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Record of Proceedings

Vandalia City Council Special Meeting: Hotel/Motel Conditional Use PC 24-01 (June 3, 2024)

City Council — Monday, June 3, 2024

BodyVandalia, Ohio

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, June 3, 2024

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 39:42

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:05

I'd like to call the Monday, June 3rd, 2024 special council meeting to order.

0:12

We're here tonight to consider the action regarding the Planning Commission's 24-01, the Hotel Motel in the OIP district three at 3675 Wise Road.

0:25

Mr.

0:25

Cron.

0:28

Yes, um, we're here to reconsider the action for the hotel.

0:34

Um, so I'll read through the action item again.

0:37

Um Greg Monning of Woolport Inc.

0:39

has on behalf of Choice Hotels International has submitted an application requesting conditional use approval for the property located at 3675 Weiss Road.

0:50

The applicant seeks to construct a hotel on the property.

0:53

Hotels are a conditional use in the office industrial park district.

0:58

Proposed hotel would be a four-story structure comprised of 114 guest rooms accessed from the interior of the structure.

1:06

A small outdoor amenity area is located on the west side of the building.

1:11

The application is filed on behalf of Choice Hotels International.

1:15

Their intent is to operate this hotel under the Ever Ever Home Suites brand.

1:20

At its March 26th, 2024 meeting, the planning commission recommended approval for the proposed conditional use permit by a vote of five to zero.

1:29

The recommendation included the following four conditions.

1:33

No hotel use shall commence on the subject property unless and until the operator of that use completes all required registrations and complies with the prerequisites thereof found in Chapter 878 of the Vandalia Codified Ordinance, including but not limited to regular attendance at the required quarterly meetings established under that ordinance.

1:56

Condition number two, all parcels upon which the proposed conditional use shall be conducted must be consolidated before any building permit is issued for the site.

2:16

And number four, all required landscaping shall be installed to the standards of Chapter 1232 landscaping and screening standards.

2:24

At the April 15th City Council meeting, city council voted four to two to deny the conditional use of the hotel.

2:32

And then at the May 6th City Council meeting, city council voted 4-2 to reconsider the conditional use permit application at a later date.

2:54

So this would be the site for the hotel in question.

2:59

That's Home Stretch Road, and they do show the improvements made along Home Stretch Road, which include adding curb and gutter and sidewalk and widening the road to meet our thoroughfare plan.

3:15

So here's the presentation that was given back at the April 15th meeting.

3:22

Through that necessarily, but did they want to speak?

3:27

Or did you want to go through that?

3:29

Um we can go through really quick.

3:30

Just this just as an overview of the proposed project.

3:33

Um that's the site plan now.

3:35

It's a vacant lot.

3:36

Um the hotel is going to have 114 interior access rooms on four floors with an exterior patio.

3:44

Um there's the site again.

3:46

Um as 120 parking places on the site.

3:49

Um we have had the fire department um review the site plans to make sure all of their vehicles can be accommodated for the turning radiuses and the access points.

4:00

Um that's the landscaping plan, and then there's a rendering of what the hotel would be similar to look like.

4:09

Um there's a couple of those, and then a couple photos of their actual sites where they have built this hotel.

4:19

So that is just uh a recap of of where we are and what what is proposed onto the site.

4:25

Okay.

4:25

So the applicant wanna please state your name and address for the record.

4:36

Alex Feldman with Choice Hotels uh address uh one choice hotel circle.

4:42

Um we just moved our offices now blank on our new our new office location.

4:49

Uh North Bethesda, Maryland, um zero zero zero two.

4:54

Uh we appreciate the reconsideration.

4:56

Um happy to answer any questions that you all have.

5:00

I understand.

5:01

Uh the primary concern has been safety, crime, problems with the existing hotels, uh, the nights in and the one that had closed down, burned down.

5:12

Um we feel that this product is going to be a much better, much more high quality hotel than those other ones that you had here.

5:22

If we were going to build a hotel and really thought that we would have over 300 annual police calls, disturbance calls, we wouldn't, I wouldn't be here trying to get this pushed through.

