[ back ]
Residents not sold on overlay zoning
(by Barbara Christian - November 12, 2009)
Residents not sold on overlay zoning
By BARBARA CHRISTIAN
Two Chagrin Falls Village residents spoke Monday during a public hearing on overlay zoning, which would permit residential use of an office-zoned parcel on West Orange Street.
The overlay permits either of those uses and brings flexibility to the property, council President Steve Patton said.
Council unanimously voted for the residential overlay zoning onto the office-zoned parcel. Richard Subel was absent.
Last month, the village's planning and zoning commission recommended the overlay zoning as appropriate for the site.
Resident Thomas Siko told Council he opposed development of the area because the village was selling the land at half the cost of what it bought it for eight years ago.
Resident Terry Taggart said it was better suited for a parking garage and he presented a plan to turn the land into an 80 space, two-deck parking garage.
"Selling at half what you bought it for makes no sense," Mr. Siko said. It's giving away half our money and it is taxpayers' money," he said.
He said his criticism of council's action was based on his experience as a businessman and a stock-market investor.
In addition to the financial issue, Mr. Siko said he did not see the urgency to sell to a certain buyer now without having first called for bids from other developers.
Developer Robert Vitt has signed a letter of intent to purchase the 11-lot property for $477,000. The village paid $812,000.
Over a year ago, businessman Lawrence Shibley agreed to pay what the village spent for the land for a proposed residential and office development.
When he was unable to close on his contract with the village, Mr. Shibley identified Mr. Vitt as a possible new buyer and developer.
The overlay zoning will permit Mr. Vitt to replace the blue office building with a residential townhome unit.
Councilman Robert Williams said the village did not rush into a contract negotiation with Mr. Vitt because the property drew three bids after having been on the market for months.
Mr. Shibley was one of the original three bidders whose vision for the property was close to the village's ideas for its use.
According to Mr. Williams, the vacant property was costing the village money, specifically the blue office building which must be heated and maintained. It currently is being used for records storage but will be razed to make room for Mr. Vitt's development.
The parcels also are not producing real estate and income tax revenues for the village in the present undeveloped state.
"The property was available for quite some time and no one came forward, and now we have a plan that is viable and, it won't sit there vacant and costing us upkeep," Mr. Williams said.
As for lost value of the property, Mayor Thomas Brick said that an appraisal done in 2002 valued the property at $792,000. A second appraisal in 2006 had it valued at $449,000.
Based on the economy downturn, "our experts said it was not worth more than what it was in 2006," Mr. Brick said.
Mr. Taggart said a parking garage made sense in that part of town because there is a lack of parking for the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre and several restaurants in the neighborhood.
Mr. Taggart said residents living behind the property would welcome the lower profile parking garage than the three-story townhomes Mr. Vitt proposes.
Mr. Vitt has said the roofs of his development would not block views of town.
"We've been talking about parking for years and this is an opportunity," Mr. Taggart told council. He asked members to "think about it for a while" before passing the overlay zoning.
Mr. Williams said it would cost up to $2 million to develop a parking garage and "it would be an expensive project unless we were able to charge a high rate (to park there)," he said.
Councilman Dwight Milko said residential use was less intensive than a parking garage and would add to the pedestrian quality of the village.
[ back ]
