April 7, 2023
By Rachel Scofield

Violet Township sold the building on the corner of Columbus and Center Streets to the city of Pickerington for $200,000.

Originally a service station, the distinctly shaped building most recently served as a substation for the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department. It has been vacant since last September when the county moved the substation to the former campus of Ohio University Pickerington on Stonecreek Drive.

“The city of Pickerington is committed to the Olde Pickerington area and helping it and the local businesses prosper,” said Councilman Brian Wisniewski. “When this property became available, it was imperative that the city purchase it to ensure a destination-type business comes there to help the Olde Pickerington area thrive. We value all of our businesses in the area, but we have heard repeatedly that more destination locations are needed. With this purchase, we are showing our commitment to make sure this happens.

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When the County Auditor appraised the property in 2019, the value was calculated at $176,690. A real estate agent determined the current market value to be $300,000 based on prices of other properties that were recently on the market.

“We negotiated a value based on today’s market value minus the value of a piece of land that the city previously gave to the township for the fire station,” a spokesperson for Violet Township stated. “This was done in the spirit of collaboration between both entities and for the future beautification of the downtown area.”