By Sandi Latimer
Staff Writer
Members of the Westland Area Commission rejected a proposal to rezone for the expansion of an extended-stay hotel complex being built on West Broad Street.
The land where the complex is being built was zoned rural in 2005. The owner wants it rezoned limited commercial 4.
The commission’s zoning committee voted unanimously for the change in a meeting prior to the regular commission meeting May 15. When the issue came before the full commission, the vote was 6-5 to reject the proposal. This was the first time the issue came to the before the commission.
The complex sits in front of Westland High School.
“There’s a fair amount of resistance to extended-stay hotels,” zoning chair Mike McKay told commission members in a message he sent them advising then of the zoning issue and unanswered questions about the minimum length of stay, rates, traffic, and perimeter yard size.
“The fact that there are storage units and parking garages, indicate these are not intended for transient travelers who might be in town for business,” McKay said.
He said another question he had was why the developer made the request for limited commercial 4 and not multi-family apartment.
During the discussion, Miriam Hymer questioned the access roads for first responders an asked if it was adequate for the complex.
In other news, commission members also heard from Robert Williams and Bernice Cage from the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. They shared information about residential services provided to qualifying households, and distributed information about the Metropolitan Transportation Plan for the next 30 years.
Among residential services MORPC provides are home weatherization services designed to keep the house more comfortable, thus reducing energy bills.
Some of the services Williams mentioned were furnace tune-up, wall and attic insulation, and light bulb replacement. To qualify, people must be living at or below the poverty level, be a Franklin County resident, and be a customer of Columbia Gas of Ohio.
Westland Area Commission’s meetings, always open to the public, are held the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Osteopathic Heritage Center behind Doctors Hospital. The next meeting will be June 19.
