LIMA, OHIO (WLIO) - Since the 1950's, Lima and its surrounding areas have seen a new surge in housing developments. While this growth brings new opportunities, it also presents a new set of challenges. The Lima/Allen Co. Regional Planning Commission talked to the Lima Rotary Club about “Urban Sprawl.” “Urban Sprawl” is the spread of a city or town into the countryside, which leads to low-density and car-dependent development patterns.
It involves building homes, shops, and businesses far apart, often requiring people to drive longer distances for work, school, and errands.
This type of growth uses a lot of land and can cause traffic congestion and loss of community feel. Which is a concern for the Lima/Allen County Planning Commission.
"The one thing that we're trying to do is just educate people on what sprawl is and why we make some of the design choices that we make. The Cable Rd. project for instance is a good example. We're trying to do a 'road diet' there so we can get rid of some of the essentially unused traffic lanes that we have to maintain. If we do a road diet, we have less pavement to maintain, and we can still have all the same quality traffic that we have through there right now without having a bunch of infrastructure that we'll have to continue to look after,” says Cody Doyle, Senior Planner, Lima/Allen County Regional Planning Commission.
The proposed Cable Road project is just one of the ways local government plans to combat this issue. Leaders are also focusing on sustainable and compact development to ensure that lima grows in a healthy way for years to come.
