Toledo City Plan Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay.

Good afternoon. This is a regularly scheduled meeting at the City of Toledo Planning Commission. Ms. Cottrell, will you please call the roll? Rachel Momine.

Here.

Emery Weddington. Here. Brandon Rakoff.

Here. Chris Ball. Here. Eric Roseweiler. Here. Mr. Chair, you have a quorum notice of this meeting that's posted in the office of the Toledo Lucas County Planning Commissions, in the Clerk of Council's office, in the lobby of One Government Center. Copy that notice is available for inspection in our files if anyone would care to do so.

We have a procedure here at the plan commission that if you plan on speaking today in favor of or opposed any case, we must swear you in. At the beginning of each case, we'll call the case, we'll ask that the applicant step forward to the lectern. The applicant will have an opportunity of about five minutes to present their case. After they're completed with their presentation, we'll open it up to the audience for comments or in favor of or disapproval of the application. And then we'll give the applicant some additional time to make final comments. Please also remember to sign in at the lectern if you speak today. Ms. Cottrell, do we have any minutes to approve?

We have the minutes from July 9th, 2026. I'll accept a motion on those minutes.

The ball will make a motion for approval.

Mamani will second.

We have a first and a second to approve the minutes. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, those minutes are approved. Do we have a director's report?

I have a quick one for the end of the meeting if we can.

Sure, we'll save that to the end. Do we have any final plats?

We do not.

And any requests for postponement, advancement, or deferral? No. Okay, then we'll go ahead and read the first case into the record. Ms. Cottrell, if you could please do that.

Item number one is case DOD 926, downtown overlay district review for the demolition of Luke's County Health Department building located at 635 North Erie Street. Staff recommends approval.

Thank you. Sir, when you're ready, name and address, please.

My name is Dave Olbrock, address 205 Broadview Avenue, Lucky, Ohio. Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear the testimony you're about to give will be the truth? If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Sir, go ahead. Tell us about your request. Great. Thank you. Well, good afternoon. My name is Dave Obrock. I'm the interim commissioner of facility and fleet operations. I'm submitting to you today a request for demolition of a structure located at 635 North Erie Street. Mine is the Lucas County Health Department. This property is located in the downtown overlay district. A city historic commission review took place on July 27th, 2026, and the property was recommended for demolition. This is a three-story building with basement that was constructed in 1953 and used as a medical facility to serve the residents of Lucas County. The exterior is a non-structural stone with a flat roof design. With exception of a stone veneer, no historic architectural features are present. The building was renovated in 1996 when the annex was added to the building. No substantial improvements have been made since that time. A facility condition assessment and energy audit was conducted by Bureau Vartaris. The report is dated March 15th, 2024. The following major deficiencies were found in this facility condition assessment. The roof was replaced in 2011. The roof penetrations around the air handlers and duct work have been problematic, causing moisture within the building. The building has ADA compliance, electrical, along with the likely presence of asbestos. The windows are original and energy inefficient. One boiler and one chiller are not operational. This causes uneven heating and cooling temperatures. There's no functioning exhaust within the building. Part of this audit provided a facility condition index, which provides a theoretical objective indication of the facility's overall condition. The FCI is defined as a ratio of the cost of current needs divided by the current replacement value of this facility. A 10-year FCI of this building is just under $8 million. This figure is based on but not limited to elevators, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, parking lot, roof repairs, or replacement. An appraisal of this property was prepared by Stein Grabber and Associates, dated June 15th, 2026. The as-is market value of this property is $2.1 million. This was given based on the type of construct, age, and condition of the building. Based on the information supplied to this commission, we feel there's no economic use or return for this structure as it exists. Thank you, and I welcome any questions that you may have.

Thank you. If the building is demolished, is the site going to be redeveloped in the future, or what are the plans for the site? Yes, a great question.

Yeah, the site, it's kind of a two-phase project, okay? The abatement and demolition of the property, the next is a design and a construct of a parking lot, a city-owned parking lot, okay? Yes. Thank you. Yep, you're welcome.

Commissioners, any questions for the applicant?

Mr. Chair, I have a question. The building used to house the Lucas County Health Department, correct? Yes, sir. Is the Health Department no longer in operation at this location, or are there plans to move it?

They are in operation right now. They do have plans on moving it to the former Catholic Diocese of Toledo at 1933 Spielbush. Okay. That's the plan. Thank you. Yes, sir.

Any other questions? Hearing none, I'll ask, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak on this case? I don't see anyone. Bill, did we get any calls, emails, or other correspondence in advance of today's hearing?

