Zoning Hearing Board - Regular Meeting

To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God, indivisible. Liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Please be sure to sign the attendance sheet back there for the record. Next, I'd like to introduce the members of planning commission and our support staff. Starting on my far left over there is Ray Reid. Coming in towards me at Da Gate, Doug Broan, Pete Caba on my right at far end, the young lady there is Denise Bizaro, recording secretary. Young lady, how about that? Huh? Thank you. [laughter]

And next to her is Tony Sitter. In the back on my left is Jennifer Hernas, the township council. And next to her is Matt Waldinger, the director of planning and development. And on my right, the young lady back there is Julie Majio, the assistant zoning and development officer, and Matt Puzz, the zoning and development officer. And I am Jean Stormire. Before we begin, I'll call I'm sorry, let me back up here. Happy Veterans Day to everyone. Thank you. Before we begin, I call for a motion to accept the minutes of last month's meeting as written. Second. Any comments or anything? All in favor?

Anyone opposed? Thank you. Milk Planning Commission is a recommending body that hears testimony, asks and answers questions, deliberates, and passes our recommendations on to the Milreek supervisors who make the final decisions on the issues brought before us. The subdivision and our land development discussed tonight if acted on by the planning commission will be considered by the township supervisors at their regular meeting to be held on Tuesday, November 25th, 2025 at 4:30 in this room here. The first item on the agenda tonight is Equity Trust Company. It is a subdivision plan to show the creation of a 7,16 square foot lot number one and a 7,355 square foot lot number two from 1243 East Arlington Road located along the south line of East Arlington Road west of Watsburg Road in the South Gore tract. Someone here to represent that. Please come to the podium and give us your name and address. Good evening. Uh my name is uh Taylor Hoover. I'm representing Equity Trust Company tonight. The address we're talking about is 1243 East Arlington. I uh this house we actually bought from Marquette as a market forclosure back in February. If you've been there before, it was really really let go. You couldn't see the yard, couldn't see the house. Took like uh eight 30year dumpsters out of the house and we completely remodeled it. Spent tons and tons of money on And so we're at the point where uh we have a business of quality rentals. We rent rental properties here in the city of Erie, Mil Creek, Gerard, Lake City. And we turn this property into a rental. So it's actually rented right now. Tenant moved in. It's all fixed up, ready to go. But with that lot, it's just too big of a lot to have for a tenant or has a rental. And this neighborhood in here, especially in Mil Creek, is a bunch of smaller lots. Like if you go look at like pull up the thing, there's a like

on East Arlington, there's like 10 lots that are 40 lots. you go to Belleview now they're 10 10 houses that have 40 wide lots or the front entrance. So with with this lot we had it surveyed we're like a foot and a half off for the minimum frontage for the front of the lot. But once you get the lot opens up it gets back you have the frontage for the house. We're looking to maybe like we're looking to sell the lot right now just to recover some of our costs. But if honestly like we might just develop it ourselves if we can't sell the lot and put like something else like a patio home something that matches that neighborhood and go from there. So that's what we're looking to do. I don't know any more questions or thoughts or this is my first time so I've never done this before so see how it goes.

Anybody have any questions or comments or anything for him? Yeah, we did have a question. Is there a shed or another substance on the lot that is going to be subdivided? Is there anything the there was a shed but it got we moved it over to the other lot where they uh for the tenants so they can store the lawn mower and things like that. The house is no houses. There's just one building. The shed. Yeah, we we we moved the shed over, right? Yeah. Okay. So, that's a non-issue. Yeah. I guess. Yeah. We kind of have it staked out right now, too, of like where we for the proposed line is, so we can kind of figure that out. So, okay. Any nothing. Thank you, sir. Yeah. You're welcome.

The second and last item on the agenda is I'm sorry. Does anybody anybody in the audience have anything to say about this? Sorry about that.

