Good afternoon.

This is a regularly scheduled meeting of the Toledo City Plan Commission.

Ms.

Cotrell, will you please call the roll?

Rachel Momney.

Here.

Chris Ball.

Here.

Eric Russweiler.

Here.

Mr.

Chair, you have a quorum and notice that this meeting was posted in the office of the Toledo County Planning Commission's in the Clerk of Council's office in the lobby of one government center.

Copy that notice is available for inspection, should anyone care to do so?

We have a procedure here at the Plan Commission where if you plan on speaking today, we must swear you in.

So if you plan to give any testimony for any case today, we will ask your name, address, we will swear you in and ask that you sign the sign in sheet at the lectern.

Members of the audience will have one opportunity of not more than three minutes to give testimony for or against any application, and an applicant will have some time for closing remarks.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

That carries unanimously.

Do we have a director's report?

We have a quick one that I'd like to just say for the end of the agenda.

That is fine.

Final plats?

No.

And do we have any requests for postponement, advancement, or deferral?

So we have three requests for deferral, their companion cases.

I'm going to copy this down for you.

Yes, go ahead.

Item number three is case Z250038, zone change from RM12 to CN neighborhood commercial at 1322 Burnath Parkway.

Item number four is SP 250049, special use permit for gas and fuel sales at 1322 Burnath Parkway.

And item number five is case PUD26005, removal of lot one of the Tiburon Flat 1 from the community unit plan originally approved by ordinance 37376 at 1322 Burnath Parkway.

Applicants requesting a 30-day deferral for all three cases.

Okay.

I'll accept a motion to accept the deferral to the April agenda for those three cases.

Momini makes a motion for acceptance of deferral.

All seconds.

We have a first and a second to defer those three cases.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

That carries unanimously.

If you are here today for the gas station on Burnath and Airport, that case will not be heard today.

It'll be heard next month.

So if you're here for that, uh that case is not going to be heard today.

Ms.

Cottrell, any other preliminary business?

There is not.

Will you please read case number one into the record?

Item number one is case SUP 250036.

Special use permit for gas and fuel sales at 5305 and 5321 Monroe Street and 4700 Nantucket Drive.

Staff recommends approval for the following two reasons.

The proposed use meets the state of purpose of the zoning code, and the proposed use complies with all applicable provisions of the zoning code.

Staff further recommends approval of the following waiver TMC 1104-0901H, gas and fuel sales hours of operation, approving a waiver to allow 24 hours of operation each day, seven days.

Staff further recommends approval subject to 46 conditions, which will be reflected in the minutes and not read into the record unless there's a request that I do so.

Thank you, Ms.

Cotrell.

Mr.

Ball.

Yeah, Mr.

Chair, I will have to accuse myself from this case.

Thank you, Mr.

Paul.

Sir, name and address, please.

Good afternoon.

Alex Sowickey from Sheets 39300, West 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Thank you.

We please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Sir, we previously discussed this case at our January agenda.

So we don't need to present the whole case in full again.

If you don't mind catching us up on the items that we discussed that were open from last time, we'll start from that point.

Absolutely.

So the major uh open item from last time was in regards to traffic study, which we have since provided to the city, uh, its traffic department and planning department.

Um the traffic report did not reveal any mitigations that would be required.

Um other than that, that was the most major item.

We still do object to condition number 41, which is the the billboard.

I understand that uh the commission may not be willing to lift that today and may not may want to defer that to city council.

Uh we're willing to accept that.

Thank you, sir.

Is there anything else you want to add?

Uh I don't think so, not at this time, not as the report is written.

Okay.

Thank you.

So what I'd like to do then is give uh members of the audience.

If there anyone here would like to speak in favor of or oppose this application.

If you if you would like to speak, just go ahead and make a line down the middle, step up to the lectern.

If you spoke at our case in January and you're gonna make the exact same comments, you don't have to speak again.

Those will still be part of the record.

Okay.

Ma'am, please step forward.

Thank you.

Name an address, please.

Laura Dreheim 4525 Nantucket Drive.

Thank you.

Please raise your right hand.

Ma'am, do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Go ahead, ma'am.

Okay, thank you.

Um I guess I'm representing um the Nantucket neighbors.

Um I did receive the notices, so you can see that I'm close to where the sheets uh location would be.

Um at walking distance.

Um I'm disappointed to hear that uh it's being approved already.

Your staff are approved.

Uh but let me just uh express my reservations as a neighbor.

Um I guess I'm not sure why we need a gas station there.

Um, you know what the what the drive is to have a gas station because there are several businesses that are already there, and what's happening is these businesses are gradually being forced to move, some of them probably willingly, because the the lease uh agent, I don't know if he'll be making more money uh by having the sheets there, but one by one they're being forced to move.

So it's not like it's an empty space that thank God we've got a business there because slowly they're starting to move.

Some are being left open so that they don't have to to move uh in the soon, you know, in the future.

Um our neighborhood is very cosmopolitan.

Uh we have a lot of walkers, we have dog walkers, um, bicycle cyclists.

Um I guess I speak also for the um neighbors that are two doors from me.

We have two uh large apartment complexes.

I doubt they were notified of this gas station.

Probably the people who own the the buildings were, but so I will speak for them.

I call them the apartment children.

A lot of them come down to my house because I have dogs and all that.

The kids tend to play on uh in the yards on the front along Nantucket.

Um we do not have sidewalks on Nantucket, and so it is a bit risky for people that are in the streets all the time, as far as walking, walking their dogs, and the kids, so to speak.

Um the uh the thing is too is that um we have already instituted certain uh amenities to cut down the traffic.

Nantucket always has been a busy crossover between Monroe Street and Sylvania Avenue.

People cut through that after they get off the expressway, say on Sylvania Avenue.

That has been an ongoing problem, and as a result, um stop signs have been placed on every corner uh leading between Sylvania and uh Monroe Street.

Um also bumps have been put in our on our street to stop the traffic or slow it down to 15 miles per hour.

Um I'm not sure where that was done.

I've lived there for about eight years, so I it was there, they were there when I moved in, so it has been an ongoing problem uh because of this this traffic.

Establishing a sheets there is not going to slow the traffic, and I I find I really don't believe the traffic study.

I don't know who did it, but it it is implies to me it's a bit biased because sheets is offering it.

I'd like to see somebody that's not as but not involved with advocating for sheets, do a traffic study.

Um I also noticed lately that police are positioned on the side streets for traffic going from Sylvania, usually during the busy drive time, which would only increase by having a sheets there.

Um police are stationing themselves to monitor whether people actually stop at the stop signs.

Um I mean I just religiously do it because I live there, but I'll uh look to either way, and there'll be a police officer stationed there.

So I assume that what the police are doing is monitoring do people really stop when they cut through.

It's a quick way to avoid more traffic.

Um other things that um that I did a little research on what stations what neighbors and stations that have been positioned close to other neighborhoods that have complained about once again increasing the the drive-through traffic, especially at peak times, um, which would be really harmful to our people, uh, people that live in the apartments.

They many of them cannot move, some are subsidized.

Um I could move if I choose to.

I have the financial resources to do that, but many people in the apartments uh do not have that luxury.

There are also concerns from other people as far as uh spills, um, how are those gonna be handled?

Also air pollution coming from the gas station.

Um we have so many different varieties of businesses along uh Monroe Street there in Nantucket.

We have a nice variety.

People say, well, you'll have places to go to eat.

Um there I'm within walking distance of four restaurants.

I've got beer stoop, I've got the standards, I've got Taco Bell, um that I could go to.

Yes.

I have to warn you about time.

If if there is additional points you want to make, I can only give you 30 more seconds.

All right, that sounds good.

Thank you, sir.

Um advocates say, well, you'll have you'll have more restaurants to go to to eat.

Um right now there are two restaurants, I believe, that are being held open, Eddie Lee's and the noodle place, uh, probably by the people that own it saying hold off because we're gonna put sheets in there.

I mean, I was a regular at Eddie Lee's.

Great location for another restaurant.

As far as going to get gas, um there are several resources for gas.

You know, once again, I go back to my original statement when I began.

I don't understand why we need another gas station.

And uh so those are my comments, and I hope you'll take them uh in consideration.

Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you.

I'm gonna take the next speaker in just a moment.

Uh Dana, can you speak for a moment on the traffic study?

Did the city of Toledo's traffic division review that?

Yes, sir.

They did review it, and um found no um mitigations were needed.

Thank you.

And they are here in the audience if you want them to speak.

If if there's no if they've determined there's no mitigation needed, I don't need them to speak unless they'd like to.

Next person can please step forward.

Thank you.

Sir, name and address, please.

Christopher P.

Basil, 4828 South Bridge Road, Toledo, 43623.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

I good afternoon.

Uh glad to be back uh discussing this.

Um I made comments the last time talking about the traffic on Nantucket.

I just want a brief update.

Um, and my experience is I've been on Nantucket for about 15 years and experienced when Monroe Street was under construction and um when the Monroe and Talmadge intersections were all uh torn up, people discovered the shortcut of Nantucket down to Savania and and vice versa to avoid that entire area.

Uh, just within the past week with the closure of the Monroe Street uh bridge, um, the traffic in the area is is gotten exponentially larger and and substantially busier, especially at the rush hours.

Again, peak period for walking, again, with enough sidewalks on Nantucket.

It it literally took me three minutes to cross Nantucket to get a walk started the other day.

Um the point is um when people I know that the Monroe Street Bridge is temporary, but when people discovered the cut through, then they know the cut through.

And so this is just another opportunity for traffic to even increase even more with the addition of the cheats in the neighborhood.

This just provides another opportunity for maintained increased traffic counts.

So that's my comments.

Thank you, sir.

Welcome.

