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<br />rate of increase, which is 38.9, but also by five of the eight other neighboring communities surveyed.
<br />Only the cities of Berea, Brook Park, and North Ridgeville had lower percentage increases than North
<br />Olmsted. He maintained that lower building height and buffers would not compete with an attractive
<br />office building. He asked if the residents who lived on Brookpark had not been given enough by having
<br />Wal-Mart, should they be given something else that will reduce their properiy values. Retail store hours
<br />are from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; office hours are from 8:00 p.m. to , 5:00 p.m. He believed that the
<br />residents were experts, too, in noise pollution, crime, traffic problems, and taxes. He noted that many
<br />retail stores hire young people, part time, and stated that income tax is not paid by people 18 years and
<br />under; minimum office salaries are, at the least, probably $25,000.00 per year, retail employees do not
<br />make near that much. He maintained that the residents will be here when the retail establish have moved
<br />out or gone baukrupt and they were better qualified to know what this property is good for. Mr. Gorris,
<br />a member of planning commission for 18 years, stated that Mr. Skoulis had given a good history of the
<br />property, however regarding the master plan, it was initiated by the Charter Review Commission with
<br />approval of Council, not Mayor Boyle, and it makes the plauuing commission responsible for
<br />implementing, and maintaining current, a master plan as to where the city wants to go. They did study
<br />this parcel along with others, the developers did refer to the master plan, but he believed that the
<br />statement the developer's made "that North Olmsted is expected to its role as regional shopping
<br />destination growing even larger than what it is today..." was taken out of context, what was really said
<br />was `Mth the expected increase in new office development occurring within the commwuty, and
<br />residential development in the communities of North Ridgeville and Olmsted Township, it would then
<br />get more commercial development. If they pull office development out, this could impede the
<br />commercial development. Du1Yng the study of the master plan, it was commented that there was more
<br />significant retail development in North Olmsted than in the Cleveland central business district, so
<br />possibly it should be studied if more is needed. He did not think so. When they clid some of the studies
<br />of retail versus office, the office development requires a lot less city services to maintain, so the net
<br />taxes are more lucrative to the city from on office development. He also questioned the developers
<br />statement that office and retail do not cominingle, then why does Forest City have their money in
<br />Tower City. He also noted that the Galleria is among offices in downtown Cleveland. He advised the
<br />members that this is the strongest power that they have, because they will have to set a use for tlus land,
<br />and even if this is a good development, it could some day turn into a bar or who laiows what. It is not
<br />the commission's responsibility to give them their best economic return, they are only responsible that
<br />the owners have a chance to develop their property. Mr. Poffenberger, a resident, whose home abuts
<br />this property, stated that they bought their home because they were told by the Realtor, the sellers, and
<br />the city that this property was zoned only for office, and they studied the agreements for the office
<br />building. Two months after he bought it he found out that Home Depot was interested in the property.
<br />He believed that it is criminal to have a zoning rule saying one thing, only to have it changed later. The
<br />residents do not want to be a leader in retail, he knows the negative impact that this will cause. He
<br />would never have bought lus property had it know it might be zoned retail. Mr. Barnett, a resident, also
<br />said that he bought lus home because he was told that the property behind him was zoned for off'ices,
<br />and he expected it to remain that way. He did not consider office buildings to be a problem because of
<br />their hours, but he does not want retail behind him, and noted that no one had said much about the noise
<br />that would be associated by retail. They can hear the noise from Brookpark now, and cau hear the
<br />dumpsters being unloaded on Brookpark Road and any retail would affect his property values. He
<br />believed that what he had been told and what he read and that is what he expects to see. Mrs. Diver,
<br />secretary of the Park West Home Owners Association, advised that she had sent a letter, and her main
<br />concern is traffic, and landscaping and the maintenance of retail versus what office would be. She
<br />believed that there would be more money to the city from office than there would be from retail. In
<br />good faith, she worked with Biskind Development to develop this district to protect their home values
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