I did not receive any phone calls, just to kind of build upon what Mr. Obrock was saying. This did get heard by the Historic District Commission on July 27th. There really was limited questioning concerning that, and they did recommend approval to this body.

Thank you. Commissioners, if there are no further questions, I will accept a motion at this time. The staff has recommended approval of the application.

Well, we'll make a motion for approval.

One until the second. We have a first and a second to approve the application. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that carries unanimously and that is complete with us. This does not go to council, sir. Thank you. Good luck to you.

Thank you.

Ms. Cottrell, will you please read case number two into the record?

Item number two is case Z260013, a zone change from office commercial to duplex residential at 1302 Kelsey Avenue. Staff recommends approval for the following reason. The proposed zone change is consistent with the comprehensive plan and the stated purpose of the zoning code.

Thank you. Ma'am, name and address, please.

Mercy Obu, 1302 Kelsey Avenue, Toledo, Ohio, 43605.

Will you please raise your right hand?

Do you swear to tell the truth?

Yes.

Thank you.

Go ahead, tell us about what you're asking for.

I would like to change this property from commercial, office commercial to residential. It used to be residential and it's currently in a residential area, surrounded with residential buildings. That was the only commercial in the middle of all residential. So we'd like to switch it back to residential because it used to be residential actually, but a few years ago the previous owner converted it to commercial. So we'd like to take it back to residential.

Thank you, and do you plan on living in it as a residence?

Yes.

Okay. Commissioners, any questions for the applicant? Hearing none, I'll ask, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak on this case? Okay. And Alayah, did we get any calls, emails, or other correspondence on this case?

No, we did not.

Okay. All right. Well, Commissioners, if there are no further questions for the applicant, I will accept a motion at this time. Staff has recommended approval of the zone change.

Mominey will make a motion for approval.

All seconds.

We have a first and a second to approve the zone change. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that carries unanimously. You will go before city council planning and zoning on September 17th here in these chambers at 4 o'clock.

All right, thank you.

Good luck to you.

Thank you.

Ms. Cottrell, case number three, please.

Item number three is case Z260014, zone change from IL Limited Industrial to CR Regional Commercial. At 3910 Haverhill Drive, staff recommends approval for the following two reasons. The rezoning is consistent with the zoning classifications of properties within the general vicinity of the site. And the subject property is physically suitable for the uses permitted in the proposed zoning classification.

Thank you, is the applicant present? Sir, step forward.

My name's Craig Joseph. How are you today?

I'm well, how are you?

I'm great.

Can you give us your address as well?

The address of the building or where I live?

Either one is fine.

The address of the building is 3910 Haverhill Drive.

Thank you. Will you please raise your right hand?

I will.

Do you swear the testimony we're about to give will be the truth? If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you. Thank you.

So I'll be short. I didn't know I was going to make a speech, so I didn't really have anything prepared. But this property here, CCL, Phillips, has been owned. It used to have a Superior uniform on there. Superior uniform was torn down. Half the building was a new Taco Bell there. And behind it, we had a car lot, and the car lot's been there forever. My brother, a couple years ago, for some reason, had the zoning changed from CR, regional commercial, to IL. And we just wanted to get it changed back to where it was. We have a young entrepreneur and his partner, Devon, who's been very popular in the car business, wants to open up, and they've put a lot of money into the site already in the hope that we can get it approved accordingly. So it's a spot that I don't think there's many issues. It's been a car lot for a long time, and it's been very successful, and these guys have been successful every place they've been. So we're looking for some development in the area, and I think it'll be very good.

Thank you, sir. Okay. Before you walk away, I'm going to ask commissioners, are there any questions for the applicant? Hearing none, I will ask, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak in favor of or oppose this application? Okay, I don't see any. And Lisa, did we get any calls, emails, or other correspondence about this case?

We have not received any correspondence.

Okay, so at this time, commissioners, if there are no further questions, I will accept a motion on this case. The staff has recommended approval of this application.

I'm willing to make a motion to approve.

All seconds.

We have a first and a second to approve the application. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That carries unanimously. You also will be before city council planning and zoning on September 17th at 4 o'clock in these chambers. Okay. Good luck to you, sir.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. Ms. Cottrell, case number four, please.

Item number four is case SUP 250037, special use permit for a gas station at 2485 North Detroit Avenue. Staff recommends approval for the following two reasons. The proposed use meets the stated purpose of the zoning code, and the proposed use complies with all applicable provisions of the zoning code. Staff further recommends approval subject to 39 conditions, which will be reflected in the minutes and not. Read into the record unless there's a request that I do so. There's also a small typo on page 47 where it says that the plan is compliant with the Fort Toledo plan. It is not. I just wanted to put that on the record.

