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Planners clear way for office building
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - October 19, 2011)
Planners clear way for office building
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Chardon planners cleared the way Monday for a new office building in the city.
The planning and zoning commission unanimously approved two variances and a concept plan for the building across from Daniels Drive on the west side of Wilson Mills Road to the south of a music store.
The applicant, James Love, of Love Insurance, said the new building will allow him to expand his business. He said he intends to retain his business in Willoughby.
In addition to expanding his insurance business, Mr. Love said, the building may house two additional businesses, possibly medical. Mr. Love said he would begin taking bids for construction in the spring.
Mr. Love had appeared before the board in August, seeking comment on informal plans for the project.
The variances dealt with sideyard setbacks for the property that measure only 103 feet wide and the placement of a trash recepticle. Mr. Love said the property is so narrow that most driving by may think it is a sideyard for the businesses there, rather than a separate lot.
Steve Yaney, the city's planning and zoning administrator, said both variances were the result of the narrow lot.
"It is one of the narrowest lots in the city, if not the narrowest," he said.
The city requires a 25-foot setback from residential properties and a 15-foot setback from neighboring commercial properties. The commission granted Mr. Love a 20-foot setback from the residential property and a 7.95-foot setback from the commercial side.
The commission did ask Mr. Love to eliminate a proposed 8-foot, board-on-board fence proposed for installation on the side bordering the residence. Instead, landscaping that was proposed to be part of the buffering will suffice, the commission said.
Commission chairman Kenneth Miller said he believes in many cases fences are a "very bad idea" in a small town like Chardon and that they tend to divide neighborhoods. "It just doesn't fit," he said. "You can accomplish a whole lot more with trees and plantings. It's not what I conceive of a small town."
The second variance dealt with the placement of the trash recepticle in the front of the building. Mr. Yaney said the city requires them to be placed in the rear or side of a business.
Mr. Yaney said the narrowness of the lot again played into the decision of placement because there will be no parking lot in the side or rear to allow access for collections.
Mr. Yaney said the site plan for the building was reviewed by the city's engineer, Douglas Courtney, who has recommended that a fire hydrant also be installed in front of the new business.
He said the narrowness of the lot also will not allow two other options the city usually requires. The driveway setback from existing drives cannot be met, but the city's engineer will recommend the best placement.
Also, no sidewalk to the building from public sidewalks can be installed, he said. Mr. Yaney said customers will walk, instead, through the parking lot, which is no different than the Home Depot or Walmart stores.
The commission also asked Mr. Love to consider a redesign of a cupola planned for the building, which commission members said may be too small for the building's proportions.
Mr. Yaney said Mr. Love plans to use sandstone for the block base and a reddish-brown brick for the facing, which is similar in color to many of the facing on historic buildings on Chardon Square.
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