Is there anyone else who would like to speak?

Hi.

Hi there, name and address, please.

Cheryl Bath, 4408 Nantucket Drive.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

Yes, I do.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Um, I've been here um all the time, and I just want to add the thing that's coming to my mind when everybody talks about their concern about traffic and everything.

I just like to go back to the history and talk about how when Nantucket was a development when it was moved when Franklin Park came in and they developed Nantucket.

The shopping center at the end of the street wasn't there.

And Nantucket was a dead-end street.

It didn't have a through fray, that's why it's called a drive.

It's no longer a drive in that sense, as it would be in a community like ours in a residential area.

Toledo took upon itself to open that up to build the um to expand Monroe Street, which they're entitled to do.

But the attention I want to bring to you now is that the history is now impeding our neighborhood drastically, and I'd like you to take that into consideration.

Yes, sheets is a good company.

Um, we already have four gas stations, two on the um two near the corner of um Monroe and uh Whiteford, and then we have them at the corner of Talmudgeon uh uh Savania.

So, and I understand that they want to, but there's other areas on Monroe Street if they wanted to go closer to the expressway where their traffic would be fine getting on and off, but they don't have to be at the end of Nantucket.

And I really think you would be remiss not to come in our neighborhood and sit there for a couple hours and watch the traffic.

Um it's horrendous.

Um's coming now, people will be coming out of their houses walking.

We have kids in the apartment complex that ride their bikes, they don't have anywhere else to ride them, so they ride down Nantucket.

I witnessed last year, a young lady get um knocked off her bike because the car came too close to her, and she ran up on the um curb.

So I'm just asking you to really consider that if you lived in that neighborhood, I don't think you would like it if the traffic would continue to increase.

Um, when I was a young kid when we first moved in, we could play ball out in the street, and a car wouldn't come for a couple hours.

Um now they come every five seconds.

The point of it is they have loud music, they speed, they do everything, and we have no sidewalks.

So I really would like you to be um really considerate of the neighborhood and not so much the economic impact that she's gonna make for the city of Toledo as a whole because they can go someplace else.

There's always land and everything can be done.

I know that we have um properties there that are income-based and they prevent revenue for us.

Um, but the point I'm trying to make is that revenue and that type of clientele they had would come and spend several hours, you know, an hour and a half for dinner or whatever.

She's coming in.

My understanding is currently right now, we've gone to 1200 to 1700 cars going down our street a day.

We're no longer a drive.

I want to make that perfectly clear.

And that's what we originally were.

And I want you guys to consider the decisions that have been made from a historical standpoint to stop it.

I don't want any more speed bumps.

I don't want any more traffic.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Sir, name and address, please.

My name is Jason Levine.

My address is 5800 Monroe Street, Building D suite 3, Sylvania, Ohio, 43560.

Thank you.

Mr.

Levine, you're an attorney.

You don't need you don't need to be sworn in.

You may proceed when you're ready.

I'm just looking for a clarification.

I looked over the staff report with this written conditions.

I know in the January meeting there was an oral condition added to that related to removing the buildings from the property.

I'm curious if that condition is still something that this commission is considering, or if that's no longer a requirement in your eyes.

Thank you, sir.

So that condition that we added at the January meeting is not in the agenda.

It's not in the report.

After Steven, do you want to tackle this one?

Would you like me to tackle this one?

After consulting with our legal department, that is a private business matter.

We're not going to intervene in that private business matter with a condition in this report.

Obviously, that's that's a uh item to be resolved amongst the neighbors, but uh that will not be in our final report.

While we're on the topic though, Dana, what I did notice scanning in here, um, we are also missing the condition.

They've asked us to waive the hours of operation, but the hours of operation condition is not actually in, I can't find it in the report.

It was a condition before, but it's it's gone now.

I apologize, I don't remember deleting it.

Um how should well I'm gonna I'm gonna treat it as if it's still in the in the the in the application.

We'll we'll make a vote on that in a little bit.

But if we decide not to waive that condition, we need to make sure it gets back in the report.

We can do that before planning and zoning.

All right, appreciate the clarification.

So, sir, I apologize, but that's that's okay.

Thank you.

That's where we're at.

Thank you.

Uh if anyone else would like to speak, ma'am.

I know you just spoke.

I'll give you I'll give you 20 seconds if you want to.

You need to come and speak in the microphone.

As far as the traffic study, is there I don't really know.

I've never seen it.

I don't know what it's about.

Can we talk a little bit about that and the number of cars that are gonna go down our street, or did they just do the intersection as a traffic study?

Because that's not fair because I really thought and understood that they would do Nantucket as well.

So, what I will say to that is we we do have a copy of the traffic study in our in our materials.

Um I just received this today, so I cannot comment on the full extent of the study.

But our division of transportation reviewed the study and and believes that the site is appropriate based on the traffic conditions.

So what does that mean?

That means that they do not believe that there are any additional uh mitigations needed to uh to improve traffic flow or to impede traffic at that corner.

Um that's as far as I can speak to it today.

That's correct.

The division of transportation and the Lucas County engineer both reviewed it and neither had suggestions for any transportation improvements.

Okay.

Is there anyone else who'd like to speak on this case?

Ma'am, are you gonna speak?

No.

No, okay.

Sir, would you like to speak on this case?

Yes.

Okay.

Go ahead and come and give your name and address, and you can sign in when you're done.

Okay, Robert Raven, 4350 Nantucket Drive.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

So I'm kind of confused.

I mean, you've already approved the special use permit that we're gonna vote on that today.

We have not approved it.

Oh that that is what we're here to decide today.

Oh, yeah, that's why we mean I've lived on Nantucket since 1979.

And I mean, there's always been retail there.

There was like a food town supermarket.

I mean, that would bring like traffic, but I just believe that this gas station is just gonna bring too much traffic.

And it's just a bad idea to put a gas station on a residential street.

I mean, I always think gas stations should be at like major intersections, like Savanian townage.

And it's just very upsetting that you would approve such a you know a special use for a gas station.

We we understand this is this is a challenging case.

So yeah, I just don't believe the their traffic um the you know the amount of trade.

I don't believe that's a good report.

I really like to see it.

Because I I know I I mean I actually live by Nantucket.

I can see the cars going back and forth.

And with the gas station, it's gonna be more cars.

Um let me do this.

Lisa, the the traffic report, it'll be indexed to the case.

Will it be available on our website when this when this will be, and he can take my copy now?

That's helpful.

Okay.

But it will be.

Yeah.

Dana, you you have this, you have this electronically, correct?

Okay.

That's on the website.

Yeah.

But I would I would say for anyone else in the audience who wants a copy of that traffic study, uh, the assigned individual to this case is Dana down here.

Um you may reach out to the plan commission, reach out to Dana, and she can deliver an electronic or we can print a paper copy of that traffic study for you that you can pick up from our office.

Okay.

Um else in the audience.

All right, please step forward.

Okay.

Name and address, please.

Jeffrey Mason 4802 South Bridge Road, Toledo.

Please raise right, please raise your right hand.

Sir, do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

I spoke at the last meeting in January, and I just wanted to add a couple things, so I'll be short and sweet.

Number one, that everybody has forgotten about.

There's a street across Monroe Street from Nantucket called Statesville.

There's approximately 15 houses there.

They're in the city of Toledo.

It has been always a cut through from Laskey to Monroe and vice versa.

It the street faces exactly into the location where sheets will be.

So that's an issue for the people that are living there.

They they don't live in gigantic houses and they're not super rich, but they are citizens of Toledo.

Number two, sheets truck stops, the big ones allow trucks to stay all night and people to sleep in their cars all night.

I wonder if this is an issue as well for the neighborhood surrounding as people can park in the sheet slot and stay there all night if they want.

They can go in and eat, hang out, and there's also a beer cave in there where they can buy their beer maybe after they've left other places at two in the morning.

So that's all I have to add to what I had said before.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Okay.

Okay.

Um what I want to do is I want to give the applicant a chance to give some final remarks.

I would like you to address that last question about whether this station will allow overnight for people to actually sleep in their vehicles overnight, or if there's any any intention to do that.

Um, and then we'll talk about the requested waivers.

Very good.

Uh this location will not be what we would consider a truck stop.

Um, there's no um adequate space for a semi to be able to get in there to fuel up, let alone stay there and be able to sleep overnight.

It's not our intention for this one.

Um we don't have any within the city Toledo um that we would call that.

I think our closest one is along the term pike over in Fremont.

Um the 24 hours um is a waiver that we are requesting.

It does appear under the waiver section in the staff report.

Um there are two uh other convenience stores.

Uh one at the southeast corner of Monroe and Whiteford, and then another at the southwest corner of Sylvania and Talmudge.

They're both 24 hours, both of which are exceedingly closer to residential than this location that we're proposing.

Um we we provide the traffic study probably about a month ago now.

Um it was done by a professional traffic engineer sealed, um, which means that to the best of their knowledge, it is truthful and accurate uh and reviewed and approved by the city of Toledo Traffic Department.

Thank you, sir.

Yeah, any other comments?

Not at this time, no.

Okay.

Commissioners, any additional questions for the applicant.

If not, we'll we'll address the waivers.

We're we're at being asked to to make two waivers on this application.

Uh I want to start with the billboard, which is condition 41.

Um, prior to today's hearing, we received an email from Dana that laid out that this waiver to to make this change, it's not actually one waiver, it is nine waivers of the municipal code that we would need to make in order to approve uh the billboard to remain at that location.

And so first, what I would like what I'd like the record to reflect or what I'd like the condition 41 to reflect is uh as we as this moves forward, um we should lay out all nine sections that would need to be modified if the billboard is to stay.

Okay, okay.