5:32

Um we feel we're gonna operate a safe hotel.

5:35

Uh we're complying with all the stipulations that the planning board had recommended.

5:40

Um I don't think that the problems with the hotels that you've had are a Vendalia problem.

5:46

I think this is a wonderful community.

5:47

I don't think that plopping a hotel here just immediately attracts RIFRAV.

5:54

Um, I think it's a problem with those being budget hotels uh that attract certain kinds of guests.

6:00

We won't be doing that.

6:01

We'll be setting a standard that'll be similar to the hotels you have across the interstate, which I've all seen and those hotels, I've looked at their data, they do very well, they look nice, they get great reviews.

6:11

Uh and we plan on aligning ourselves with that.

6:14

That said, I'm happy to answer any questions that y'all might have.

6:18

On these hotels, how typical how long do you typically own them before so it depends?

6:24

So it could be two years, three years, five years, ten years.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████66%

Public Safety██████████15%

Procedural██████████14%

Pending Litigation██3%

Transportation Safety█2%

Summary of Proceedings

Vandalia City Council Special Meeting: Hotel/Motel Conditional Use PC 24-01 (June 3, 2024)

The Vandalia City Council held a special meeting on Monday, June 3, 2024, at 5:15 PM in the Council Chambers of the Vandalia Municipal Building to consider PC 24-01, a conditional use permit application by Choice Hotels International for a hotel/motel in the O/IP District at 3675 Wyse Road (rendered "Wise Road" in the transcript). The Planning Commission had recommended approval on March 26, 2024, by a 5-0 vote, but council denied the permit 4-2 at an earlier meeting and then voted 4-2 on May 6, 2024 to reconsider. The agenda noted the meeting was open to the public for viewing via Zoom.

Public Comments & Testimony

A resident objected to the reconsideration on procedural grounds, arguing the May 6, 2024 motion to reconsider was invalid because it was not on that meeting's agenda and was not properly noticed. He cited Robert's Rules and the Ohio Open Meetings Act, stating that motions nullifying a prior action require previous notice, and argued the May 6 meeting was the only legally available opportunity to move for reconsideration. He urged council to abandon the reconsideration, abide by the original denial, and noted the June 3 agenda was posted only after 11:04 AM on Friday, May 31, 2024.
Another speaker reported speaking with adjacent property owners, saying the largest adjoining property owner and a neighboring church had no objection to the proposed hotel, and noted that a truck maintenance facility was a likely alternative use for the property if the hotel was not approved.

Discussion Items

The applicant's representative (Choice Hotels International) described the project as a modern, high-quality extended-stay hotel, distinct from the three existing 40-plus-year-old motels near the site, and stated the company would not be pursuing the project if it expected over 300 annual police calls. He said the project complies with all Planning Commission stipulations, includes roadway improvements on Wyse and Home Stretch Roads at the applicant's expense, and would be protected by a 30-year franchise agreement running with the property that requires brand, quality, and safety standards and includes liquidated damages for defaults such as criminal activity, nuisances, or brand changes. He also noted the company has over 20 brands and that problems can occur at any franchise.
Council members supporting approval argued the use meets the conditional use criteria in the city's codified ordinances, emphasized that the request is not a zoning change, noted that two prior conditional uses had been approved for the same parcels, and cited adequate site access with required upgrades funded by the applicant. They also noted the property is surrounded by industrial and office future land use and that the hotel would be subject to the city's Chapter 878 hotel/motel registration rules, which they described as successful over the past two years.
A council member opposing the use said nearby property owners likely did not expect a hotel next door, stating: "To me, the criteria does not fit that location."
Another member said he learned during the meeting that the 30-year franchise agreement runs with the property, which addressed his greatest concern about what would happen to the hotel after 20 years.
A member who initially felt the hotel was a good fit said his primary concern was long-term risk, expressing worry that over time the use could become detrimental to public health and the morals of the neighborhood. He said he appreciated the franchise agreement and noted Vandalia's strict nuisance laws, adding that it would be up to council to ensure the building is maintained.
Councilman Folllock made a motion to approve the Planning Commission recommendation for the hotel/motel conditional use at 3675 Wyse Road as presented, seconded by Councilman Lewis.

