minhous 09-23-19 - Laserfiche WebLink

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through the use of these funds for this project. The remaining cost of the remediation work was included in WXZ's general loan and no assistance was sought from the site's previous owner. Councilman O'Malley noted that an article on Cleveland.com from 9/19/19 stated that City Council had approved the $100,000 rebate and asked if a press release was done by the city. Director Sylvester indicated that the author(John Benson)picked the item up from the docket and that he and the mayor let him know that the story misquoted the mayor, as the Council only approved the rezoning. Mr. Harnocz noted his previous work experience in brownfield remediation, informing the committee that converting a gas station to a residential property is a heavy lift. He has been impressed with WXZ's work. Councilwoman George asked how the $75,000 revenue figure per year was generated. Director Sylvester stated that the figure is for all 4 units. One should take the projected value of$2.4 million and multiply it by 3.4%, which leads to about $18,000 per unit with a $60,000 purchase price, which is a conservative figure. The income tax figure is based on $100,000 income per household, which is also a very conservative figure. The payback period for the city's portion of revenue would be about 6 years based on those conservative figures. The project has moved completely through ABR's process and has been approved by that board. Chairman Anderson made a motion recommend approval of Resolution 9093-19, which was seconded by Councilman Rader. All members voted in favor. Motion passed. Communication from Councilmember George regarding demolition and re-build of homes. (Referred to Housing Committee 9/3/19) Councilwoman George indicated the impetus behind her communication were the demolition of two homes at the end of Nicholson Ave. on the lake. She stated that Lakewood is known for its historic character and wants to make it harder to demolish a historic home. Director Sylvester previously informed George via email that there are 3 paths for demolition: 1) a property was deemed a nuisance by the public safety director, which is the mayor in Lakewood 2) an approved plan by the Architectural Board of Review 3) if a property owner makes an application for demolition and 180 days pass without approval of the plans after good faith efforts were made to save the structure. Councilwoman George expressed a desire to strip the third path from the code in order to prevent good standing homes from being demolished. Members of the committee expressed a desire to know the historical context of the third path and how many times it has happened over the years. Director Sylvester indicated that in his 9 years working in Lakewood, the 180-day option has never been invoked. Assistant Director Swallow if the 180-day period is a made-up number or if case law supports it. She expressed a need for more research on the matter and cautioned about taking property rights away from owners. Lastly, she highlighted citizens' ability to nominate any property for historic preservation, which involves a 2-part process with the Planning Commission. That could path of preservation could be applied to a single property or a district. Mr. Harnocz noted that a historic property designation also provides additional guidance to the Architectural Board of Review and a higher level of scrutiny. Councilman O'Malley provided context on both properties taken down on Nicholson Ave. over the past couple years. The first property was significantly dilapidated, and owners made efforts to match the property with the character of the neighborhood. The second home was demolished