The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Car repair, retail in local plans
Boards send projects to next step
An auto repair center, a new retail building and a cellular telephone tower are among the projects in planning stages this year in Lorain.
Meanwhile, city officials also will consider new regulations for self storage facilities.
The plans were part of the Jan. 2 meetings during the Lorain Zoning Board of Appeals and the City Planning Commission.
Firestone Auto Care
Firestone Complete Auto Care is planning a new 5,900-squarefoot building at the southeast corner of Leavitt Road and Tower Boulevard, said John Wojtila, senior vice president of construction and development services for developer Zaremba Group.
The 1.31-acre parcel sits on the west side of Leavitt Road and would be part of the final development plan for Lighthouse Village. The building would have eight work bays and 32 parking spaces, according to plans.
“I appreciate you coming in. That’s been an underutilized parcel for, you know, decades.”
— Safety-Service Director Dan Given
Customer driveway would be near the southwest corner of the lot, with the customer building entrance at the southeast corner of the building, Wojtila said.
The building and parking lot comply with the required setback distances.
Once the garage is built, the parcel would have 41.8 percent green space and building coverage of 10.3 percent, Wojtila said.
Planning Commission members approved the design 3-0.
Lorain City Council and the city Design Review Board must approve the project.
Apple Avenue
Planning Commission members voted 4-0 to recommend a zoning change from R-3 Residential to B-2 General Business for a parcel on Apple Avenue.
Eric Emery, consultant of Tuckerman Development of Chattanooga, Tenn., said the land at 113 E. 28th St. could be redeveloped.
The land consists of four lots that extend to the north and the last lot, which is the land on Apple Avenue, is zoned residential, Emery
said.
A zoning change is needed to make the development cohesive with all B-2 zoning, he said.
“We’d be using them all for one retail use,” Emery said. “The project is just a retail store. It’s 7,225 square feet.”
To redevelop the land, the existing building and concrete would be removed, he said.
The new building will
have at least a 10-foot buffer area on the north side and it will meet the city setback and parking requirements, Emery said.
He did not disclose a possible tenant or future user of the structure.
Planning Commission members approved the project 4-0. The building needs approval of City Council and the city Design Review Board.
The land historically was
used for a fast-food drivethru, Emery said, and Planning Commission members Henry Patterson, Jeff Zellers, Ken Kramer and city Safety-Service Director Dan Given said the building previously served as a Hardee’s and Burger Chef and restaurant.
“I appreciate you coming in,” Given said. “That’s been an under-utilized parcel for, you know, decades.
“It goes back to Burger
Chef when I was in school across at St. Stan’s, so it was quite a long time ago.”
Wireless tower
The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a conditional use permit and variance to erect a cell tower in 7,833 square feet of land within about 16.4 acres of land zoned I-1 Industrial at 1219 W. 14th St.
The land is owned by Norfolk Southern Railroad and will be used for communication by the railroad, said John Sindyla, attorney for Cityswitch, the company installing the tower.
The tower will be a monopole 150 tall, with a 10-foot lighting rod, for a total height of 160 feet.
It will hold six antennas and ancillary equipment, according to the plans.
A fence will surround the tower, which will have space for other wireless companies to locate their antennas, Sindyla said.
There was little discussion in a public hearing and the zoning board deliberations on the request.
“Active group here this morning,” Given said.
With zoning board approval, the project does not need additional consideration by City Council.
Storage facilities
Planning Commission members voted 4-0 to recommend to City Council to change the city zoning
code.
The change would create definitions of a “self-service mini storage facility” and a “climate controlled self-service storage facility.”
It also would allow mini self-storage facilities in B-2 and B-3 Business districts and the climate controlled storage facility in a B-3 district.
“The idea there is to attempt to prevent basically a typical mini storage facility and that type of a layout in a shopping center so you can maintain the appearance somewhat,” said Assistant Law Director Kenneth Resar. “And so, we put additional restrictions on the mini storage facility.”
In both instances, outside storage would not be permitted.
The deliberations were a continuation of a Planning Commission discussion in December, when the board talked about allowing storage facilities in areas other than industrial zones, Given said.
He and Resar said there could be two projects forthcoming with new storage units possible at Oberlin Avenue and Meister Road, and on Cooper Foster Park Road.
Planning Commission members recommended a Lorain Fire Department inspector to weigh in about possible rules for storage of inflammable materials and periodic fire inspections.