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New buyer makes West Orange Street bid
(by Barbara Christian - September 23, 2009)
New buyer makes West Orange Street bid
By BARBARA CHRISTIAN
Real-estate investor Robert Vitt has made a bid to acquire four Chagrin Falls Village-owned parcels on West Orange Street. Local businessman Lawrence Shibley, who had negotiated a purchase of the properties, has not been able to secure financing.
Chagrin Falls Village Council members could get their first look at a contract with Mr. Vitt as early its regularly scheduled meeting on Sept. 28.
Not yet known is the sale price for the four parcels Mr. Vitt seeks to acquire. Mr. Shibley, in his contract with the village, agreed to pay over $800,000, to match the village acquisition costs.
Mr. Vitt unveiled his vision this week for an all-residential development before the village's planning and zoning commission. It calls for 11 townhomes and one single-family home.
Mr. Shibley planned to build seven two-story townhomes and a small office building for the western corner of Williams Street. The parking requirements for the office building had raised concerns in the adjacent residential neighborhood.
Mr. Vitt's townhomes would be side by side and feature different facades, he said, and they would be the same height or lower than those planned by Mr. Shibley.
Mr. Vitt explained that raised basements would accommodate garages and would feature sizable roof gardens, rather than back yards.
Those plans, along with the fewer number of townhomes and the single-family residence, instead of the office building, should be more acceptable to neighbors, Mr. Vitt told planners. He said his plans also require fewer and less intense zoning variances.
Planners' role in the changeover from Mr. Shibley's plan to Mr. Vitt's is to rezone or add a zoning classification that would be flexible and fit the single-family home. The commission's agenda called for a discussion of "residential mixed-use zoning," but planners were not convinced that would be the right call.
Village planning consultant Julie Lindner said planners could look into "a whole spectrum of residential uses." She did not advise overlay zoning for the small parcel due to setbacks required by some uses.
Residential zoning also relieves the parcel from the parking need required by commercial uses. That parcel is zoned for office use.
Village Administrator Benjamin Himes said neighbors would prefer a residential use.
Mr. Vitt said Williams Street provides a natural cut-off between residential and commercial districts and is more "aesthetic and functions better" than Mr. Shibley's plan.
He added that he has been talking to owners about acquiring property at the west end of his proposed development, which would enable him to expand it.
Planners made no decision on zoning for the parcel and are to take up the discussion at their Oct. 19 meeting.
Commission chairwoman Nancy Rogoff said postponing a zoning decision would give more time for a full picture of the development to emerge.
Part of that picture includes what the board of zoning appeals does about variances for height, lot coverage and setbacks. Those variances were to have been heard by the appeals board Tuesday, but the meeting was canceled due to the lack of a quorum.
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