LOVELAND, OHIO -The Loveland Planning and Zoning Commission, after moving its meetings from city hall council chambers to the Middle School cafeteria to accommodate overflow crowds, approved the Summit Pointe Special Planning District and re-zoning Friday, June 22 by a 3-2 vote. Commissioner members Ed Bruggaman, Al Kressler, and Joe Schickel voted yes. Peggy Goodwin and Jim Gott voted against the plan. The approval process now moves forward for approval, rejection, or changes by City Council. Council is expected to take up the plan at its meeting on July 10 and hear the first reading of an ordinance approving the re-zoning.
This was the second meeting held at the Middle School. The Commission discussed the plan on June 18 when the developers, Hills Communities, presented a revised plan, that Commission member Al Kressler described as having “substantial changes" from the plan sent to them from City Council and was the subject of the public hearing held on May 21. The new proposal, is to build 70 “units” on 16.15 acres of land on the northeast corner of St. Rt. 48 and Butterworth Road in Warren County. The units will all have first floor master bedrooms two stories high (unless later revised). The change, the developer says, is meant to address concerns of nearby residents.
“The buyers would have the option of having a ranch-style home or an optional second story” according to a report prepared by the city administration. All of the units will be in attached buildings consisting of between three and six homes per building, with each unit on the ground floor. None of the fifteen buildings will be constructed within the adjacent city park as previously proposed. However, the entrance for the development, will still run through the city park. The units will sell for an average price of $245,000, with fourteen units selling for $303,000 and eighteen units selling for $190,000. Hills says the homes will be, “Marketed toward affluent empty-nestors.”
The application the developers submitted to the City says, “The developer shall provide for the construction and implementation of future recreational amenities and improvements, associated vehicular and pedestrian access and parking for the future park, at an expense not to exceed $250,000 (sic).”
The previous plan was for 92 units, consisting of twenty-three buildings containing two ground floor units and two units on a second floor, with twelve of the units, the entrance, and a turn around drive within the city park.
Nearby residents have turned out in mass for the hearings on what they call “condos” and hired Wood and Lamping attorney, Jeffery Forbes to represent their interests. The City has retained lawyer, ThomasT, Keating, as special counsel to represent their side. Keeting was hired because the City's law firm, Strauss and Troy who would normally protect the City's interests in zoning matters, is also currently counsel to Hills Communities.
Approximately one-hundred people attended the meetings at the Middle School, many taking a turn at the open forum microphone to present facts supporting their opposition., After more than six months of public discussion about the proposed condos, no one has publicly supported the re-zoning except the developers, City Administrators, and now, three Planning Commissioners..
The developer maintains the density of the project is only 2.6 units per-acre, a point residents counter by rejecting the concept that the city park, and acreage that is un-developable should not be part of the calculations.
Gott and Goodwin sided with the neighborhood residents citing among their concerns, the manner in which the density was calculated.
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