Good evening. My name is Mike Bedar. Okay. I'm the property owner at the uh 1250 Ardan Road and uh 1256 Ardan Road. Um I was able to touch base with the uh people that own the property at 12 uh 64 and everything here now that we see on the board pretty much borders those property lines. Okay. So, um, I just want to say I like the idea that you're you're willing to ask me questions because boy, I can tell you just about everything that I've experienced over 63 years. I'm 69 years old, but moved out there in ' 62. The one neighbor there has even lived longer than that. Now, we were all grown up tight community. You want you know what can happen when you have all the same families that are all either involved scholastically, athletically, or and our big thing was transportation. We all rode around the same everybody else's vehicles and we all helped each other work on their vehicles. It really broke down a lot of barriers for being neighborly to each other. So that's what I grew up with. Okay. I live at 12 uh 50 yard road right now and uh just for the past five years I've been by myself now. I like it. Um, I just can't really um I I want to make sure you guys ask me some questions because I I have a some history there that maybe just doesn't support the idea of rentals. Okay. Um it wasn't too long ago that I actually bought the property at 1256. Now, the history behind that is in 1994 there was a fire there. Mary lived there for years. My dad bought the property off Mary's dad and built there. And actually, our property was a dump. I'll let you know. I'm always thinking of glass when I'm doing gardening. Okay. But boy, my parents worked on it. I still enjoy working on it and everything. But anyway, uh Mary lived next door, got older, and then uh sold the home. Okay. Uh as a rental came in, we had an incident there. Again, it was uh July 1994. Um whoever was renting it,

I guess had an unwelcome visitor, but the vi the fire brought the house down. I remember uh Chip Love coming out the next day and everything. And I remember uh uh the other fire inspector Mitchell, he was there. I mean, I saw that. I look out my windows, you know. So, I guess I what I want to say is now it's it's moved into that phase where it's it's a rental uh scenario. Uh boy, I can stop right there and say, you know, what have I seen? Yeah, I've seen some things that didn't occur when it was a family- based uh situation. Okay. So, uh, I guess have to say like one I can really draw from particular was this girl that actually owned the property at 12:43. We were we were good, uh, friendly people to each other and she had dogs and she must have had eight dogs and I said, "Hey, how many dogs you have?" She couldn't even tell me how many she had. But the incident that occurred then was the other people had dogs. Uh, boy, it just didn't work out right. Supportive services came in one time, two times actually, to to resolve some scenarios that just couldn't couldn't be resolved between the two parties. But that's just one little whatever. I guess we can all live with that. It happens every place maybe even. But uh I just uh want to let you know again that it was a it was a really neighborly thing. In fact, and I'll get have to get a little bit off the topic here a little bit, but Ardan Road is actually a private road. My road uh at 1250 where it ends there, where it ends in front of 1250 actually ends uh well it pretty much comes out even with 1241 which is the next house going uh going west. Okay. So that gives you idea about how how how long uh that stretches between the rental 1243 at on Arlington to Wattsburg Road. Okay, that's that's the length there. So we're talking about three four houses uh in that span. Um I just guess I better drop it for there now. But if there's any questions, I I'd like to you know I I got to say this guy did a great job. He took me through this home. I was really impressed with what he did. I had been

in that home numerous times. I could tell you everything I observed over 63 years. And a lot, believe it or not, that that was actually a rental at one time, but it was uh most of the people stayed in there three and oh, I'd say even at least three years, four years even. But um it's uh it's different now. They did a nice job. I just have this feeling I need to be provide some cautionary information about rentals. Um there have been some incidents because we aren't family oriented. For example, I've not had to call the police. Okay. First time in my life I read call the police within the last five years when I was a homeowner. Secondly had the state police down there. The constable from Vanago Township was down there on Ardan Road. When I saw that state police on Ardan Road, I said, "Uh oh." I said, "Oh, okay. What's up?" He didn't know the house number. I said, "Okay, well, it's here." And I we're able to get the individual to come out and the guy was in a bulletproof vest and everything. I don't know what was uh what the thing was that was being resolved, but I took my distance and just waited it out and there hasn't been any problems since then. But again, that's the kind of thing I'm able to communicate with um that particular uh household really well. Okay. So, they uh you know, we have some uh some trust in between us, I think. But, uh I just have to say it a lot of the other ones uh no, I can't say that I've really had the opportunity to really talk to them. I see that these guys put a lot of money into it

and uh they put a lot of money and a lot of investment into it. They want to keep it nice and I don't think they're, you know, run it down or rent it to undesirable maybe. So, I think you're actually very lucky to have a good investor to have developed the place and clean it up the best he has. I think you're lucky. I tend to agree with you. I really do. Yes. That's just the way I see it, too. Those guys stayed right on that home when I I was like I said, my property I got to give them credit, man. and they were they were right there all the time, you know, working on it. um did so much there really did really did I just have to say with the breakdown of the family and it's just something I always has recognized at the beginning the problem with it

it's all over something it's all over exactly thank you for you know I've the police have been responsive I got an incident number other thing that I you know really was a problem for me but um things are better good if that's all if you don't any questions I'll be happy to, you know, but sure. Pard me. Oh, you know what I was [laughter] the, you know what I remember the other day? Remember you were coaching? Yeah. Well, you were coaching. I was pitching 1971 up at Fidler Field, Walddemir, first game of the season. And wasn't there that thing you really never won the first game of the season? Wasn't