Um so at this time I will ask if there's any uh motion from the commissioners as to uh granting this waiver request.

I I guess I have a couple of foul-up questions about the the billboard staying, if I may.

Um I guess is it a contributing um sign, or is it that it's a revenue generating potential still for it for the the owner?

So the why would we keep it?

So the zoning code says that when you bring in uh something for plan commission review, all signs have to be brought into compliance.

Okay, right now it's a legal nonconforming sign in terms of height, copy area, uh base, uh building materials are yeah, materials of the base.

So there's there's nine legal nonconforming issues with it right now.

Um you're allowed one sign on site, regardless whether it advertises off premise or not, so they could either have this sign with the waivers or the sheet sign.

Um code's pretty uh inflexible on that.

So additional questions, Rachel?

No, okay.

Uh I'll I'll ask my question more time.

Does would anyone like to take action on that issue?

I'll make a motion to deny the waivers on the sign.

Momini would second.

We have a first and a second to deny the request for a waiver to condition 41.

Uh all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Okay.

So that one we're not going to change.

Um the last item is the 24 hour uh requirement.

It is not currently a numbered condition, but it is uh reflected in our staff report that it requires a waiver.

Otherwise, the hours of operation are limited to Dana, what is that?

530 5 to 1 30.

5 30.

Uh or it has to be uh limited 5 30 a.m.

to 1 a.m.

5 30 a.m.

to 1 a.m.

Okay.

And the request is to modify that or to remove that condition so that they can operate 24 hours.

Commissioners, would anyone like to make a motion on that item?

I'll make a motion in support of the waiver to allow for 24-hour access.

Thank you, Eric.

Is there a second?

Wouldn't a second.

Okay.

We have a first and a second to uh approve the 24-hour waiver.

Uh Lisa, let's do a roll call vote.

Okay, so uh yay will be in support of the waiver.

Uh Mominy.

Nay.

Whittington.

Yes.

Rake off?

Nay.

Russ Wailer?

Yes.

So you have a two to two tie, and the motion will fail.

Yeah, so the condition remains.

Correct.

Okay.

All right.

Are there any other waivers, Lisa?

I think that was it.

There are no more waivers, no.

Okay.

All right.

So at this time I will accept a motion on the application as a whole.

Um with the modifications we have discussed, Dana.

Okay.

Are there any modifications?

Well, what we're gonna do is we're gonna add in the nine the nine specific items for when council gets that application.

If they want to waive the sign requirement, they'll have all of the items that they need to modify.

Okay.

Uh Whittington will second.

We have a first and a second to approve the application.

Lisa, let's go ahead and do that again.

Let's do a roll call vote.

Okay.

So again, a yay will be in support of the staff's recommendation.

Mominy?

Nay.

Wittington?

Yes.

Back up?

Nay.

Gross layler?

Yes.

Again, you have a two to two tie.

The motion fails.

The case will go as a disapproval.

The case will move forward as a disapproval.

I may need to clarify that with the law.

Two to two.

We recommended approval.

That would not be an approval, so yeah, it'll it'll reflect that when it goes to zoning and planning to city council.

Case is disapproved.

Okay, so that's where it'll be the case will go to council with a two to two uh recommendation for non-approval.

The um case will be heard when April what uh April 15th.

This case will be heard April 15th by city council in these chambers.

Uh public testimony is allowed during those hearings.

Um and council will make final decision on these issues.

Okay, thank you.

Case number two, Lisa.

Item number two is case SUP 25048, amendment to a special use permit for a gas station expansion at 4486 Monroe Street.

Staff recommends approval for the following two reasons.

The proposed use meets the stated purpose of the zoning code, the proposed use is compatible with adjacent uses in terms of scale, site design, and operating characteristics.

Staff further recommends approval of the following waiver, TMC 11060102.

Intensity and dimensional standards, commercial districts approving a waiver to allow a 10-foot setback rather than a 15-foot setback for the rear lot line, abbutting the residential zone lot because the applicant is providing additional improvements, including landscaping to the site.

Staff further recommends approval subject to 19 conditions, which will be reflected in the minutes and not read to the record unless there's a request that I do so let us know when you're ready.

Okay.

Okay.

All right.

Name and address, please.

Scott Hick 1303 Sabre Road, Toledo.

If either of you plan on speaking, go ahead and give us your name and address now.

Deal on you, all do 3778 Emerald Frost Drive Farmington House, Michigan.

Linda Woods, one two one seven Alco Avenue Mummy, Ohio.

Thank you.

Will you all raise your right hands, please?

Do you all swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Sir, tell us about your project.

Our project is not sheets.

Well, that's nothing.

There's nothing wrong with sheets, it's just sometimes location.

No, of course not.

We are a small uh gas station on North Street across from the Kerger store in near Westgate.

We've been there for several years.

This company bought the property in roughly 2008 and inherited a bunch of things that the Clark gas station didn't do.

And uh quite honestly, we're willing to do those items, except we would like an exception to number 14, which is about the signage.

There's an existing sign, it's uh a vertical sign that's over the height limit, so we'd like an exception for that.

And then that everything else is okay.

Okay, and so this is an existing site, and you're asking for an amendment to this to the perm to your special use permit.

Uh and you're gonna do a little updates to the site.

Yes.

We're actually adding coolers to create storage, and uh the the building is very small, it's under 600 square or 800 square feet, and there just isn't any storage on the site, so we're adding coolers to the back of the building, and we need a variance for the rear setback line.

Correct.

There is that there's a 15-foot side rear setback that we that you were asking us to modify to 10 feet correctly, correct.

Correct.

Okay.

We will address that.

Um Alex, can you talk about the sign for a moment?

The the sign condition.

What what are we dealing with at this site?

So there's an existing um sign that does not conform with uh the sign code.

So that same condition that we talk about all the time where whenever it comes in through an SUP or something like that, it's got to come into full compliance.

So I think they're just asking for a waiver to keep the existing sign exactly as it is.

Is it a monument sign?

Is it a poll sign?

What type of sign is it?

I believe it is a it is a poll sign with two poles, is that right?

It's a poll sign.

Yeah, right.

It's roughly 20, 25 feet high.

It's got two poles instead of one.

Yeah.

Okay.

So again, you're gonna have multiple waivers, which we can we can spell out for council again.

We can start adding that the height, the base, the materials.

It's it's gonna be more than than one waiver.

Yeah, it's it's probably pretty similar to the the list we had on the last case where there's really probably seven to eight waivers that are required to grant that that sign to stay.

Um I'll make the same request that I did on the last case that regardless of how we decide this issue, let's lay them all out for council in the in the agenda so that they are aware of what those waivers would be if they are inclined to grant them.

Before we vote on anything, I'm gonna give people in the audience a chance to speak.

Is there anything else you'd like to add before I do that?

No.

Okay.

Uh is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak in favor of or oppose to this case?

Not seeing anybody.

Alex, did we get any calls, emails, or other correspondence in advance of today's hearing?

We did not.

Okay.

Commissioners, I'll open it up.

Questions for the applicant?

I have one question.

Go ahead, Mr.

Grossweiler.

As we're talking about the sign waiver, would you say that the present location of that sign?

Would I mean it would be a good spot also for a monument sign if the waiver were to fail, wouldn't it?

It's out on the corner towards the street.

It could be visible.

Literally right on the corner.

Yeah, it's it's all here.

It's right here on the plan.

Thanks.

Eric, anything else?

No, I just okay.

Any other questions, commissioners?

Um, I do have one question.

I guess I don't know if it's for the applicant.

Um, but is there potential to require a um privacy fence or screening behind the um the new addition, just given its proximity to residential?

Since we are if we were to it approve uh variance of the setback.

So you can add you can add that as a condition.

I would support that.

I I think fence is a good idea to protect that residential use.

Yeah, just because it's getting even closer.

It might look nicer back there with the addition, but that's my concern.

Alex, what kind of what kind of screening is out there?

Is there anything out there right now along the rear abutting the residences?

It's just an unimproved alley, so there's nothing there's an alley that runs behind it.

Yes, there's an alley behind there.

Um there's not some there's not real screening.

Okay.

There's actually a an existing sign, it's a a chain link fence sign that's there now that has partial slats in the fence.

If we could keep the same fence and fill up the slats, would that be okay?

I think that would be acceptable.

We could just add a condition asking for the same fence to be to be extended, same type of fence.

We could add the fence to currently run all the way behind.

Runs all the way to a rule.

I think there's like partial like chain link, and then there's sort of like an older wooden sort of taller fence that sort of starts partially behind there.

Uh I I think that the existing fence would work as long as you put up some type of slats or screening so that it was not see-through.

Yeah, um, Rachel, do you want to make a motion to add that as a condition?

Yeah, yeah, I would like to make a condition to to add screening or just make sure that it's properly screened from the residents.

So I can take a look at it if you want to leave it up to plan director approval.

I can recommend the appropriate.

So a rear fence subject to approval of the plan director as an additional condition.

Rachel has made a motion.

I'll second that.

Uh all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Okay.

Um let's let's go ahead and vote on the waiver of the rear setback to go from 15 feet to 10 feet.

I'll go ahead and make a motion to approve that waiver.

Is there a second?

Seconded.

Second.

We have a first and a second to approve the waiver.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Okay, that carries unanimously.

The last item of business would be the signage.

Uh, what is the will of the commission with respect to the sign?

I'm gonna make a motion to deny the waiver for the signage.

Seconded.

We have a first and a second to deny removal of condition 14, the signage condition.

Um all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Okay, so that condition will stay.

Okay.

The sign would have to be changed to a to a monument sign.

Okay.

Um further questions of the commission.

Is there anything else the applicant would like to add?

No.

No.

Okay.

Uh then I will accept a motion on this case.

