GOSHEN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Goshen Township is moving to widen State Route 28 as part of the sprawling Eagles Nest mixed-use development and is pursuing new financing tools to pay for road work without raising taxes on current residents, the township said in an update posted Tuesday.
The Eagles Nest project includes a Kroger Marketplace with a fuel station, eight commercial out lots and a mix of townhomes, single-family homes and apartments designed as a walkable community, according to the township. Some early site work could begin this fall, but most construction is not expected to start until spring or summer 2027, and all work depends on final development plan approvals that will be granted in phases, the township said.
A central piece of the project is the widening of Route 28 between Smith Road and Charles Snider Road. The stretch is currently two lanes and is expected to grow to four or five lanes as part of infrastructure improvements required by the Ohio Department of Transportation for the development, the township said.
Route 28 is owned and controlled by ODOT, and the state agency has no additional plans for the highway beyond routine resurfacing once the Eagles Nest-related work is complete, according to the township. Any further upgrades would require Goshen Township to supply local matching dollars to qualify for state and federal grants.
The township does not levy a dedicated road tax, which officials said keeps rates lower for residents but limits money available for maintenance. The township’s annual road budget has historically run under $150,000, while resurfacing a single mile of roadway — including milling, base repair, paving and striping — costs nearly $200,000, the township said.
Goshen Township has leaned on outside funding to fill the gap. Over the past four years it has secured $1.6 million in grants for road resurfacing and put more than $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money toward paving projects, including a planned roundabout at Woodville and Deerfield roads being built with Clermont County and Miami Township.
To create a longer-term funding source, the township is working to establish a Tax Increment Financing district tied to the Eagles Nest development. Officials stressed the TIF is not a tax abatement: property taxes on the land’s current, unimproved value would continue to flow as usual, while the additional tax revenue generated once the property is developed would be redirected to capital improvements such as roads. The township is also evaluating a Joint Economic Development District or a New Community Authority as additional funding tools. None of the mechanisms would raise existing property tax rates for current residents, the township said.
Township Administrator Bob Rose, who also serves as Goshen Township’s police chief and public safety director, said the township continues to pursue grants, partnerships and phased planning to expand the pace and scope of road work beyond the Route 28 widening. Goshen Township is governed by a three-member board of trustees — Chairperson Bob Hausermann, Vice Chairperson Dan Hodges and member Lisa Allen — elected to staggered four-year terms, along with Fiscal Officer Laura Engled.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Goshen Township.