Dear Village Property Owner or Resident:
Please be advised that the Village Council will be holding an additional public meeting on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. at Village Hall concerning the commercial Overlay Area Project. This Project involves proposed legislation that would permit businesses located on Northfield Road in the B-2 Highway Business Zoning District that abut R-1 zoned property (all commercial areas adjacent to Northfield Road from Vincent running south on the west side of Northfield Road and from Summit running south to Magnolia on the east side of Northfield Road) to purchase and utilize up to 120 feet of additional property to the rear of their properties for additional parking, landscaping, and buffer zones. New buildings would not be permitted in those additional 120 foot zones. Residential property owners within the 120 foot zone would not be required to sell the property to the adjacent commercial entity. Acquisition of additional property by the commercial entity would only occur if the residential property owner agrees to sell the property to the commercial entity and the terms are agreed upon by both parties. The commercial property owner would then need to go through a review process with the Village before being approved to utilize the additional land for parking, landscaping, and buffering.
The proposed legislation is intended to facilitate new economic development and aesthetic improvements to commercial properties on the Route 8 corridor. Because of the current lack of depth of the commercial parcels on Northfield Road in the B-2 District, the commercial property owners do not have the space or economic incentive to make significant improvements to or replace the aging commercial buildings in the B-2 District. The Project is intended to encourage property improvements in the District, increase property values, enhance tenant units, and attract new quality property owners and tenants to the Village. In addition, the ability to expand the depth of these properties will also provide additional parking where needed, increase green space, and permit aesthetic and landscaping improvements in both the front and rear of the buildings.
Allowing the commercial property owner to increase the depth of the property is permitted in exchange for the owner agreeing to meet enhanced construction and renovation standards and buffer fencing and landscape requirements. In addition, it is expected that these changes will improve the marketability of residential properties that presently abut the Northfield Road commercial businesses.
Based upon public input received at the meeting on this topic in February, certain additions were made to the proposed ordinance. First, a clarification was made that all parcels used for this Overlay Area purpose within the 120 foot zone must be contiguous to the commercial property without any residence in between. Next, the proposed ordinance was amended to give the Planning Commission flexibility when approving an overlay Area site plan to require the buffer landscaping to be planted on the residential side of the fence, the commercial property side of the fence, or both, based upon the circumstances of the development and input received from the adjacent residential property owner. In addition, the landscaping requirements were enhanced with respect to the time frames for having to remove and replace dead trees and plants and standards for maintaining the approved and installed landscaping.
We hope that you are able to attend the meeting, learn more about what is being proposed, and provide your input. The current version of the proposed ordinance can be viewed on the Village’s website (www.northfieldvillage-oh.gov) by clicking on the headings Government, Council Minutes, and May 23, 2018 Agenda. If you would like to be provided with a copy prior to the meeting, please contact the Village Law Director at the phone number or email address set forth below.
If you are unable to attend the meeting and have questions or concerns regarding the proposed new code provisions, please contact the Village Law Director, Brad Bryan at (440) 686-9000 or bbryan@gbs-llp.com, Mayor Nehez at (330) 467-7130
x 1 or mayor@northfieldvillage-oh.gov, or your Councilpersons (Alan Hipps at warda@northfieldvillage-oh.gov, Keith Czerr at wardb@northfieldvillage-oh.gov, Renell Noack at wardc@northfieldvillage-oh.gov, Nick Magistrelli at wardd@northfieldvillage-
oh.gov, Jenn Domzalski at c1atlarge@northfieldvillage-oh.gov, and Gary Vojtush at c2atlarge@northfieldvillage-oh.gov).