SUP25-0048.

I'm waiting to make a motion to approve.

Mominy will second.

We have a first and a second to approve the application.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

That carries unanimously, and you will also be back in front of city council planning and zoning on April 16th.

April 15th, April 5 p.m.

here.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good luck to you.

Thank you.

I believe case number six is next, Lisa.

Item number six is case Z26003, zone change from CO office commercial to RD6 duplex residential.

At 419, Roanoke Road staff recommends approval for the following reason.

The proposed rezoning is consistent with the forward Toledo plan and the state of purpose of the zoning code.

Is the applicant present?

Alex, this is your case.

It's actually was a layers, so uh I just read it today.

Uh but it's pretty simple.

Um it's a down zoning of a uh single dwelling home, uh currently zoned CO office commercial.

Um they received notice from a different down zoning we did in this area uh and thought, hey, that's a good idea.

I should down zone my home too.

Um so she's requesting uh downzoning to RD six to allow her existing home there.

Um we recommend approval.

Is this a I'm assuming the structure is a single family home?

Correct.

Okay.

Commissioners, any questions on this case?

No.

Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak regarding this case?

It is a request to down zone a single family home to residential zoning.

And Alex, I don't know if you'll know this.

Did Aleyah get any calls or emails or other correspondence in advance of today's hearing?

I didn't see anything on her log.

Okay.

Ummissioners, any questions?

All right, then I'll accept a motion on this case.

Motion to approve.

Seconded.

We have a first and a second to approve the zone change.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

All right, that carries unanimously.

That case will go before council.

Item number seven, Lisa.

Item number seven is case Z 26002 zone change from CN Neighbor Commercial and RS6 single dwelling residential to CO office commercial at 2500 Collingwood Boulevard.

Staff recommends approval for the following two reasons.

The proposed zone change is consistent with the forward Toledo plan and the state of purpose of the zoning code, and the proposed zone change is compatible with existing land uses within the general vicinity of the site.

Ma'am, are you the applicant on this case?

Well, I got a letter, so I came down from the meeting.

Okay.

Well, what I'm what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna let the applicant speak first, and then I will I'll let you come up and speak after that, okay?

Oh, good afternoon.

Tom Tom Antonini, 1933 Spielbush Avenue, Toledo, Ohio.

Here for the Diocese of Toledo, General Counsel.

Yes, Mr.

Antonini, you are an attorney, correct?

So you do not need to be sworn in.

When you're ready, go ahead and tell us about the project.

So briefly on uh behalf of the applicant, the property is actually titled in the name of the Diocese of Toledo Properties Trust, but this is basically Diocese of Toledo Project.

It's been a vision of ours for now many years.

Um we're actually uh hoping to um break ground as soon as this spring on the overall project.

We've met uh on a number of occasions with the old West End, and uh we didn't come to full agreement on all the design challenges, but we've ultimately met all their conditions.

And when we were last in front of the old West End Historic Commission in October of 25, they approved the site plan, but the issue of this um signage came up.

And um what we'd like to do part of our vision is to make this kind of a whole campus setting.

You have Rosary Cathedral, Caddy Corner across the street.

We want to have our office headquarters uh with 2500 Collingwood.

We're actually using just as an example kind of the vision.

We're using the same um quarry from the 1920s, I believe, in Massachusetts to that helped build the cathedral to bring that stone over to kind of match the new design across the street.

And so the signs we'd like to have those consistent and the old West End Historic Commission was they're really prompting us to push for that and to try to find a way to make that happen.

That brings us here today.

Um I brought David Munger, our architect, he can speak to some of the um uh more specifics about the signage, but we would ask uh you know, in accordance with the staff commission recommending it that uh this commission also approve it today.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Sir, name and address, please.

Uh I'm David Munger David Munger from Munger Munger Architects here in Toledo, uh 225 North Michigan.

Will you please raise your right hand?

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

So, sir, I know we're here to talk about the zone change, but why don't you just tell us a little bit about the project as a whole?

Uh sure.

Um the diocese is moving their offices, their pastoral center uh to this location.

There's an existing building that is along Delaware and Collingwood.

Uh that building is being renovated, and then we're doing an addition to the north and to the east of that.

And the building will mainly be offices and some conference rooms and things like that.

Uh there's an existing parking area that's north of the the complex along Melrose and Collingwood.

And as Tom was saying, uh trying to create a campus setting, and the existing sign and stone piers that go along Collingwood.

Um this one is at Delaware and Collingwood, and it's facing south.

And the intent is to have something very similar to that at Collingwood facing north along Melrose.

Would you like this one too?

Thank you.

And we're trying to uh work with the existing stone on the buildings.

The stone on the piers is a man-made stone.

We're trying to match that as well.

Um the change from the commercial neighborhood to the commercial to the office commercial seems to be a better fit for the building, and almost uh kind of a housekeeping item.

And to have the consistency between the signs uh also gives that campus feel and it and it allows the traffic to see uh from both directions.

And the primary use of the site out outside of the cathedral going forward will be for office purposes.

Correct.

Okay.

Bill, uh, when they went through the historic district commission, this probably wasn't contemplated.

Um, but the the commission approved their site plan and their design correct on it.

We're not we're not addressing that issue today, but there's no issues with that portion of the of the plan, correct?

That's correct, yeah.

So in October of 25, uh the historic district commission did fully support the overall design of the project, uh, with the exception of the sign specifically.

They will have to go back to the commission for full approval of that sign.

Um they weren't able to make a uh uh recommendation or approval of said sign based on its uh its size exceeding what was allowed by code.

Um the properties currently zoned neighborhood commercial.

That's why they're proposing office commercial, neighborhood commercial allows for medium profile signs, uh ground mounted signs, and uh the office commercial will allow for what's classified as a high profile ground mounted sign, um, which exceeds 10 feet in height.

This uh I believe that the uh rendering that you have in front of you is approximately at 12 foot.

Uh it is incorporated into the fence design of the project.

Um and uh we're supportive of that due to the um you know its consistency with what they had that predates the current design code on a contiguous quarter.

Thank you.

Commissioners, I'll open it up.

Any questions for the applicant?

Hearing none, uh, I'll ask is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak in favor of or opposed to this case?

Ma'am, if you want to step forward and yep.

Yes, I have received this letter.

I don't really know what could you do me a favor before we'll we'll we'll help you out with that.

But do you mind give us a giving us your name and address first?

Annie Gillard 916 Brooklyn, but I have property at 417 Melrose.

Okay.

And will you raise your right hand for me?

Ma'am, do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Ma'am, did you get a letter from us about this this case today?

Yes.

Okay.

And so that was informing you since you have a property in the neighborhood that they're here today to ask for a zone change to to office commercial because they're gonna use it as this property is offices going forward.

Uh do you have any comments or questions on that?

No, that would be lovely because I'm trying to give them my house.

I'm a sick, and I won't I don't I don't it's been there since 69, and I heard it, but I can't help it.

It's too much.

Okay.

Well, that's that's why we're here today.

Just to decide if they can use it for office purposes going forward.

So that's what I wanted to know.

Is there anything else we can help you with?

Well, if you want to take it off my hands, you can today.

I can't do that today, but thank you.

Thanks.

Have a good day.

Okay.

Um final comments from the applicant?

No, thank you.

Okay.

Uh if there's no further questions from the commission, I'll accept a motion on this case.

This is Z 26002.

Uh Winnington will make a motion to approve.

Mominy will second.

We have a first and a second to approve the application.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

That carries unanimously, and this will also go before city council on April 15th.

Good luck to you.

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

I thought you were gone.

I was just gonna say I just want to remind everyone that has no bearing on the sign, what we just voted on.

Since we talked so much about signed and all that.

It only it only allows a larger sign in that zoning classification, but the sign itself still has to get separately approved.

Right.

That's correct.

Do we want to give them back their sign or their okay?

Uh please read case number eight into the record.

Item number eight is case Z 26004 zone change from CS storefront commercial to CM mixed commercial residential at 2855, 2857 LeGrange Street.

Staff recommends approval for the following two reasons.

The proposed zone change is consistent with the forward Toledo plan and the state of purpose of the zoning code, and the proposed zone change is compatible with existing land uses within the general vicinity of the subject property.

Thank you.

Sir, are you the applicant?

Yes.

Name and address, please.

Martin Legie 2857, Lagrange Toledo.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Sir, tell us about your request.

Okay, so uh in the past I've been trying to render space as uh retail or office, and there was no demand.

And uh before I was living in Detroit and uh I moved to Toledo and I thought uh that could be a nice residential place for me to uh uh reorganized.

So uh I would like inside of the first floor to install a kitchen and uh add uh shower and laundromat area in the back room so it would become like uh a residential luff with the front and uh rear section and on the second floor uh I would uh install an office, but I would like it to be available for uh apartment in the future as well.

Okay, thank you.

And um Alex, this needs to be CM so that he can have residential on the first floor.

Correct.

Okay.

Uh commissioners, any questions for the applicant?

Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak on this case?

And Alex, any calls, emails, or other correspondence in advance of today's hearing?

None.

Okay.

Uh commissioners, if there's no further questions, I'll accept a motion on this case.

Z2604.

Mominy will make a motion for approval.

All seconds.

We have a first and a second to approve the zone change.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

That carries unanimously.

You will be back here before city council on April 15th in these same place.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Good luck.

Uh case number nine, please.

Item number nine is case SPR 26006.

Major site plan review for new parking lot at 600 Matzinger Road.

Staff recommends approval for the following two reasons.

The proposed plan meets all the standards of the Toledo Municipal Code, zoning code, and other adopted city policies.

And vehicular ingress and egress to and from the site in circulation within the site provides for safe, efficient, and convenient movement of traffic.

