Quincy to research property annexation requests

QUINCY — Quincy city officials will consider a request to annex two pieces of property on the east side of town into the city limits. If they are annexed, both properties will be zoned industrial.

Municipal Services Director Carl Worley told Quincy City Council members July 18 that the application doesn’t commit the city to annexation.

“The staff will proceed with the studies and analysis to see what impacts they have (on the city) and what they may have to provide to mitigate those impacts,” Worley said.

Port of Quincy commissioner Curt Morris said the results of those studies will determine, in part, what infrastructure improvements would be needed if the properties were developed. Whatever the project is, it might require widening the road and adding curbs and gutters, he said, or water and sewer system upgrades, or all of that.

“What are those infrastructure improvements?” Morris said. “Who’s paying what?”

The property across Road 11 Northwest was annexed into the city earlier this year and was zoned industrial.

One application was submitted by Vantage Data Centers, which owns the property. The second application, called the Zion application, may involve a project about which few details are available. Morris said the Zion project is still a work in progress.

“It’s just a code name,” Morris said of the Zion designation.

The Vantage property is about 111 acres, all of it unimproved, along M Street Northeast (Road 11 Northwest). The property is zoned urban industrial and would be rezoned as light industrial if it’s annexed.

If city officials decide to proceed, the Zion annexation would include six parcels totaling 208.5 acres. The property is located on Road 11, west of Road N.

About 120 acres of the land is owned by Razey Properties LLC, with a mailing address in Grove City, Ohio, near Columbus. About 75 acres is owned by TG Downs LLC, with a mailing address in Quincy.

Three of the parcels are developed as residences, while three are in farm production. They are within Quincy’s urban growth area and are zoned by Grant County for agricultural use. If the property is annexed, it would be zoned as general industrial.

The Port of Quincy’s intermodal rail terminal is nearby, and Morris said port commissioners are considering extending rail service to the Zion parcels. That would make the property more attractive to potential customers, he said.

“Now we would have the beginnings of an industrial park that could be served by rail,” Morris said. “We think it would be very advantageous.”

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.