Crossroads assessments challenged

1/17/2003

Three owners of property at U.S. 20 and Simmons Road in Rossford, including the Meijer stores of Grand Rapids, Mich., filed an appeal in Wood County Common Pleas Court, contending assessments levied by the agency responsible for roads in the Crossroads of America section of Rossford were improper and arbitrary.

The appeal, assigned to Judge Reeve Kelsey, was at least the second such action filed in Common Pleas Court in the last two weeks.

The owners of the land, Glen and Donald Wenz of 663 Wenz Rd., Toledo, and Meijer Stores Limited Partnership, allege that the Rossford Transportation Improvement District arbitrarily changed the assessment on the Wenzes' land from $5,769 in 1998 to $207,498 in 2000.

The pair formerly owned 40 acres, but sold the southern 18.5 acres in 2001 to Meijer, which said it would compensate the Wenzes against special assessments.

The transportation improvement district was formed in 1997 to build roads and install water and sewer lines for expected development near I-75 and the Ohio Turnpike, the Crossroads of America.

The Wood County Board of Revision last month dismissed the complaint by the Wenzes and Meijer.

A similar appeal was filed earlier by four owners of property at State Rt. 795 and the Ohio Turnpike.