Staff further recommends approval, subject to 30 conditions.

It should be reflected in the minutes and not read into the record unless there's a request that I do so.

Gentlemen, welcome.

Name and address, please.

Uh Bryce Rotz, uh 2736 Alice Hill Drive, Toledo, Ohio.

Sir, Scott Carlin, uh, 1401 East Larn Ed Street, Apartment 103, Detroit.

Thank you.

Will you please both raise your right hands?

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Go ahead and tell us about the project.

So what brings this project up is we're trying to increase our site security and create a one entry point into our chemical plant.

Um so this infrastructure is needed in order to create that one entry zone into the plant where we can have security checking all of our vehicles, all of our people heading into the facility.

Um in the past, um, we have used this area for parking during our turnarounds.

Um at that time we were parking on grass directly.

Um in 2002, a major rainstorm came through, and we had called tow truck out to tow out several of the vehicles.

So at that time we decided it would be best to improve this site for parking.

Okay.

And that's essentially what we're asked to decide today.

You're this this site plan is just for this enlarged parking area.

Correct.

Okay.

Um gentlemen, there are 30 conditions of approval attached to the application.

Are there any you'd like to discuss?

Are you comfortable with them all?

I believe I'm comfortable with them all.

Okay, excellent.

Commissioners, any questions for the applicant?

Hearing none, I'll ask, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak in favor of or opposed to this case?

Alex, any calls, email or other correspondence regarding this case?

Uh we did receive that um response letter, but otherwise nothing.

It's a very thorough response letter to say you agree with everything.

We appreciate that though.

Yeah, thank you.

All right.

Well, if there are no further questions for the applicant, uh, I'll accept a motion on the site plan SPR26-0006.

Well, we'll make a motion for approval.

Waiting to know second.

We have a first and a second to approve the site plan.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

That carries unanimously, and and this does not go to council, so you are done.

All right, good luck to you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Case number 10, please.

Item number 10 is case SCP 26001, specialties permit for major public utility at Schneider Park Water Tower at Zero Detroit Avenue.

Staff recommends approval for the following three reasons.

The proposed use meets the state of purpose of the zoning code.

The proposed use is consistent with Ford Toledo plan and the proposed use will meet OEPA requirements and provide a public benefit and increased water distribution system reliability.

Staff further recommends approval subject to 21 conditions.

It could be reflected in the minutes and not read into the record unless there is a requested I do so.

Thank you, Lisa.

Good afternoon.

Uh name and address, please.

Natalie Langendurfer, 34 York Street, Toledo How.

Would you please both raise your right hand?

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Go ahead and tell us about the project.

All right.

Um so this project is for construction of an elevated tank at the east end of the Schneider Road soccer complex.

Uh, this elevated tank is intended to improve reliability of operation and distribution system.

Um when our high service pumps aren't working quite like they should at the water treatment plant.

Um the elevated tank, we've had a meeting about two well, yeah.

So the elevated tank.

I guess I really don't have too much more on the project.

It's intended to uh improve improve the distribution system, prove reliability, and we really don't have any objections to anything in the um that's that's okay.

There were there were 21 conditions in the application.

Are you comfortable with those conditions?

We are comfortable with those 21 conditions.

Commissioners, any questions for the applicant?

Uh Mr.

Chair, I do.

Yes.

Rachel, go ahead.

Hi.

Um, it's just regarding the the design of the the tank and specifically the the graphic design and the color and signage.

Is that final in what we're seeing?

Is that decided?

No, that has not been decided.

The method of the type of tank, a composite tank, which is a concrete silo, basically, uh, with a steel tank on top, has been decided.

Okay.

Um, but no, the the final look of the tank has not been decided yet.

Okay.

Is that a signage thing?

Is that so that will require a sign permit, and we'll have to look at the dimensions at that time.

Dimensions and design.

Yes.

Okay.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um commissioners, any other questions.

All right.

If I don't hearing none, um, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak in favor or opposed to this project?

Okay.

And Lisa, any calls, emails, or other correspondence in advance today's hearing.

We did receive one call.

She was asking for general information on the project and seemed generally in support of it and the need for it in that neighborhood.

Okay.

All right.

Commissioners, if there are no additional questions, I will accept a motion on this case.

SUP26-0001.

Gross water make a motion to approve.

Mommy will second.

We have a first and a second to approve the application.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

That carries unanimously.

That'll go before city council on April 15th.

And don't go anywhere, I think.

You're you're up next again.

So Lisa Reed case number 11 into the record.

Item number 11 is case SUP 26002, special use permit for major public utility.

Water tower at 1910 North Over Road.

Staff recommends approval for the following reasons.

City and other service providers will be able to provide sufficient public safety.

Transportation and utility facilities and services to the subject property while maintaining sufficient levels of service for existing developments.

Okay.

Uh you you've already been sworn in, but go ahead and give us your name again for the record.

Andy McClure.

Natalie Langendurfer.

So same concept with this with this project, a little different.

This one I think has two towers.

Yes, why don't you walk us through what's designed for this project?

Oh, so this project, there's two towers.

We need a little extra volume, and it gives us opportunity when maintenance is done, which is on fairly long intervals, about 20 years.

We can have one tower remain in service while the other ones are being maintained.

Um the site was selected due to its proximity to a large water main.

Um so to provide proper service, particularly the um residents and utility customers that live further west in Lucas County.

Um this project is going to be constructed in two phases.

We need to get the northern the north one, right?

We need to get one of the tanks up.

We have a high EPA deadline to provide better pressure and more reliability.

So one of the tanks will be started and substantially completed before the other one is complete.

Um the site is um going to be bounded to the north, south, and east by mature trees.

We tried to be cognizant of the neighborhood and thoughtful about our design.

So the site plan, we uh specifically require the contractor to maintain as many trees along the east, north, and south as possible.

Uh, to the west, we're going to have uh wetland, and the wetland will also include a boardwalk uh that will become property of Washington local schools for educational purposes.

Um we do have uh we would like to change request to change condition 26a regarding um landscape screening uh with the mature trees on all sides, wetland and the other, and would just like to request if we could work with the commission and obviously have the director's approval uh because we also have certain homeland security concerns uh with with different landscape type screening.

We don't want the opportunity where someone could be in there doing something nefarious uh and and possibly be shielded from view by any landscaping or anything.

So we'd like like an opportunity to uh work with the planning department department with the um landscaping around the um site thank you.

Um beyond that, the other conditions are acceptable.

Yes, they are okay.

Uh Lisa, would you be comfortable if we left 26A up to the um final approval of the plan director?

That's fine.

We can sit down and meet and go over the landscaping issues.

I think okay.

Um I'll make a motion to modify 26A to for final landscaping to be at the approval of the plan director.

Seconded.

Uh all those in favor of amending that item say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Okay.

So that modification has been made.

You can work with Lisa on the final specifics of how that that landscaping would be oriented.

All right, thank you.

Okay.

Um this one is a little different.

Uh I just want to point out that this one, unlike the last one, does have residential properties uh nearby.

You submitted, and we have in our packet a shadow study that was conducted to look at the impact of the towers on the residential properties and and the shade that might be produced from that those towers.

And so I want to thank you and just note that it's in our record that the study is here and it's in the it'll be in the record for today's hearing.

Um is there anything else you would like to add at this time?

No, not this time.

Okay.

Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak regarding this case?

Okay, there's someone in the back.

Come on, come forward.

Hi there.

Name and address, please.

Laura Crawford, 5455 Glastonbury.

Will you please raise your right hand?

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Ma'am, go ahead.

I'm kind of late into this.

I just moved into the neighborhood two years ago, was not aware that this was even a project that would was coming up.

Um I moved into the neighborhood for two reasons to downsize because I'm retiring and wanted a quiet neighborhood.

And um I like the fact that there was trees and woods behind my house.

And now that I hear that this is going up, I'm totally against it.

I don't know who decided to put two water towers in a residential area behind someone's backyard.

And looking at what the proposal is, it looks like it's gonna butt up right against my fence.

And I'm 61 years old, I'm gonna retire.

I'm not gonna move again.

There are other areas around this area that would be more suitable for water towers, more industrial areas across the street, across Jackman in the power train um park that they don't even use anymore.

Why was that not considered?

Or even across Lasky and the American Mile area.

There's a lot of businesses that are no longer even buildings that have no businesses in them.

Why can they put it there?

I understand what this gentleman said that there's a water main there, but there are other water mains that funnel water into the neighborhood that that could have been used.

I'm not educated in how the water system works, but I'm sure that there's other options than to put them that wasn't doesn't have to be the only option to put it in a residential area.

He also talked about his concern for homeland security and putting up um fences or whatever he's planning on putting up for the landscaping.

Yeah, that's a big concern.

You know, it's by school.

Kids are gonna try and get in there and climb, graffiti, whatever.

I really don't want this eyesore in my backyard.

Not to mention the noise that's gonna cut cause, the disruption to the wildlife that's there.

I mean, me and my kids like to walk through the woods.

We have deer come up to our gate.

You know, we all that's gonna be affected by this.

I don't think this was very well thought out to put it in a residential area.

I don't know of any other water towers that are that close to a school or to people's homes.

So I'm I'm against it.

And I wish I would hope that you guys would take that into consideration when deciding whether to go to go forward with this project.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Dana, was there any kind of neighborhood meeting?

Uh if you'd like to speak, you may also come forward.

But I'm gonna ask a couple questions.

Uh was there a neighborhood meeting on this case?

There was a uh neighborhood meeting about a year ago, I believe, um held by the Department of Public Utilities.

Okay.

That was but that was last year.

Was it recent?

Okay.

Correct.

Okay.

Ma'am, name and address, please.

