05/06/2008 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ ~ Council Minutes of 5/6/2008 Lorain Road. Concerns raised included the potential for noise, traffic, and cleanliness of such a business. It is important to note that the city's Zoning Code has one basic commercial district that accommodates all sizes and scales of commercial development. Other uses permitted by right or by conditional use permit share some of these potential characteristics, such as car washes, auto repair centers, fast food restaurants, gas stations, and more. It is also worthwhile to note that the Ohio Senate has passed Bill 171 which would place additional regulations and requirements on second hand dealers, including scrap metal dealers. This bill was introduced this March and assigned to committee in the House of Representatives. There was a brief discussion between Messrs Gareau, Dubellw and Ivancic pertaining to HB 171, which was pro and con and appreciated by the committee for the insight. There was also discussion from Law Director Dubelko that, in looking at the present sections, some wording may need to be changed to catch up with the times, which was also brought up by Council Members Gareau and Dailey Jones. Although there may be objections to the type of business that these changes will help bring into our community, we also have to think that times have changed over the past 25 years and we need to occasionally think outside of the box. With the present economic times, residents who want to recycle and with vacant buildings along Lorain Road, it is our job as a Council to consider development opportunities that come to us. By making these amendments to the cadre, Council along with the administration, are being proactive towards new ideas that can bring employment to our city. With the change in the Zoning Code and the revamped conditional use permit process, it is his feeling and other members of Council that we can limit and control uses and have the power to enforce so that we will not have a repeat of a previous conditional use permit scenario that we are still in discussion with another business over the past few years. With no other discussion at the committee meeting, a motion was made by Mr. Gareau to approve Ordinance 2008-17 with the amendments from the Planning and Design Commission subject to further review from the Law Dept. for some definitions. Mrs. Dailey Jones seconded the committee motion, and it was unanimously approved. The committee meeting was adjourned at 7:31 p.m. Councilman Barker moved to amend Ordinance 2008-17 to state that the word "junkyard" as used in the legislation shall have the definition set forth in ORC Chapter 4737 and to make other changes in the legislation that clarify that all operations, storage and other business activities of both recycling collection centers and recycling facilities shall be conducted entirely indoors, all as presented in the amended version of Ordinance 2008-17 which has been distributed to all members of Council this evening. The motion was seconded by Councilman Gareau. Roll call: Barker, yes; Gareau, yes; Kearney, yes; Jones, yes; Orlowski, yes; Ryan, no; Mahoney, yes. The motion passed with six votes and one no vote. Ordinance 2008-17 amended. Council Member Dailey Jones: She and Councilman Barker attended "The Foreclosure Crisis: Practical Strategies for Legislators" meeting sponsored by the Northeast Ohio City Council Association on Thursday, May 1, 2008. The evening's speakers were Jim Rokakis, Cuyahoga County Treasurer; Paula Miller, with the Neighborhood Housing Service of Greater Cleveland; Samantha Williams, with ESOP (Empowering & Strengthening Ohio's People). The Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland provides on-going programs and services throughout northeast Ohio. Programs that are offered include home improvement lending and management, refinancing seminars, home maintenance workshops, and foreclosure intervention. More information can be found at their website, www.NHSCleveland.or~?. ESOP offers assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure due to adjustable rates, predatory lending, and hardship issues. In addition, ESOP leads a payday lending action network. They provided some interesting statistics that evening, such as payday lenders have increased fourteen-fold in Ohio since 2006. Currently, payday loans can carry up to 391% interest rate, which is what the state 9