Council approves six-month moratorium for town center

by Dan Holland

June 20 city council meeting

Members of Broadview Heights City Council passed a resolution at their June 20 meeting to institute a six-month-long moratorium on development in the city’s Special Planning Districts A and B, also known as City Center.

District B extends out beyond the immediate commercial/retail district located at Broadview and Royalton roads to include areas to the south extending just beyond the city campus; to the east out to Avery Road, and to the west out to Scottsdale Drive, explained Council President Robert Boldt.

“We have to really concentrate on the parcels left to ensure that this zoning dictates exactly what we want for the residents,” said Boldt. “We need to relook at the zoning to ensure that we put in the proper kind of development that the people of Broadview Heights want – that’s the main concern for the mayor and myself right now.”

City Council at its June 6 meeting approved a purchase by the city of a vacant 3.1-acre lot at 9318 Broadview Road where Piedmont Companies had proposed building a 12,600 square-foot Goodwill Industries store. An adjacent 3-acre parcel owned by the city, which has frontage along West Royalton Road, adjoins the Broadview Road lot at the rear. A specific usage for the two lots has not yet been determined.

“The people demand a better-defined plan downtown; they want it that way,” Boldt continued. “I think we learned from the Goodwill proposal that we need to go back at this and define [the district] so that the residents get what they want out of the downtown area.”

Miscellaneous business

After council reconvened following an executive session to discuss litigation matters, councilmembers voted 6-1 in favor of approving a recommendation from the city’s planning commission to accept the Boulder Wood Drive subdivision. Plans call for a single-family home to be built on a 2.9-acre lot with access via a cul-de-sac that will be added onto the south end of Boulder Wood.

Ward 2 councilperson Brian Wolf voted against the motion, as a number of residents on neighboring streets had expressed concerns over stormwater runoff, privacy, property values, tree removal and other issues regarding development plans for the parcel.

In an email, Wolf said he voted against the measure in support of a number of Ward 2 residents who voiced concerns with the project.

In other business, council:

  • Passed a resolution of appreciation to Audrey Kickham for her many years of service as an administrative assistant in the city’s service department.
  • Passed a resolution entering into an agreement with Cargill, Inc. to provide road salt at a cost of $52.21 per ton untreated. The city is part of a consortium with ten other cities that bid a one-year contract with a one-year renewal option, according to Service Director David Schroedel.
  • Passed a resolution to enter into an agreement with American Roadway Logistics for street striping at a total cost of $60,800.
  • Passed a resolution for an agreement with Shannon Kincaid for Safety Town instruction in 2022.
  • Passed a resolution to enter into an agreement with GO Assigning LLC for umpire services associated with youth baseball and softball for 2022.
  • Passed a resolution directing payment of certain bills for professional and other services for the city in the amount of $38,710.
  • Passed a resolution amending an agreement with Senior Transportation Connection for transportation services.
  • Passed a resolution providing for the alternative tax budget for calendar year 2022.
  • Passed a resolution to accept a 2022 NOPEC Energized Community Grant for $56,474. The funds will likely be used for smaller efficiency upgrades in city buildings – mainly HVAC units – according to Schroedel.
  • Passed a resolution to enter into a one-year contract extension with Rumpke for waste removal and disposal in the city beginning Aug. 1.
  • Passed an ordinance to amend membership rates for the city’s recreation center to take effect Sept. 6.
  • Passed an ordinance to amend appropriations for current expenses and other expenditures in the city for the year ending Dec. 31, 2022. ∞