My name is Kim Capoletti.

My address is 1851 Buckloo Drive.

Um raise your right hand, please.

Yep, that's fine.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

I've lived there for 22 years.

Um the female deer come across Jackman Road from Power Train, Hydromatic.

And they have their babies back there.

I have fawns in the spring, so it's from May through possibly September, that there are female deers and their fawns back there.

They do not have them around the males in the group.

This has been a place that I I thought it was a horse.

I didn't know it was a deer.

I took my fence down and the fawns run around in my backyard.

I've been feeding them for 22 years.

I really don't know why we need water towers.

Glastonbury and Buckloo need better electrical.

I've been there and the power's gone out even on a sunny day.

The last incident, we did have a storm.

We were without power for a week.

Powers more the problem.

Water's never been the problem.

Um I just I'm afraid it's gonna disrupt the wildlife, the deer and the fawns, and that's my main part.

Thank you.

Is there anybody else in the audience who would like to speak?

Dana, did we get any other correspondence in advance of today's hearing?

I received a phone call today from Miss Laura about the hearing.

Other than that, uh no.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um commissioners, any uh further questions or comments for the applicant?

I'd just like to follow up on some of those questions.

Were other places considered?

Yeah, so if if the applicant could step back forward, Eric, go ahead.

I mean, were there any other places considered why this position right here?

Yes, the power train uh site was considered.

Uh it was ruled out due to the condition of subsoils, uh, not necessarily structural condition, but other problems with the subsoils in that area.

Um Bowman Park was considered.

However, that it added at least 10 million dollars to the cost of the project and would have really snarled traffic up at uh Lasky and what's the intersection or Jackman, I believe it is for for quite some time.

So we did, yeah, we did um look at at least what three other sites besides North over.

And I guess with uh last uh public meeting being held a year ago, would you consider deferring and holding another public hearing so you could listen to the residents of the area again?

Um we uh actually were working with uh Toledo's comms recently, and we were trying to uh if we can find a date that's suitable with the council person for the area, we're trying to hold a meeting before the end of the month.

Okay.

Eric, you good?

I'm good.

Okay, yep.

Chris, do you have something?

Yeah, so you'd be open to deferring until the meeting is held.

We uh we can defer over the contractors can have to have some activity that's not related to final construction, um, start sooner than uh actually start by April 1st, possibly.

Okay.

Um I I want to I do want to go back.

So uh you know Schneider Park worked pretty well for something like this because it's it's not near residences, at least not directly near residences.

Um what was you know, Bowman Park is pretty near there?

What why was Bowman Park not an option for for these towers?

Um the the distance to the trunk water main that it has to connect to and the size of the water main that we need to connect to it.

Um is significant additional expense, at least 10 million dollars.

It's not that the site it's not nothing with the park, it's that it's it's the distance to the water main is probably correct.

The the distance because the water main the the trunk water main runs right in Northover.

Okay.

Um I do think this is a significant change to the character of that of that neighborhood there.

So my my opinion is the same, I think, as you gentlemen, that I think another neighborhood meeting would be appropriate before we take a vote on this case.

Um I'm gonna make a motion uh to defer this case to the April agenda to allow for that uh neighborhood meeting to occur.

Is there a second to my motion?

Winning to no second.

Okay.

So uh we have a first and a second to defer this case to the April agenda.

Uh all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

I didn't hear anybody down there.

Uh okay.

Sorry.

We that okay.

That's uh all in favor.

Uh any opposed?

Okay.

So um what we'd like you to do is make sure you connect with Dana or Lisa to get a mailing list to make sure that all of the surrounding neighbors get a notice and that you know we have a meeting before we come back here next month.

Um I think the the neighbors need information about what the scope of this project is and what the what the long-term implications of it may be before we make a final decision.

Okay.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Okay, uh Lisa 12 and 13 are companion cases, correct?

Uh they are.

Do you want me to read them both in?

Read them both in together, please.

Okay, item number 12 is case SUP 25003, special use permit for standalone solar field at 627 Lotus Avenue.

Staff recommends approval for the following three reasons.

The proposed use meets the state of purpose of the zoning code.

The proposed use is consistent with the Ford Toledo Plan and the Old South End Master Plan, and the proposed use will not have any adverse land or environmental impacts.

Staff brother recommends approval of the following waiver TMC 1107 1906 surface and drainage, surfacing and drainage.

Approving a waiver to the proposed access road and interior site drives for the solar energy facility to not have to be surfaced with concrete, asphalt, or other dust-free material.

Um of course, you could do that with special use permit because there's an ordinance attached, so you can waive what the BZA would typically waive.

Uh staff further recommends approval subject to 25 conditions to be reflected in the minutes and not read into the record unless there is a request that I do so.

And then go ahead.

I'm sorry.

Sorry.

Item number 13 is case MRO 126, the Maumee River Overlay review of the standalone solar field at 627 Lotus Avenue.

Staff recommends approval for the following two reasons.

The proposed use meets the forward Toledo Plan, and the proposed use conforms to the goals of the Maumee Riverfront Overlay District as presented in the 1981 Maumee Riverfront Plan and the Toledo Municipal Code as outlined in TMC 1103-0400 and 1111 1400.

Staff further recommends approval subject to three conditions which will be reflected in the minutes and not read into the record unless there's requested I do so.

Thank you.

Sir, name and address, please.

Good afternoon.

My name is Joe Cordella from the Historic South Initiative.

Uh 13686 Eccle Junction Road.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Sir, tell us about the request.

Thank you.

So as I mentioned, I work with the Historic South Initiative.

Uh I hope many of you know of our work.

We have been working in the old South End for over 10 years.

I'm glad to report that we have recently completed our 400th minor house rehab and are in the middle of uh finishing construction on three brand new homes in the old south end.

I stood before you a year ago for permission to get zoning done for that.

Um today we're asking for your assistance on this solar field project.

It is a federally funded project.

My emphasis is just to um really discuss the point that the money that's made from this, the income that HSICs will go into benefiting the neighborhood.

And so a great source of funding that we expect to see moving forward for our home rehab projects will come from this project.

I know it's mentioned in here, but I just think it's important for everybody to hear that today.

And then I also want to introduce Molly Thompson, who is on our engineering team, and she can speak more about the logistics of the project as well.

So thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Hi.

Name and address first.

Yes, Molly Thompson, 30120 Waterford Drive Perrysburg.

Thank you.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Um good afternoon, Chair and Commissioners.

My name is Molly Thompson with Elevated Energy Solutions, and I'm here with Joe on behalf of the Historic South Initiative regarding this special use permit for the solar project at 627 Lotus Avenue.

So the project proposes a 1.5 megawatt ground mounted solar installation, which is a part of a 15-acre parcel of city owned industrial land located between the Norfolk Southern Railway, that corridor, and the Maumee River.

So the solar array itself will occupy approximately 4.5 acres, so just under one third of that entire parcel.

The property already contains a city pump station and the solar field will occupy a previously cleared portion of that site.

The purpose of the project, as Joe shared, is to support neighborhood development organization, the historic South, focused on strengthening the old South E.

The installation will generate clean electricity that will be used to support community serving organizations and nonprofit facilities, therefore reducing long-term operating costs and allowing more resources to be reinvested directly into the neighborhood programs and improvements.

In short, the project converts underutilized industrial land into a long-term community asset that generates revenue for neighborhood reinvestment.

We understand there have been a few questions from nearby residents about where the solar array will actually be located.

And it is not going to be on along Lotus Street or directly adjacent to homes.

Rather, it'll be set south of the railroad corridor, and which is on a little bit of an incline.

So it's within the industrial riverfront area and therefore separated from the residential properties by the railroad line.

And it will also, because of the height of nine feet, it will be difficult to view it, so it won't obstruct the view.

The array itself is located within the interior of that larger parcel, as I shared, as you can see on the map.

And we will also work with staff to ensure that any public signs are clearly located.

They've already been posted.

But if there is a better location, we're happy to move those.

So the characteristics of the solar project, it's a low profile fixed tilt installation.

So on the low, it means it looks like this.

So on the low end, it's about three feet.

On the high end, it's only nine feet.

And so it's mounted on driven steel piles with minimal grading that's required.

There's no buildings being proposed, no emissions, and very minimal operational activity once the construction is complete.

We are building in the maintenance to this project, so it historic South Initiative would not have to raise additional funds that will be built into the project so that it will be maintained over time.

The site will include a secured perimeter fence, standard solar equipment such as inverters and transformers, and proper vegetation planted beneath and between the solar panels to support stormwater management.

So it's a quiet, low impact use.

And it aligns with the old South End Master Plan by creating a revenue source for neighborhood investment.

Importantly, the installation is also part of built into the project is the decommissioning of the project.

So at such time that is determined the project has reached the end of its life cycle, or the city chooses to uh rezone that land for future use that is built in and factored into the the cost of the project.

Um we have reviewed the staff report carefully and are comfortable with the recommended 25 conditions and the additional commissions or conditions excuse me for the MRO.

Um we will continue to work with city and staff and the relevant departments to address all required items prior to construction, and we really appreciate the collaboration of the city staff to ensure that all of these are satisfied.

Um this project represents a practical opportunity to activate underly underutilized industrial land, expand clean energy production in Toledo, and support the neighborhood revitalization in the old south end.

So we appreciate your thorough review and recommendation for approval and are open to any questions that you may have.

Thank you for your time and your consideration.

Thank you.

Um I have a few questions.

Okay.

I want to understand the structure of this better.

So who will actually own the solar array?

Will it be the historic south?

Okay.

And they're gonna lease the ground from the city.

Yes.

Okay, and and that is a long-term lease, I'm assuming.

Yes.

Okay.

