PERRYSBURG – Council heard comments from neighbors regarding the proposed zoning change at the Crossroads
planned business park extension at a public hearing Tuesday night prior to its regular meeting.
The 17-acre property is located between Perrysburg Heights and the Bridgefield development, and is north
and east of the city’s Public Service Facility on Roachton Road, and south of the present Crossroads
Business Park. The city’s Planning Commission voted 3-2 on Nov. 30 to recommend to council that the
zoning of the property be changed to Planned Business Park from residential amid concerns from neighbors
in the area about the potential for heightened traffic and disruption of the two neighborhoods if the
zoning was approved and development begun.
Following questions and discussion from some council members that development at the site would preclude
an extension of Jefferson Street, Lane Williamson, counsel for Providence Real Estate Holdings LLC, one
of the applicants for the zoning change, said that there is the assurance that the city could extend the
street as it sees fit in the future. He said that following the commission’s November meeting the
developer contacted a number of neighbors and tried to identify further concerns and offer assurances as
to how the extension would fit into the neighborhood.
Kathleen Murdock, a resident of the Bridgefield subdivision, said that she had originally been unsure the
change was a good idea, but after speaking with the developer she and her husband are now in favor of
the business park extension.
One audience member, who said his residence backed up to the planned development, said he agrees the land
should be developed, but was concerned about the planned buffering landscaping at the edge of the
property based on a drawing he had seen. He said that he wanted the landscaping to be an appropriate
height to protect property values in the neighborhood. Rick Thielen, the city’s planning and zoning
administrator, said that city code requires that such landscaping be a minimum of six feet. Williamson
said that they intend to follow the minimum standards.
Following the discussion, during a public hearing regarding special approval use of an approximately
155-foot water tower planned to be built on Roachton Road near the Public Service Facility, the same
gentleman offered concerns about the water tower and asked if another site was available. Mayor Nelson
Evans said that the other areas were looked at, but that the land on Roachton Road did not need to be
purchased.
In other business, council approved a first reading of an ordinance authorizing an agreement with Bridge
Government Relations LLC, for "government relations services" at a cost of $2,500 per month.
The city has had a contract with the company since February of last year, working with the lobbyist
Andrew Beck at a cost of $3,500 per month. Council is to vote on the matter in February.
In the minutes of the Finance Committee’s Jan. 11 meeting, Beck agreed that the fee could be reduced and
that the contract could be terminated, with 30 days notice, at any time. The relationship with Bridge
has thus far not brought federal funds to the city, though it has provided valuable information, said
committee chair Tom Mackin. Mackin and member John Kevern voted to recommend approval of the matter,
while member Maria Ermie indicated she was unsure if she would support the issue.