(Posted Feb. 10, 2020)
By Andrew Garrett, Staff Writer
London city council voted on Feb. 6 to rezone land along State Route 56 from Residential (R1) to Planned Unit Development (PUD). The area is located behind and immediately in front of Bluebird Retirement Community and neighboring Crossroads Community Church.
Resident Charles Fisher expressed reservations about a development proposed for the area, particularly about its potential impact on traffic. He lives across the road from the newly rezoned land.
According to Fisher, during a recent Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, applicant Paul Gross proposed the addition of a sit-down restaurant, condominiums, and more than 240 parking spots to the area. Fisher said the plan for handling traffic a restaurant would generate is unclear, at least as it was presented to the board. He isn’t specifically against the idea of building houses or condominiums, he said.
A traffic study is required before any work begins, said Mayor Patrick Closser.
“It’s a state route, so ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) has to approve,” he said.
Closser noted that the drawings Fisher saw are not the final engineering plans for the proposed development.
He added that council’s vote was merely for the change in zoning, not approval of any specific plans; that will come much later in the process. The Planning Commission will notify residents in the affected area of any meetings pertaining to the subject.
The rezoning ordinance was one of nine pieces of legislation council passed on emergency.
Some of the others included:
• a resolution allowing the city’s safety service director to apply for a $5,816 grant for mosquito control;
• a resolution authorizing acceptance of a grant from the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation to purchase power cots for the city’s emergency medical services;
• a resolution authorizing the Board of Public Utilities to advertise for bids and enter into a contract for design services for improvements to the sewer plant;
• a resolution revising the job description and qualifications for the city wastewater superintendent; and
• a resolution revising the job description for safety service director, making it no longer mandatory for the person holding that position to live within the city limits.
Additionally, council voted unanimously to vacate the alley running between Eberle-Fisher Funeral Home and the Creamer building which connects West Fifth and Oak streets.
The next regular council meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at city hall, 20 S. Walnut St.
