City of Springboro, Ohio, U.S.A.

320 West Central Avenue
Springboro, Ohio 45066
P: 937.748.4343
F: 937.748.0815

Strategic Master Plan

Leisure, Library, Arts and Culture

GOAL: Advance a well-rounded mix of local opportunities that educate and entertain through historic, cultural, information and artistic activities and facilities.

ACTION: Maintain and enhance the natural beauty of the Springboro area.

To accomplish this action:

  1. Inventory and describe current natural greenspace areas of the community.
  2. Identify wildlife/greenspace corridors in and around the City and take action to preserve existing and potential wildlife habitat.
  3. Identify areas sensitive to human impact.
  4. Conduct a community needs assessment to determine the nature and extent of the community's greenspace concerns.
  5. Develop a Parks/Naturalist position charged with primary responsibilities for evaluation, maintenance and improvement of park and greenspace conditions and resources.
  6. Develop community educational resources to highlight private conservation opportunities.
  7. Enact a community tree ordinance to protect them from future degradation.
  8. Develop a stream monitoring program for waterways flowing into and through Springboro to facilitate the use of inexpensive, easy-to-use, and effective stream monitoring techniques to warn of declining water quality.
  9. Develop a Rural Conservation Plan to address the following concerns:
    • Expected land uses and economic development
    • A profile of the community
    • A detailed review of the community's natural resources including agricultural lands, woodlands, waterways, flood zones, wildlife areas, and historic sites
    • Recreation, cultural, and scenic resources
    • Government facilities and public facilities
  10. Review existing zoning ordinances and enact those necessary to protect fragile or critical habitats, with special attention paid to erodible soils, flood plains and waterways; and the creation and/or maintenance of buffers between developed and natural or historic areas.
  11. Review existing subdivision ordinances and amend or create as necessary ordinances requiring:
    • Buffer strips blocking as practicable both sight and sound between developments, agriculture, and greenspace
    • Adding 'resource preserving' clustering options to Springboro's PUD ordinances
    • Enacting a local Environmental Impact Statement policy for new subdivisions and commercial developments
  12. Work with Clearcreek Township to jointly develop and administer many of the above recommendations.

ACTION: Maintain and enhance the historical presence of the Springboro area.

To accomplish this action:

  1. Draft and pass new historic preservation enabling legislation.
  2. Prepare design guidelines (referred to in enabling legislation) which define in specific terms, the architectural characteristics that give the Olde Village Architectural District and designated landmarks their unique quality.
  3. Complete inventory of all buildings, structures, sites, and objects in Springboro, fifty years or older, using standard Ohio historic inventory process, publish inventory results and make it available to property owners and community at large.
  4. Based on the results of the survey, expand the boundaries of the current contiguous architectural district.
  5. Initiate listing of expanded Olde Village Architectural District in National Register of Historic Places.
  6. Initiate historic landmark designation, with owner's approval, outlined in enabling legislation, for landmarks located outside the Olde Village Architectural District.
  7. Explore implementation of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Program for downtown revitalization.
  8. Develop a package of financial incentives and technical assistance which will entice new businesses to downtown Springboro, while encouraging high quality rehabilitation and restoration of historic commercial and residential buildings for commercial purposes.
  9. Sponsor or financially assist historical society and/or historical commission in sponsoring seminars, workshops and other programs, brochures, and other publications which promote Springboro's heritage.
  10. Secure the long-term preservation of the Aaron Wright farmstead.
  11. Become a Certified (Historical) Local Government.

ACTION: Explore further study into expanding the library.

To accomplish this action:

  1. Find alternative community room to allow library to expand into its meeting room.
  2. Consider interim alternatives until the City can accomplish #1.
  3. Further study of funding for the expansion of the library to be included in the long-range capital improvement plan.

ACTION: Showcase the community to its residents and visitors.

To accomplish this action:

  1. Revive a summertime community festival, "A Taste of History."
    • A two-day festival held on Friday and Saturday in mid- or late June is recommended.
    • Hold this festival in the historic district.
  2. Formation of festival committee with festival director.
    • The City should act as a catalyst to form the first festival committee and should not be responsible for the proposed "Taste of History" festival.
    • Overall administration, including planning and operation management, should be placed in the hands of a festival committee but with executive authority vested in a single festival director.
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