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Neighbors tell more tales of rental woes
(by Sue Reid - July 21, 2010)
Neighbors tell more tales of rental woes
By SUE REID
The Solon planning commission heard another appeal regarding a proposed rental-occupancy-permit ordinance, this time from residents in the Signature of Solon subdivision.
Residents attending last week's meeting told the commission that some renters move in and out of a home on Bellerive Drive, mainly in the middle of the night.
Resident Robin Lipson, who lives next door, said, one minute the house is in foreclosure, and the next it is not. "Last year, there were eight different families living there," she said, "and 15 people coming and going. You don't move in a house from 11:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. There's something wrong here. I don't know who is living next to me."
Ms. Lipson said that the previous day she witnessed a dead body being brought into the house for a wake.
"My house is not worth what it should be because of this house," she said.
Munna Agarwal, who owns the property, was before the commission that night with a request for a front-yard setback.
Neighbors spoke in opposition to the variance.
Mr. Agarwal's request was denied, because architectural features of the home encroach 6 feet into the front-yard setback.
Solon Planning Director Robert S. Frankland said the home has an occupancy permit with a condition tied to it that Mr. Agarwal would apply for a variance for the architectural projections, and, if the variance was denied, he would remove the projections.
"If that does not occur, then the occupancy permit would no longer be valid," Mr. Frankland said.
Mr. Agarwal has the option of appeal within 14 days.
"Since the wing-wall projections, which had the variance tied to them, were not in full compliance with the zoning code, the city could have prevented the occupancy period," Mr. Frankland said, "but there was some hope that the property would be able to transfer to a new owner, which was why the building department issued an occupancy permit with those conditions."
Ms. Lipson said the Signature subdivision had sued Mr. Agarwal, and the court entered a temporary injunction in June.
Mr. Frankland said the city does not enforce private agreements.
"There is no renting at Signature," Ms. Lipson said. "By our bylaws at Signature, he (Mr. Agarwal) is not to have an occupancy permit." The development has deed restrictions that require the owner to live in the property for a year before it is rented, she said.
Commission member William M. Mazur asked Mr. Agarwal if anyone is living in the home.
He said yes.
Bellerive Drive resident Daniel Goetz said the home is too large for the lot "and completely out of place." It was built without abiding by the rules of the Signature of Solon bylaws, he said.
Councilwoman and commission member Toni M. Richmond said she received correspondence from Signature residents Jerry and Tricia Parker indicating opposition to the variance. They said the property is a visual eyesore to the community, she said.
"How is it an eyesore?" Mr. Agarwal asked. "If you want me to tear down the whole house, we can do that."
Ms. Richmond said she has met with a number of her constituents, as well as presidents of homeowners associations in Thornbury, Signature and Chagrin Highlands. "They all seem to indicate that they feel that something needs to be done to stop the deterioration in these neighborhoods," she said.
Mayor Susan A. Drucker, also a member of the commission, said the concerns that the commission heard that night were similar to those raised by residents in the Thornbury subdivision, who cited multiple renters moving in and out of a home.
"We have a problem with foreclosed houses and people living in homes that are not completed," Mrs. Drucker said.
She said she's not certain if the proposed rental-occupancy-permit ordinance is the answer to those problems, but it does raise issues that need to be addressed.
"We cannot allow people to be making it uncomfortable for their neighbors," Mrs. Drucker said. "All it takes is one house in a neighborhood to bring values down.
"It's not just in Thornbury or Signature, but throughout the city," Mrs. Drucker said. "The problem is people who don't have occupancy permits but let people live in homes." She said the word "squatters" has been used in reference to the situation and she would agree with that term.
"Whether we end up with a rental-occupancy permit or not, people have raised serious concerns, and we have to buckle down," she said.
"Tonight was just another confirmation that something needs done," Mrs. Drucker said.
Mr. Mazur challenged commission members to be prepared with a recommendation on the ordinance by the end of August. "I think the community is now aware of this proposed legislation, and we've received adequate input," he said. "It's time to move forward."
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