Residents and business owners voice opposition to rezoning

On Feb. 26 a public hearing was held in New Philadelphia City Council Chambers regarding proposed rezoning of several parcels of land between Commercial Avenue Southeast and Canal Avenue Southeast. Several business owners and residents attended to voice opposition to the proposal.

The proposed rezoning had reportedly been brought before the planning commission, which recommended the rezoning measure. The hearing was said to be the first step toward obtaining council approval.

A map was presented at the meeting by zoning and annexation chair Cheryl Ramos, showing how several parcels of land might be divided.

Jill White, owner of Martinelli Pools and Spas on Commercial Avenue, said she had only received notification at 3 p.m. that a public hearing would be held at 7 p.m. that same day. Jeff Cox, who owns a residence next to the Martinelli business, also said receiving the notification four hours before the meeting did not allow time to find out what was being proposed.

City Service Director Ron McAbier and Council President Pro-tem Dan Lanzer both said the only thing happening during this particular meeting was deciding whether or not to rezone, not to sell property.

However, White said rezoning was the stated first step in selling a certain parcel.

City Law Director Marvin Fete said, “If we do decide to rezone, the city will be able to sell it, so you'll have opportunities to buy.”

Anthony Walker, whose wife owns South Philly Pizza, expressed concern about a buyer with deep pockets who could come in and purchase all the parcels or that the prices could be so high that he and other local small businesses could not afford to purchase the land right behind their own businesses.

White said her business has been at its current location since 1958. She also voiced concern about business owners not being given the opportunity to buy first and wondered why a public auction needed to be held.

Fete said the Ohio Revised Coded requires public property to be sold at public auction if it was not acquired through the Land Reutilization program.

Jeff Cox owns a residence on Commercial Avenue that stands to lose the right to use city property in his backyard they were told they could use. He also said he had recently performed renovations to accommodate moving his mother-in-law, who is in poor health, into the residence. Cox said he also did not receive any notice of the hearing until about four hours before it was being held.

Walker said the owner of a warehouse that was looking to add on was one of the businesses that approached the planning commission about rezoning. Walker also said the warehouse owner told him he was no longer interested in expanding at the current site.

Council member Mitch Pace, alternate to the committee, expressed concern with the city potentially zoning for business directly behind three residential homes.

Cox said rezoning the parcels would affect him and two neighbors in terms of parking and their ability to access their homes via driveways off Canal Avenue.

White and Walker also were worried about parking for employees and customers. According to White, businesses and residents in the neighborhood already have to trade off parking spots at different times of the day. “If the city decides to sell these parcels, what are we supposed to do?”

White asked why the rezoning was necessary, and the response was to both attract new businesses and promote the ability for existing businesses to expand.

After hearing additional concerns, the committee closed the meeting with no action taken. Ramos said she is going to revisit the issue and any rules governing the rezoning.