Thank you, Ms. Cottrell. Sir, name and address, please.

Good afternoon, sir. My name is Momar Goba for 2485 North Detroit Avenue. Thank you. Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear that the testimony you're about to give will be the truth? If so, say I do.

Yes.

Thank you.

Sir, welcome back. We were here before on this case. When we were here before, we had asked to adjourn to allow you to hold a neighborhood meeting and gather input from the surrounding community. Can you fill us in on how that meeting went and some of the details surrounding the neighborhood meeting?

Well, we held the neighborhood meeting. There were a lot of, I mean, I heard the concerns. Most of them were for safety. And we heard the concerns. We're willing to provide security if needed. And as far as like, you know, like, I mean, that was the main concern was safety. And we're willing to provide the security just in case.

Thank you. Do you have experience in operating gas stations?

I do, yes. I've had experience about 25 years, which is five years of working and then 20 years of running and managing and developing.

And at your existing sites, how do you manage your security for those sites?

I have surveillance systems with 24-hour monitoring. I have a group that watches over them. Basically, they have police department contact, fire marshal or fire department. They also have my contact in case any issues arise. They do contact me or contact any necessary department.

Thank you. Couple more questions. There are 39 conditions of approval in the application. I know we asked last month, but are you still comfortable with those conditions of approval?

Yes, sir.

Okay. And I want to pay special attention to the existing outstanding Ohio underground storage tank issues.

I'm sorry.

I was going to ask, if this is approved, do you intend to remedy all of those issues, correct?

Yes, some of them have been corrected, and I am in contact with the underground storage department. We've cleared all the issues. The only thing left is, I think, the certification, which I just got off the phone with them and the buster to correct those.

Okay. And you understand that until you have that certification, you won't be able to move forward with the project if this is approved?

I agree, yes. I'm aware.

Okay. Those are all of my questions. Commissioners, questions for the applicant?

Mr. Chair, I have- Mr. Ball, go ahead. Two questions. Of your existing sites, how many are in urban areas or areas that would be considered inner city?

They're all in inner city. Okay, okay.

And then do you have a particular protocol or procedure for dealing with unwanted loitering or... No, I understand.

I don't allow loitering. Okay. So there are, you know, I'm very strict on that because loitering causes, you know, difficulty for business. I keep that. Usually when that happens, I... Notify them if it still exists. I contact police. Also, just do reports. Usually that helps. It keeps them away. But that's usually all that's needed.

Okay.

Thank you. And then one more question. How long have you owned the property?

I've owned the property for about 10 years. Okay. Thank you. No problem.

Commissioners any additional questions for the applicant? Before I move to the audience, I do want to ask Alex, were you at the neighborhood meeting that was held recently?

Yes, I was.

Can you give us some feedback on how that meeting went or what happened at the meeting?

Yeah. So I sent you guys a little summary earlier this week, but I'll read some snippets from it. So there were about 30 people in attendance. They wanted to see... how the applicant would differentiate the gas station and convenience store from others in the area that have been associated with crime and reduced property values. The applicant stated that the store would be monitored by camera 24-7, as he stated, and that he would not sell beer or wine. But he does have, again, as he stated, 20 years of experience managing gas stations in the Detroit metro area. um conversation lasted over two hours um it didn't appear that some of the neighbors were satisfied with the applicant's answers but um Yeah.

Thank you, Alex. So at this time, I will ask, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak in favor of or oppose to this application? I see a hand up. Please feel free to step forward to the lectern. We'll get your name and address and swear you in. When you're ready, give us your name and address.

Thank you. My name is Carol Couchet and I live at 2483 Scottwood Avenue.

Will you please raise your right hand?

