633 New Homes Planned for Dublin?

Local News

You probably know the story of Johnny Appleseed, the man who traveled across Ohio planting apple trees more than 200 years ago.

But did you know some of his relatives live right here in Dublin?

One of them is Marlen Mathias, and she's going to be sharing some of her family history at this Sunday's Appleseed Fest at Coffman Homestead.

Marlen is related to Johnny Appleseed, whose real name was John Chapman, through his half-brother Davis Chapman.

Johnny himself never had children. But after his father returned from the Revolutionary War, he remarried and had ten more children.

Which means Johnny ended up with a pretty extensive family tree.

Marlen will be talking about Johnny's life, his journey west from Massachusetts, his family and why he became such an important figure in Ohio history. And she's planning to leave plenty of time for questions.

Appleseed Fest takes place Sunday, October 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Coffman Homestead. There will also be pioneer games, apple activities, music, cider and ice cream. Admission is free.

And as if that’s not enough, the Dublin Historical Society will be raffling off a young apple tree grafted from the last known surviving apple tree planted by Johnny Appleseed himself.

Local News

A man was taken to the hospital after being struck by a vehicle near John Sells Middle School in Dublin overnight Thursday into Friday.

According to ABC 6 (WSYX), the collision happened near the school at 150 West Bridge Street.

The man was transported to Riverside Methodist Hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition. His injuries were believed to be non-life-threatening.

The driver remained at the scene.

The encouraging news is that the pedestrian's injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.

Local News

There's a pretty big development being proposed for the southwest side of Dublin. And when you look at what's happening just across the city limits, it's part of something much bigger.

A developer has submitted plans to turn about 137 acres along Rings Road, near Cosgray Road, into a new neighborhood with 633 homes.

And we're not just talking about single-family houses.

The proposal includes 216 apartments, 198 townhomes, 155 single-family homes and 64 cottages, along with neighborhood shops, parks, walking trails and green space.

But here's where it gets interesting.

Just across the Dublin city limits, Columbus has already approved zoning for two other major residential developments in the same general area. Jameson Estates is planned for roughly 2,000 homes, while Hayden Place could add another 1,200.

Put those together with the Rings Road proposal, and we're looking at plans for more than 3,800 homes in this part of central Ohio.

That's a pretty significant transformation for an area that's still largely rural today.

Of course, the Rings Road project is only at the concept stage. Nothing has been approved yet, and questions about roads, utilities and the final layout still need to be worked out.

But whether or not all these homes eventually get built, it's becoming pretty clear that the southwest side of Dublin could look very different in the years ahead.