.S. Route 23. What many motorists driving along it may not know, though, is that Orange Township has created an overlay district in its portion of the thoroughfare. It is Article 20 of its zoning resolution, approved July 21, 2022.

“The Route 23 Corridor Overlay District (“RCOD”) is created pursuant to Section 519.021(C) of the Ohio Revised Code … to further the purpose of promoting the general welfare, encouraging the efficient use of land and resources, promoting public and utility services, and encouraging innovation in the planning and building of appropriate types of retail, office and commercial development,” the article begins. “The overlay encourages flexibility of design to promote and accommodate environmentally sensitive and efficient use of the land, thereby allowing for a unified development…”

Nine requirements are listed for anyone filing a zoning application in the RCOD, which is divided into three segments: Shanahan Road to Lewis Center Road, Lewis Center Road to Orange Road, and Orange Road to the southern RCOD boundary (past Powell Road). Proposed zoning is commercial/office and mixed-use development in the first segment; and commercial/office, mixed-use development and advanced manufacturing/logistics/research and development in the latter two segments.

The 51-page article outlines the application process, permitted uses, prohibited uses and example layouts/renderings. For more information, visit www.orangetwp.org.

Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].