DELAWARE — Commissioners Gary Merrell and Barb Lewis approved the annexation of 141.508 acres from Delaware Township to Delaware City for Olentangy High School Number 5 on Thursday.
Commissioner Jeff Benton was unable to attend the meeting, but his vote wasn’t needed to move the petition’s approval forward.
The 300,000-square-foot project, north of Bunty Station Road, will go before Delaware City Council for final approval next.
City council approved the pre-annexation agreement back in January of this year by a 4-1 vote. The vote finalized the city’s provision of utilities, fire and police services if council officially annexes the six parcels.
Before reaching commissioners Thursday, Olentangy Schools conducted a traffic study and assumed financial responsibility for area improvements, including Bunty Station Road.
Olentangy is funding the construction of the fifth high school (and 18th elementary school) via a Nov. 2025, “no new millage bond [that] will raise $235 million … without raising the current tax rate for Olentangy residents,” the district’s website states.
Construction on the two new buildings would begin in 2026, with completion of the elementary school targeted for 2027 and the high school in 2028.
“Olentangy’s student enrollment is projected to approach 2,000 new students by the 2028-29 school year, with an addition of over 300 staff members needed to serve those students,” the website states.
Below is the Olentangy School District’s 2025 State of the Facilities plan.