Okay. Because you came out and you were so happy. I just remember that. Yeah, you were so happy that and I I was I was so tired. I just remember that, you know, but I was I would have been 14 years old at that time. But uh boy, those were good. Yeah, those were good days. Tell them you got the curveball down. Oh, I I can throw a curve. No problem. I I I was actually control. I never Yeah, I couldn't, you know, I I never even tried to throw a curve. I could throw one, but I stuck with what to say. I was a good coach. Oh, you were? Oh, [laughter] I It was You were a good coach. I just remember so much about you and where you are, Gary and Oh, boy. Great guy, Gary. Great guy you worked, duck. Yeah. Okay. Very good. If

I hope I hope they can keep good tenants, you know, and Yeah. I uh um All right. Okay. That'll be it for now. All right. Thanks. [sighs] I have I have a quick question. Name and address. Huh? name and address. Chrisella, 1257 East Arlington Road.

Um, I'm never came to one of these before. I'm very ignorant with everything about this. I just have a question. I noticed on this map up here, so this is my house right here. Um, it looks like the boundary line goes right through my garage. Um that house has been built in 1940. So it's been there for quite some time. I just Mr. Chair, for my knowledge, I would just like to know what So

yeah. Well, let me just explain a little bit at least what you're seeing there. That is um the de the developer um pres presents us with a survey of the lot and our office superimposes that over a an aerial photograph that is not survey grade as far as where the property lines are drawn. And so that does appear as though that line goes through your garage, but the survey that was done by layered surveying would have shown an encroachment on the property on the actual survey itself if your building was over the line and they don't show it. So there's some errors in the way they take those aerial photos and then superimpose the lines over the top. And I I think that's what you're seeing there.

Okay. So I guess my follow-up question would be Is there going to be a boundary dispute in the future with this property? Right. Sure. Well, you guys probably saw when you came in there, the only piece of pro, you know, piece of ground on that property was what I mowed and keep away from from I have no boundary to disputing That's it. That's all I had, but I think you guys answered that question. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else?

Okay. The second item on the agenda and last one is for 2707 West 16th Street. It's a land development plan to show the construction of a 1440 foot warehouse with associated store model and parking at 2707 West 16th Street. Uh located along the south line of West 16th west of Lel A Lel Avenue in [snorts] track 15. Sir

Matthew Neck 806 Ardmore Avenue. Uh I'm have a construction company that I've had for almost 50 years now and uh we currently lease space not far from there but that's being sold and uh I'm going to build a warehouse to store my equipment and materials and it's good to see a gene after dozen years or so. Would you be storing any ice boats or anything in that facility? I certainly will. Okay. I was saying Jean is good to see you after a dozen years. It's been a long time. [snorts] Who anybody have any questions for him?

And you're aware of the question about the setback building lines and uh the issue of I think that based on the preliminary plan, you would need to move the building back 5T. Yes. And I believe that's all been corrected on the on the plans. Okay. Anything else for Thank you. Thank you. And I'm assuming that nobody has any there's nobody left here or have any comments, I guess. Okay. We won't take a uh time off here. We'll just go on with it and get it done. Okay.

All right. The first one is the Equity Trust Company subdivision plan to show the creation of a 716 foot square foot lot number one and a 73 7355 square foot lot number two from 1243 East Arlington Road located along the south line of East Arlington Road West Road in the South Gore tract. Motion. Yeah, I I would so move and maybe to note for the minutes uh the modification of the one lot uh lot two frontage of 48.42 feet uh slightly less than the prescribed 50 ft. Second. Any comments? Anything? All in favor?

I. Anyone opposed? Thank you. And the other item is the 2707 West 16th, a land development plan to show construction of a 1440 foot warehouse with associated storm water management facilities and parking at 2707 West 16th Street located along the south line of West 16th west of Lowel Avenue track number 15. Make a motion to approve. Any comments, questions? All in favor? I. Anyone opposed? Thank you very much. That all we have on the agenda tonight. Correct.

I have nothing additional. I will entertain a motion to adjourn. Second. Any questions, comments? None. All in favor? I. Anyone opposed? We stand adjourned at uh Now, Matt, you did say you have room for more.