Do you swear the testimony you're about to give will be the truth? If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Thank you. I've lived in the neighborhood since 1994. My husband and I, we bought a five family and we've taken it back to the original single family. And we live in the historic district and so we are enthusiastic about preservation in the neighborhood. I was at the community meeting at the Kent Branch Library and the thing that I was concerned about was what my fellow neighbors were thinking and I asked a question of them. Do you think this gas station has been abandoned? Do you feel that this is an abandoned station? And there were about 27 people there at the time, and they all raised their hand except one. So the neighborhood, they were telling me they perceived this as a gas station that was let go and just defend for itself. I am a member of Women of the Old West Den and serve as their recording secretary. And this gentleman, Mr. Goba, was present at a meeting in fact at my house on june sixth on twenty eighteen and he was asked to come to speak to us too again our get our feedback on how we felt about his establishment opening and i did bring the minutes from that meeting and i don't know if i can present those uh... as uh... what happened at that meeting back in 2018 alex will take a look thank you thank you okay um So one of the big things going in in our neighborhood always is preservation of our properties. And we have to conform to strict regulations so that we're not destroying the houses that we live in. We are faced with other forces around us, the gangs in particular. And everybody has read, everybody knows what happened at the festival this past year. We were reduced to one day. And our feelings are tender right now. We want to be a neighborhood that is outstanding in our city. We relish the thought of being the number one neighborhood in the city. And so everybody's changes are looked at very carefully. And so we ask that you look very carefully at this gentleman's request for change and how it would affect our neighborhood. We're concerned about safety, yes. We have a volatile substance being stored at that site if it opens, very close to the neighborhood. We already have two gas stations at either end of Detroit Avenue that appear to be serving the neighborhood right now. The traffic there, the intersection, is right there. Delaware coming out of the neighborhood to Detroit Avenue. And it's not a false thing to say you have to be careful when you make that left turn because there's two or three more cars still going through on the red light. It is... Always a safety concern, no matter what. I just ask that the commission look at these aspirations of our neighborhood in their consideration of this business. We need to grow our neighborhood. There's things our neighborhood needs. I would love to have a restaurant, but some place that could be a neighborhood hangout. But we don't need a gas station. And I appreciate your consideration. Thank you very kindly.

Thank you. Whoever would like to speak next can step forward. Sir, name and address first.

Gregory Kane, 411 Boston Place.

Now please raise your right hand.

Do you swear that the testimony you're about to give will be the truth? If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

I was also at the meeting, and thank you for delaying this application long enough for us to meet with him. And the main concern was not just security. if the business opened again. There was a lot of discussion about, we didn't realize that he had owned it this long because we remembered the Crayon family who used to own that gas station and all that they did for the community. We discovered a lot of things since we met with you the first time that the site is illegally being used as a gas station at this point according to Ohio state law. Secondarily, we discovered that property taxes haven't been paid in years. We all know that intersection and know that the upkeep of that property was horrible for years. we would consider sending this on to council for their discussion, and we will be there for that also. Do you have any questions?

I don't. Commissioners?

No, thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Case number. Lynn Sheehan, 444 Kenilworth.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you swear that the testimony you're about to give will be the truth? If so, say I do. I do. Thank you.

Go ahead.

Thank you. I thank the commission as my neighbor did for giving us an additional month and having an opportunity for the property owner to conduct an actual community input meeting. I think it was very helpful. I know I asked a lot of questions and I learned many things. many of the things I learned is the property owner did not present solid answers and um... potentially was either disingenuous with the lack of answers and hopefully not purposely misleading but certain statements were made one of them being that a traffic division study had been done and was approved another being an environmental assessment had been done and when I read the plan department staff report There are some conditions, many of them, 38 I believe, that the commission has required the owner to fulfill, and so there are notes from the different divisions, but there's not an independent traffic study that's been done, which I think is one of the very key issues this business at that location. The other is the obvious arrearages with permitting and inspections as far as the state and city with the underground containers for fuel. And that was a question that was very specifically asked of the owner and his initially unannounced guest who was cited as his petrochemical experts, Christopher Ocalis, who apparently represents CITCO, and the two of them were asked specifically about the safety or when were the tanks inspected, and it was stated that, oh, well, they've been replaced, but they couldn't tell us when, and said they'd been inspected but couldn't cite an inspection, and now upon the research that's been done by members in the neighborhood, it's clear that they actually don't know the information because they haven't conformed to the law. So substantial concern there. My primary issue is indeed with traffic. I asked to see whatever reports or statistics that were available and so I was One of the representatives' offices was able to provide me with three different, essentially, traffic volume, traffic flow studies that were done last fall at Detroit and Swainfield, where Boys and Girls Club is, at specifically Detroit and Delaware, and Detroit and Ambia. And there are a lot of cars going up and down Detroit, as we all probably know. I was at a meeting with a Toledo police officer last night, and TPD is actively enforcing speeding on Detroit, probably with our recent high-profile case of Representative Kaptur being struck by a hit-and-run driver and hospitalized. People regularly speed, and as my neighbor also referenced, regularly drive at full speed or excess speed through red lights. We've probably all seen it. We live here, right? I believe that this is a huge safety threat between the surrounding residential neighborhoods, the elementary school half a mile away, the angled one-way street, the fact that one of the primary driveways into or out of the station opens almost directly into Detroit at Delaware. There are no shoulders on Detroit. There are no turning lanes. I think it is a substantial risk for any city body to endorse this at this time. As well as with the urban planning aspect, already, what are the businesses that are open on Detroit Avenue in that greater, let's say, two-mile stretch? Pretty much gas stations and convenience stores. And even large Arco station, three-tenths of a mile away. I don't believe anyone can demonstrate need for a neighborhood fuel stop. right there, where I believe it's going to pose a substantial safety risk to pedestrians and vehicles. And I do want to close with saying that I am a huge proponent of business and a huge proponent of economic redevelopment, and I think probably all of us share the economic redevelopment desire, though we may all have different preferences or levels of information about that and um... my take away from the neighborhood meeting with the property owner was he appeared to be ill equipped to conduct a serious and successful business of any kind at that location the suggestions he was making about how to work with the neighborhood all seemed to me to reduce his potential business volume his petrochemical expert said well this isn't going to be a busy station in response to safety concerns about the roadway. And I said, you know, do you have data? Did you conduct studies, traffic studies? You have a tremendous amount of competition. And this maybe seems to pick at you in all these details, but given the property owner's history of neglect at that site for the 10 years he's owned it, And he asked for our sympathy and said it was so hard to find someone to care for the property since he's an out-of-state owner, which only underscored our neighborhood concerns about maintenance. And then business operations, safety was referred to. They were going to look at that through a ring camera. There's not an immediate response. And they didn't supply any sort of data for why they'd be willing to cut their business hours to make the neighborhood happy or how they plan to address competition, which is really substantial in their field of business. So at least from what was represented at our neighborhood meeting, I didn't feel he was a serious business owner nor was this particular business going to be an asset to the neighborhood. I'd love to see something go in there. something that he operates if he likes, if it's going to be well-run and not unmaintained. But thank you for your time. Hope we can come with a decision that supports health and safety and effective economic development. Thanks.