And who's gonna actually maintain and operate the array?

We will.

The uh so the elevated energy.

Okay, yes.

Okay.

And so there's an agreement between Historic South and the elevated energy.

Yes, there is that governs that relationship.

Okay.

And the the lease agreement, I'm sorry, the license agreement with the city of Toledo is already in process and being worked on.

Okay.

And so who administers I think there's some confusion around where the electricity produced from the array will go.

So as the array produces power, where does that power go?

So currently we are in conversation with a potential host, which is Marshall Um School, as which is part of TPS.

So we they would be able to use that to offset their current energy usage.

Okay.

So it will be used locally.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

All right.

Uh I think those are my questions for now.

Commissioners, additional questions for the applicant.

Uh I will ask at this time if there's anyone in the audience who would like to speak in favor or opposed to the application.

There are some people here.

So ma'am, go ahead and sit down and we'll thank you.

Everyone will get a turn, so name and address.

My name is Kurt O'Vale, uh 530 St.

Anthony Road, Ottawa Lake, Michigan.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Sir, uh I don't know a terrible lot about this project other than what's been provided.

Um there is some drawings of this proposed array.

Um, and there it would it looks as if it conflicts with an existing easement and which provides me with access to the neighboring property uh titled Waterworks Place.

So the northern most uh 40 feet of this entire parcel has uh has an accent access easement, uh which is the only easement in which I can get to that property.

So it looks the these are 15 feet off the property line.

Lisa, do you have the pointer?

You have uh I'm just looking at the site line and one is at the west.

Yeah, waterworks place.

So if I'm looking up at the picture, that's to the west of the array.

Correct.

That's the site that's slightly off screen to the west.

Correct.

Okay.

And there's an easement going from our property line on the northernmost parcels all the way to Edwin Drive that we currently have.

And that's our only access to that property.

And that easement is uh was that easement entered into with the city or predecessor of the city?

A predecessor of the city.

Okay.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I did if it's not on the site plan, I I don't go in search of easements, so I would not be aware of it, but I can I know I've had conversations with our real estate department, you know, about the the access or the license agreement.

So it would be something that we would just need to check on and could be added as a condition that um provided or if the easement is in fact.

Let's let's let's take it, let's take a step back first.

If you moved if you did.

It's a private easement.

Yes.

So we're not gonna get involved in the private easement aspect, but if there's a private easement there that prevents construction over top of that easement, uh that would be problematic for this project.

So we would expect the applicant to get to the bottom of that because if that easement exists, they potentially would not be able to build over that easement, which would reduce the area available for the array.

I don't know that it would make it wouldn't reduce it completely.

So we can't give you private legal advice, but that's something that you should definitely um obtain the applicant's information and try to work out that issue.

Yeah, absolutely.

We'll do that.

Okay.

Um next.

Hello, my name is Penny Noyes.

I live at 634 Lotus Avenue, Toledo, Ohio.

Please raise your right hand.

Ma'am, do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

I've lived at this address for 52 years.

I've seen many changes in the land at the proposal of the solar panels.

And back quite a few years ago, I think it was Coleman owned the property.

They put um big concrete slabs, pile them up on this property.

They had rebar in them too.

They were from they tore up some highway and they piled them up all up there.

But then they um he was ordered to do something about it.

So they started bearing the slabs for hole.

And then he was also then told to stop, he needed to break the concrete up.

So under this property, there that was that concrete is still laying under all that property.

And I went down there after they had done all that, and there were actually holes where you could see down into the ground pretty far.

So to me, that that land's not very stable for them to put this on to begin with.

Um I know a lot of the other um residents there not for it either, but because of the time that we've had to plant plan coming here, we only got our letters like about a week ago.

I didn't know anything about this before then, and um most of them are working right now, so they couldn't come to a two o'clock meeting.

So now we have a lot of animals living in that area.

We have deer, raccoon, coyote, groundhogs, opossum.

We also have many migrating birds coming through that area.

I've seen also seen eagles and hawks in that and landing on the trees in that area, and um for the last about five or six years, we've had a pair of mocking birds come back every year to nest in this area, and so I'm wondering what's gonna happen to the wildlife, all this wildlife.

And so I'm rather I'm not against solar panels being put up in the whole project.

I'm not except for where they're putting it at.

Um, I also have some letters from some other residents.

I was wondering if I could read them.

Go ahead.

Okay.

This is um this hi, my name is Zoe Shoup.

I live at 620 Lotus Avenue.

I am 13 years old, and I'm against having solar panels.

I enjoy watching the foxes, deer, wild, wild turkeys, geese, vultures, and a lot more animals go down and hang out in the field.

That's what we call this area.

There is so many wildflowers that grow down there, and it's beautiful sight.

If you put solar panels down there, then what's mean then that means you have to cut down all the trees down there, and that means that we have less oxygen and it makes more global warming.

It will make me sad if I look out my window and see my see solar panels instead of the nature and animals.

You're taking away the animals' homes.

That's not right.

Where do you expect them to go?

And another letter is hi, my name is Autumn Shoop.

I live at 620 Lotus Avenue.

I am 14 years old.

I love seeing all the deer outside and all the wildlife in the field.

I would not like to look outside to see solar panels, all the wildflowers in the field, feed the butterflies and the bees.

Without the bees, most of our food would be gone.

Less trees mean less oxygen and more global warming.

And extreme weather.

There is so many animals in the field, it is not right to take away their home.

You could put solar panels on top of buildings or build carports.

I would be very sad if I walked to school and no longer see any of the animals that called the field their home.

I have one more, and this is their mother.

My name is Rachel Shoop.

I live at 620 Lotus Avenue.

I do not agree with having solar panels out in the field.

My family and I enjoyed looking down there and seeing all of the wildlife down there.

The wild life that we have down there, where do you expect them to go?

That is their home.

Why not put them in on top of buildings?

Walmart, Myers, Sam's Club, Costco, or buildings downtown are all our all good places to put them.

You could even build carports and put them on top of them.

I am not against having solar panels, but I am against taking away our wildlife's homes.

When there are better places that we could put them without taking away our nature, my family and I enjoy all the wildlife that is down there, and we will be very disappointed if you take it away from us.

And by and another thing I would like to say is, and she said that we weren't going to be able to see those.

We can see the field right out our doors.

So that's about all I have to say.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Is there anybody else?

Okay.

Ma'am, name and address, please.

My name is Sue Terrell, and I live at 1844 Lynbrook.

Please raise your right hand.

Thank you.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Well, first of all, uh no for the SUP for 627 Lotus should be voted down.

It was not vetted at all with this area of South Side Neighbors.

There was no meeting to inform citizens of the project or opportunity for neighbors to ask questions or to express their concerns.

Why?

What neighborhood organizations were contacted?

Also, there were no flyers, other than what I distributed Saturday when by chance or providence I found out on Friday that there was by looking at at the agenda for the planning commission for another uh subject that I found seven 627 Lotus listed on the plan on today's agenda.

And I only found a sign a few feet away from my homestead, my brother's house.

Stunned, I went on a hunt to find any other signs since there were no signs visible in the neighborhood along Lotus.

I eventually found the other side sign, which I guarantee no other neighbor saw, let alone anyone, that there was an obscure Edwin Street sign away from the neighborhood, as the plan had indicated.

The sign was also bent over, as was the one at the end of Bowman, and I understand the sign at Bowman isn't even up today, and it had been down flat previous to that.

When I found Edwin Street, there appeared appeared to be possible solar field acreage on each side of Edwin Street, if not elsewhere.

Were other sites in the South End considered?

How far away is Edwin Street in Mollage from the other sign?

Do I understand changing this to uh from and it's considered an industrial general site?

But this does not show the respect for the citizens.

I've seen a solar site, and they are long and multi-rows of metal.

I am not against solar, but my understanding in the past was this proposed idea for a south side solar site would be nowhere near this riverside neighborhood.

I belong to the Broadway Corridor Coalition, and I didn't even know it was going to be in this neighborhood.

And my understanding about the funding uh away back was that the uh solar was going to be sold to other parts of the city and Broadway Corridor, no, uh excuse me, Historic South would get a hundred thousand dollars for the contract.

I don't know if that has changed or not.

But I do not agree with the uh Forward Toledo designation, which just uh design design designates this to reserve just the key infrastructure because in this example in this report, Forward Toledo also supports our natural environments.

And I know how moved I was just a few months ago when I saw the Norfolk South I saw that Norfolk Southern was taking down the trees and vegetation that blocked our connection to the river, and I mean seriously blocked the connection to the river for the last 70 some years.

That was the reason my family moved there because we had access to the river.

We can see the four people came down our street to see the Fourth of July fireworks.

We could see the boats going up and down.

People went down the bank to fish.

I even thanked the uh Norfolk Southern workers because in um when we had the proposal for the 180 million dollars, I wrote a 10-page letter about that area, considering how important that area of the river was, you know, to the community and actually to the city, if they understood we see it as uh front side river property, but also there have been many lanes of the uh the railroad just parked the cars there.

One time I counted a hundred cars, it was like a wall.

Usually when I went down the street, it was like a wall because of the railroad track uh cars being parked there.

I also know how moved I was when I saw that they were moved, and so we illegally have been planting plants.

We're not even supposed to go across and fish anymore or go or walk our dog on the other side of the tracks.

So citizens who have lived here really appreciate being near nature, as was said, wildlife, we used ice skateboating, and in the sight of the mighty mommy, especially the long-term homeowners who weathered many years of uh extreme storms in the sense of having to survive living in that area.

I've been you know the Hamlock was growing there, even I I would go to the neighbors and tell them, you know, there's poisonous plants, and just to make clear, I have uh been involved with that South End, even though I'm not currently living there.