Key Outcomes

A motion to approve PC 24-01 was made and seconded, but the transcript ends during the ensuing discussion and no final vote is recorded. No meeting minutes are available, so the outcome could not be confirmed from the provided record.
Discrepancy noted: the applicant's representative stated the original denial vote occurred at the council's April 15, 2024 meeting, while a speaker cited the original vote as April 22, 2024; both dates appear in the record.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call the Monday, June 3rd, 2024 special council meeting to order. We're here tonight to consider the action regarding the Planning Commission's 24-01, the Hotel Motel in the OIP district three at 3675 Wise Road. Mr. Cron. Yes, um, we're here to reconsider the action for the hotel. Um, so I'll read through the action item again. Um Greg Monning of Woolport Inc. has on behalf of Choice Hotels International has submitted an application requesting conditional use approval for the property located at 3675 Weiss Road. The applicant seeks to construct a hotel on the property. Hotels are a conditional use in the office industrial park district. Proposed hotel would be a four-story structure comprised of 114 guest rooms accessed from the interior of the structure. A small outdoor amenity area is located on the west side of the building. The application is filed on behalf of Choice Hotels International. Their intent is to operate this hotel under the Ever Ever Home Suites brand. At its March 26th, 2024 meeting, the planning commission recommended approval for the proposed conditional use permit by a vote of five to zero. The recommendation included the following four conditions. No hotel use shall commence on the subject property unless and until the operator of that use completes all required registrations and complies with the prerequisites thereof found in Chapter 878 of the Vandalia Codified Ordinance, including but not limited to regular attendance at the required quarterly meetings established under that ordinance. Condition number two, all parcels upon which the proposed conditional use shall be conducted must be consolidated before any building permit is issued for the site. And number four, all required landscaping shall be installed to the standards of Chapter 1232 landscaping and screening standards. At the April 15th City Council meeting, city council voted four to two to deny the conditional use of the hotel. And then at the May 6th City Council meeting, city council voted 4-2 to reconsider the conditional use permit application at a later date. So this would be the site for the hotel in question. That's Home Stretch Road, and they do show the improvements made along Home Stretch Road, which include adding curb and gutter and sidewalk and widening the road to meet our thoroughfare plan. So here's the presentation that was given back at the April 15th meeting. Through that necessarily, but did they want to speak? Or did you want to go through that? Um we can go through really quick. Just this just as an overview of the proposed project. Um that's the site plan now. It's a vacant lot. Um the hotel is going to have 114 interior access rooms on four floors with an exterior patio. Um there's the site again. Um as 120 parking places on the site. Um we have had the fire department um review the site plans to make sure all of their vehicles can be accommodated for the turning radiuses and the access points. Um that's the landscaping plan, and then there's a rendering of what the hotel would be similar to look like. Um there's a couple of those, and then a couple photos of their actual sites where they have built this hotel. So that is just uh a recap of of where we are and what what is proposed onto the site. Okay. So the applicant wanna please state your name and address for the record. Alex Feldman with Choice Hotels uh address uh one choice hotel circle. Um we just moved our offices now blank on our new our new office location. Uh North Bethesda, Maryland, um zero zero zero two. Uh we appreciate the reconsideration. Um happy to answer any questions that you all have. I understand. Uh the primary concern has been safety, crime, problems with the existing hotels, uh, the nights in and the one that had closed down, burned down. Um we feel that this product is going to be a much better, much more high quality hotel than those other ones that you had here. If we were going to build a hotel and really thought that we would have over 300 annual police calls, disturbance calls, we wouldn't, I wouldn't be here trying to get this pushed through. Um we feel we're gonna operate a safe hotel. Uh we're complying with all the stipulations that the planning board had recommended.

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