OTTAWA HILLS, Ohio — The village of Ottawa Hills is looking at a future housing development off Richards Road at the current site of its municipal building.
But the school district is worried about capacity and a possible increase in students.
"I'm not concerned," Superintendent Adam Fineske said. "I would say we're just cautious."
Fineske noted the district and the village are doing really well. So it's not a surprise that both are looking toward the future.
"Ottawa Hills is a growing community," he noted. "We've seen a growth in enrollment here in the school district. We've seen homes selling really well."
A few years ago, the village conducted a vision study of what was needed in the community. Village Administrator John Wenzlick said a few things stuck out.
"One of the things that was identified was some of the housing options that we have here are somewhat limited for young professionals," he said. "And empty-nesters once their children leave the school system."
Despite a decreasing amount of available classroom space, especially on the elementary side, the district says it's already anticipating an increase in enrollment with or without this development.
"We want to make sure that we can keep our class sizes low which is what Ottawa Hills is known for," Fineske said. "And have the space for the growth in the schools and be able to provide that top notch experience for kids."
They are already looking at moving the district offices out of the elementary school to free up more space for classrooms. According to an independent study commissioned by the district, enrollment at Ottawa Hills is projected to grow over the next 10 years by 155 students without the proposed development, and by 178 students with the proposed development.
And the village believes future development should not deter anyone from moving here.
"This entire process is meant to further the offerings that Ottawa Hills has," Wenzlick said.
Wenzlick pointed out the current municipal building is over 100 years old and needs to be replaced in the near future. So he believes it's an optimal site to develop while moving current operations to a better space, while also adding the potential for new businesses and a small downtown strip.