I take care of my brother who still lives there just a few weeks feet from the sign, but also I went to all those meetings, community meetings for that 180 million dollars, and like I said, I presented 10 page letter concerning that area, so I have been very involved with the area.

We know the value of the area, even our humble homes who are very connected to that area and the Grand Maumee River to be monitored and cared for.

We've been waiting for it to happen.

We consider ourselves the long-awaited stepchild next in line from the Wall Beach Park project, which has affected us downstream.

How has it affected our banks?

Our fish wildlife and vegetation are a part of our life and concerns here for our community.

Ma'am, I'm gonna give you one more minute.

Okay, but no one appears to be making an uh effort to understand the depth of how the citizens in that area are affected.

And with the short notice, I found out about this on a Friday, only to what can I do before this meeting on Thursday?

I belong to these meetings, and why was I not informed or or my neighbors of this very important project?

It's not that we don't uh are against necessarily solar, but why does it have to be that location?

I'm just very disappointed with my community, and I cannot see how the plan for the old South End would place this plan over creating a vibrant neighborhood in this neighborhood, which it was given no choices but to accept this plan.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else who'd like to speak on this case?

Please step forward.

Name and address, please.

Abigail Dennis, 921 Thurston Avenue, Bowling Green, Ohio.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Go ahead.

Um I would like to say that I would be in favor for the solar array as I understand what it would bring to the community.

I do understand that there are disagreances for the area that it might be in, but I think understanding what it could bring to the community as the funding, or I'm sorry, the electricity would be funneled towards Marshall Stone Academy, which I think would be an amazing opportunity for them as they do look at their meters.

Um I believe it's weekly to understand what the solar energy is doing for their school and their community and the revenue that's created through the electricity would be able to help continue to create a vibrant community.

And there are a lot of vacant houses in the area, and it could be put towards revitalizing those, or if they are a structure that is unsafe for the community, it could be used to be put towards those structures, or um really just pouring money back into the community would be the biggest thing that the solar array is going to do, and as historic South is a nonprofit, they wouldn't continue to contain that money, it would be continuously be put into the community.

I think that that's really important.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'll have you come back up.

Is there anybody else?

Hi, Delpharina Mora, 516 Colburn.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

I'm here because I got a few few phone calls.

I am very involved in the community.

I actually um work hand in hand with historic South, and some of the community people they've called me, they said they are against this.

I am not involved in this, and I'm really don't know what's going on exactly because I have no information, but other than people calling me saying, Can you go represent us saying we don't want this?

Historic South has not had any meetings involving the community.

Um I think that one, that little girl.

She works for HSI.

She's a job core intern or something like that.

So of course she's gonna do a positive thing on it.

But I know that I have gotten calls and they've said they don't want this in their area.

Like I said, I'm new to this to this information, so I don't have you know everything, but I just represent my community and saying they're they don't want it.

And I'll two, they also want to be actually be more educated about this.

Like I said, they they brought it, you know, they I did go down that once, I think Bowman or something.

I actually went down the wrong street, and I seen that sign and it was tilted and everything, and I was trying to read and I couldn't, you know, and then you know, life happens and I got busy, but like I said, people have been calling me today saying, Are you going to that meeting?

Are you going to meet?

I'm like, what meeting?

You know, and I said, Oh, I forgot about it.

So I'm here to represent my community, which is like a few blocks away from where that site is going to be at.

So that's all I wanted to say.

And you're against the project, or you just don't know enough?

I don't I don't know because they don't have any meetings.

There's you know, there are no information out there.

Okay.

You know, and I'm pretty, and then actually, I like I've been with the Historic South, I'm the one that does applications for Historic South, a lot of them, and I've done 300 of them.

So I work very close with them.

And they didn't even inform me about it, which I can kind of like a little sting to me that they wouldn't inform me knowing that I'm so involved in the community that they could say, hey, go out there and educate them, go out there and do this, go out there and do that.

You know, I I'm their biggest cheerleader for Historic South, and I'm disappointed that they didn't contact me for this.

Okay.

Thank you.

If there's somebody else, come on.

It's just quickly.

Yeah.

I just wanted to uh just wait till you get up to the microphone so we have it on red.

As soon as I found out about this, I distributed flyers to the community, and anyone that I spoke to in the community that no one knew anything about it and and were against it because of if you went over there and you understood what we see looking out at the river, uh, it's beautiful and it's amazing.

I hate to we kind of keep a hidden secret.

But anyway, so I did go out and I spoke to a lot of people as as she's saying who were against it, but most people hadn't heard anything about it.

Okay, thank you.

Sir, do you mind coming back up?

So I want to give you an opportunity to address some of those concerns.

If you could start with meetings you have held or notice that has been provided to the neighboring communities.

Yep.

Um so one, I can tell you that we have probably four times a year that are Broadway Corridor coalition meetings.

Uh on top of that, I serve as the chair of the education committee of the BCC.

Um, I also meet regularly with all the school principals and have met often as the uh chair of the academic committee at Marshall STEM as well.

Those have been discussed.

The solar project, something that we discuss all the time.

Um I did go back and look on our website in 2022.

We posted an article, I think that was from the Blade, and I know at least then it was that had already announced sort of the the cost, this the location and everything.

Unfortunately, I don't know when that decision was exactly made.

I started in 2024.

Um, but I do know that it was discussed recently at a Broadway Corridor coalition meeting.

Um we regularly hold community meetings.

I attend the um CDBO sponsored by the Fair Housing Center.

I know Miss King Delphina's been there before.

Um yeah, so to be clear, that's when we've discussed it.

Um also I know there was a question about what will happen with the electricity.

Um HSI will own it.

We see ourselves as trying to sell it as to a nonprofit or something else as close as possible, like literally physically.

So Marshall STEM would be a great story because they're already excited about possibly talking about how we can monitor that, and just to be very clear, any place that's gonna buy the electricity would be sort of a 90 cents on the dollar type thing, so they're gonna get it for cheaper, and then all the money we get, which we estimate will be around a hundred thousand dollars a year, we're then gonna do minor house rehabs and interior work that we haven't been able to do before with restricted funds.

So obviously this issue we're talking about has nothing to do with the work you're doing in the the community.

This is an interesting project because it's a community-led initiative, but it is opposed by members of the same community.

So have you had a specific neighborhood meeting with the residents that live nearest to this site to to talk through the project and and all the details of it.

I mean, traditionally when we have a uh a project like this that impacts a neighborhood, we require a neighborhood meeting, and the planning commission usually provides a mailing list for those individuals.

Has a meeting like that occurred in the office?

No, not under the guidance of the commission.

We'd be glad to if that's the recommendation.

Okay.

So uh two more questions and we'll we'll come back to that.

Um were other locations considered for this project?

I I don't know.

Um again, I inherited a description that came pretty well hit written already as a grant agreement from HUD.

So it seemed as if the site was already determined then.

I don't know what was considered before the final grant application, which I inherited before I started.

Okay.

Um and this is for Lisa.

So Lisa, this this site is currently zoned, general industrial.

So any project that doesn't require special use permit could go in and put up an industrial warehouse right now on that site.

Technically, yes.

Um it I will note that it is a landlock parcel, so they would have to deal with issues in meeting our requirements for access.

But I mean there's no there's no guarantee the site stays green space, and and the city does have an initiative right now to repurpose and redevelop industrial sites.

That's correct.

So just to the neighborhood, they should be aware that this if it's not a solar field, it could be a warehouse at some point in the future.

Um, sir, I'm gonna I I think I I'm gonna guess what the will of the commission is, but I'm gonna first open up to questions from my fellow commissioners.

Do you have any additional questions for the applicant?

You guys can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we're gonna ask for a neighborhood meeting.

Yes.

Okay.

Um so we would ask that you be willing to defer this case.

Uh do you think 30 days is enough to hold those meetings and and get information out to the community?

You want to do a meeting next week?

Sure, okay.

Yeah, yes, okay.

We'll do it as soon as possible.

Yeah.

Okay.

So we would we would uh we'll vote in a moment to defer this, but I would ask that you reach out to the planning commission to get a mailing list.

And I would even say, since this site is across the street from railroad tracks, it's a little further from the residential, you know, our normal circumference might not be enough.

Maybe push push that mailing list out a little bit to capture the majority of that neighborhood.

We can do that.

Mr.

Chair, if I might add, uh in terms of scheduling a community meeting, I'm I would recommend to a two-week notice.

Okay, yep.

Would be best practice just to give individuals time to plan ahead.

Anyone else have any thoughts or comments?

Could I ask what question, if possible?

Absolutely.

Um given that we at least think that this will benefit Marshall STEM, is it possible to add to the distribution list the Marshall STEM's families so that they can be involved in the decision and be aware as well?

You you can invite anybody back to the meeting.

So I'll just get directory information from them.

Okay.

Um so I'll make the motion to defer this uh to the April agenda uh so that a neighborhood meeting can be uh held.

Is there a second?

Seconded.

Okay.

We have a first and a second to defer to the April agenda.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Uh any opposed?

Okay, that carries unanimously, so we'll see you back here next month.

This is this is a neighborhood project.

So I really encourage the neighborhood to come together and and find a solution here that works for everybody.

And let's see if there's something that can benefit the neighborhood in the long run.

Yep, appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um Lisa, I believe you have a uh director's report you want to do here at the end of the meeting.

Right.

So just uh real quick, the zoning code rewrite.

Um RFPs are being scored now.

And uh should pick a consultant soon and get started.

So it it's Lisa, when did you say you're gonna you're gonna meet again to discuss the next steps at that?

I think March 26th.

March 26th.

Okay.

And that's it.

Is there any other business commissioners?

Anything else?

Okay, then we are adjourned.

Thank you, everybody.