Perrysburg Heights: Neighborhood trying to stay residential

3/9/2005

Planned business park zoning along Roachton Road has residents of the nearby Perrysburg Heights neighborhood clamoring that their residential corridor is eroding.

"We're very interested in keeping the Perrysburg Heights community intact," said Fred Moor, executive director of the Perrysburg Heights Community Association. "When you start adding commercial that's adjoining a residential neighborhood," he said, "it would be very easy to chip away at that residential community and lose housing."

Oak Valley Development requested zoning changes on the southeast corner of Roachton Road and State Rt. 25, to permit a different configuration for a business park and multi-family residential development.

The developers want to switch the zoning on two parcels within their nearly 100-acre site, putting planned business park zoning along Roachton and creating a residential parcel that would run farther south.

But Perrysburg Heights residents object, saying they want a residential corridor along both sides of Roachton.

Perrysburg's comprehensive plan calls for residential zoning along Roachton to act as a "buffer" for Perrysburg Heights, but Rick Thielen, city planning and zoning administrator, said residential zoning was more important on the north side of the road.

City officials said planned business park zoning along the south side of Roachton would allow the city to review site plans and architecture for businesses, which might allow creation of a landscaping buffer.

Anita Serda, a founder of the Perrysburg Heights Community Association, said access to a business park along Roachton would cause an undesirable increase in traffic near the Perrysburg Heights neighborhood.

"The residents who live on the north side of Roachton would be greatly affected," she said.

If the zoning changes are approved, developers plan to construct a business park on about 75 acres and put up seven buildings on the 25-acre residential site. The development would have 256 units, a clubhouse, and a swimming pool.

Officials are continuing to meet with Perrysburg Heights residents to discuss their concerns with the proposed zoning changes.

Perrysburg City Council last week:

●Approved zoning to allow commercial development at Eckel Junction Road and State Rt. 25 just north of the Oak Valley development. Council voted 5-2, with members Kevin Rantanen and Maria Ermie dissenting, to give highway commercial zoning to nearly 40 acres at the southeast corner of Eckel Junction and State Rt. 25. The land was annexed last year from Perrysburg Township.

Mr. Rantanen said he and other residents were concerned that a "big box" development might into that location, so he wanted a more restrictive zoning category. Mr. Thielen said highway commercial zoning was most appropriate because it's near two commercial highways.

The zoning change was requested by Visconsi Companiesperr Ltd., a company located just east of Cleveland. The developers have said they do not know what tenants will be moving into the site.

Before anything is built, city officials can do a traffic impact study on the area and review site plans.

●Approved a zoning change from industrial to commercial for a 2.4-acre parcel along Williams Road just west of a NationsRent equipment store. Mr. Thielen said the property owner is interested in developing a hotel on the parcel.