Showdown looms for Oak Point Road

A zoning showdown is brewing for Lorain’s west side.

Lorain City Council has scheduled a public hearing Feb. 19 to consider the rezoning of about 8.19 acres on the west side of Oak Point Road.

The land would become the site of a new 30,000-square-foot Mercy Health medical office building west of the intersection of Oak Point Road and South Mayflower Drive.

Currently, the land is zoned R1-A Residential and could become zoned B1-A Business.

The Lorain Planning Commission has recommended approval for the zoning change.

Council’s hearing is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. at City Hall, 200 W. Erie Ave. The issue also appears on Council’s meeting agenda for a possible vote.

Both meetings are open to the public.

Last year, the zoning change sparked a public debate about the site, with residents coming out in force to argue against a business building in their residential neighborhood.

Then, the request was withdrawn from Council consideration.

For the latest request, Lorain Councilman-at-Large Mitch Fallis stated he will vote against the zoning change.

“People are pretty much not in favor of it at all,” Fallis said about his own survey of neighboring residents.

The zoning change applicant is Sandra Bitar, whose family owns the land and would donate it to Mercy.

It would become the site of a new single-story medical office building with an entrance driveway across from South Mayflower Drive.

The single-story facility would support 70 existing jobs and add six more with a total of more an $5 million in payroll, according to Mercy.

The health system’s physician offices in Amherst are at capacity, Mercy says.

“To continue delivering easily accessible care, the Amherst physician offices must be located in a larger, more flexible space,” said the Mercy Health memorandum submitted to Council. “The Oak Point location would provide convenient access for both Amherst and western Lorain – and surrounding communities – which we know is important to our patients when accessing health care services.” The donation of land would support Mercy’s mission, according to the health system.

“By leveraging donated land, Mercy Health will be better positioned to make the financial investment required to bring our medical center vision to live and contribute more resources where they are needed the most – in our communities,” the Mercy Health memo said.

Mercy submitted additional studies arguing the new building would not generate enough traffic to have a negative effect on the surrounding streets.

The building would not affect a ravine near the lot.

Lorain’s sanitary sewer also is adequate to serve the building, according to Mercy’s data.

Fallis said he and the neighboring residents agree Mercy Health is an important part of the Lorain community.

But the requested change is a zoning issue, not a financial one, for Lorain, Fallis said.

Last month, he said he took to the streets and went door-to-door asking residents for their opinions.

The neighbors were 91 percent against the zoning, he said. There were 149 residents opposed, 15 in favor and 18 undecided, Fallis said.

Residents made their investments in their homes understanding the neighborhood is zoned for single-family homes, he said.

Fallis suggested at least two other locations for a new Mercy facility because land is available on Cooper Foster Park Road and Oberlin Avenue.

If Mercy built on other available sites in Lorain, the facility would generate the same revenues for the city, Fallis said.

“So, there’s other acreage that’s zoned B-1 where they could choose to build,” he said.