ThisWeek CW 01/29/2015
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/01/26/private-facility-for-athletics-seeks-zoning.html
Canal Winchester City Council is considering a rezoning that the applicant said could “expand the sport options” in the area and give a permanent home to Eastside Athletics Inc.
The proposal already has the approval of the city’s planning commission, but the city’s staff has recommended that council deny the rezoning. Council members also raised concerns at a Jan. 20 public hearing about the plan.
Eastside Athletics Director Glenn Ferrone, a Canal Winchester resident, wants to rezone 8020 Groveport Road from residential to general commercial, so a multisport athletic training facility can be built there. Currently the 3.1-acre property adjacent to the Waste Management complex is being used as agricultural land.
Ferrone said Eastside Athletics, a nonprofit organization, is running 17 volleyball teams involving 160 high school girls from throughout central Ohio but he’s hoping to expand into basketball and other sports over time. Right now, the teams use space rented from the schools and from area churches.
Ferrone said the land on Groveport Road was donated to his organization by current property owner Richard Stebelton.
The Canal Winchester Planning and Zoning Commission approved the rezoning request and sent it on to council.
However, the city staff recommended that council deny the request due to environmental concerns because the proposal calls for building the facility in a 100-year flood plain. The staff also cited concerns that the facility wouldn’t be built, thus allowing the land to be sold as commercial property with less scrutiny from council.
Ferrone said Eastside Athletics has already purchased a 19,000-square-foot steel structure that will be erected on whatever site the organization acquires.
“The property has been gifted to us. That process is done. The question is, can we build on the property?” Ferrone said. “We’ve already put up about $280,000 for the steel building … That’s the situation we’re at. So please don’t let your fears sway you.”
He said the elevation of the Groveport Road property “is currently about 750 feet, so if it floods there, this entire building (Town Hall) will be under water.
“This is not just going to be a volleyball facility; it will house four volleyball courts, four small basketball courts or two high school-size basketball courts, depending on setup,” he said. “We’ve already got people who would like to run karate and other fitness groups there. We expect this to expand the sport options in the area.”
Council members asked if Ferrone had considered asking for a planned development rezoning, which would require all site surveys, plans and final designs to be completed prior to rezoning approval. This process requires the potential developer to pay for all of the work without assurance that the rezoning would be granted.
“We did ask about the planned development. The process would cost us up front what it cost for the whole structure, and we still would be up in the air if we’re permitted to do it,” Ferrone said. “If money were not a question, we would do that, but money is a question. We are a nonprofit and our funds come from donations.”
Council will hear a second reading of the rezoning legislation at its Feb. 2 meeting with an anticipated vote at the Feb. 17 meeting.