Townships against request for 86-acre annexation into Union

Most of the 86.248 acres consists of farmland, with one vacant house on the property.

In a recent public hearing, Montgomery County commissioners heard from the city of Union and Lisa Hanauer, manager of the property’s trust, regarding the petitioners’ combined interest in annexing the land from Butler Twp.

During the hearing, Hanauer shared that the property has belonged to her family for multiple generations. After the death of her aunt, who had lived on the property, Hanauer said she was named trustee.

“The house is really, really run down, but it’s a pretty property and I’m the one taking care of it now,” Hanauer said during the hearing. “It’s quite a job.”

Now, Hanauer is designated with the responsibility to determine the property’s future.

“I have an obligation to maximize the value to the beneficiaries, of which I am not one, but I take it very seriously,” she said. “I know, after talking with various parties, that the city of Union is going to do some things to enhance the value of the property.”

Hanauer said the city plans to install water and sewage lines throughout the property, as part of an effort to entice prospective developers.

Butler Twp. was also represented at the hearing, with township Administrator Erika Vogel speaking in opposition to the petition.

Vogel said township officials are concerned about traffic, given the property’s location in a growing logistics hub contributing to increased truck traffic, as well as the maintenance and upkeep of roadways.

While a statement of services ordinance passed by Union City Council asserts the ability and intent to provide city services, including road maintenance, to the proposed annexation area, Butler Twp. officials have reservations.

Vogel said she has specific concerns about potential improvements to roadways in the proposed annexation area, specifically to North Montgomery County Line Road, west of Lightner Road.

She referenced recent roadway improvements to Jackson Road near the Proctor & Gamble facility on Union Park Boulevard as a contributing factor to these concerns.

Vogel said the Jackson Road improvements left a significant taper where the new and old roads meet, causing speed and safety concerns for nearby residents.

“It’s the inconsistency of it and the segmented development,” Vogel said. “There aren’t good bufferings or transitions in place going from the industrial areas to the residential areas.”

Greg Siefring, a trustee of nearby Monroe Twp., spoke in opposition to the annexation during the public comment segment of the hearing.

“I’ve seen a lot of road construction being done out here; I know it’s really good for development, but not so good for the people who live there,” he said.

Siefring said with increased truck traffic comes other issues for residents to deal with, including litter, drug and crime activity, and stress to maintenance departments.

“I’m really concerned about the people who live out here and how they’re being neglected,” he said.

Commissioners will deliver a decision on the petition by June 22.