Thank you. Mr. Chair, before we continue, can I make a comment?

Absolutely. Go ahead, Mr. Paul.

So full disclosure, I live less than 1,000 feet from the site. I cannot speak to whether or not a traffic study has been conducted for the site, but I am a traffic engineer who does studies all over the country. That's my day job. I do not believe that a traffic study would be necessary for this site. I'm not concerned about traffic volumes related to this development. I would be shocked if the traffic that's generated by the gas station even meets the ITE criteria for conducting a traffic study because you're only installing three pumps, correct? Yeah, that generates a very low amount of traffic. Now, as a resident of the area, there are existing safety and speeding issues along Detroit Avenue, but those are existing issues that should be handled by the city and have nothing to do with what this gentleman is proposing here. That's all I'll say.

Thank you, Mr. Ball. Sir, if you don't mind stepping forward, I want to give you a chance to respond to some of these comments. I'm going to ask Alex one question. We heard what Mr. Ball just echoed. Did the Department of Transportation have any concerns with this site, or did they require a traffic study for this redevelopment?

They did not require a traffic study, and we did call them this week, and they stated that they had no concerns about traffic circulation on this site. Okay, thank you.

Now, I do want to ask you some questions or give you a chance to talk about the environmental conditions.

Yeah.

I do think there's been neglect in the past, and we have to acknowledge that. No, I- But what I want to give you a chance to do is explain what you're aware of that needs to be addressed and your plans on how you're going to address those issues.

So from the start of me owning the property, I- When I first purchased the property, I thought it was going to be easy. It was going to come up. I was going to be here. The intention was to bring more business into Toledo for me to have a place to relocate to. It was a little challenging. Finally, things fell in my favor. I did have some of the neighbors, one of the neighbors, about two, three houses down that used to maintain it. Unfortunately, he wasn't very good at the job. I didn't want to take it from him. I used to pay him to do it, to maintain it, whether I'm in the area or not, to be responsible for that. I, again, with weather changes, you know, sometimes you'll cut the grass one day, one week later things look a mess. But I try to get out here as best as possible to, you know, check up on the property. Recently, a couple years back, I ran into somebody that's, you know, basically knows what he's doing. His name is, I forgot his name. I'm sorry. But, you know, he does a little. If I could stop you for a second. Yes.

If I could stop you. I'm less concerned about the grass and things. I want to understand from your investigation what the issues were with the state compliance with the tanks that were underground. And what you've either done or will do to address the non-compliance with the state laws regarding the tanks.

Well, as far as the tanks, I have Larson that deals with all of that. The reason why I didn't address the group that I met with, is because I don't know anything about the engineering side of it. That's why I hire a company that knows what they're doing. As far as what I want to do with the property, I want to bring it back up and make it something good for the neighborhood. As far as the tanks, we'll do testing. We'll make sure everything passes. We'll do the pressure line tests. Make sure there's no issues whatsoever before starting any job. I did do testing. I think the last time I did testing was about probably four years ago to make sure. And that was through Larson, maybe about four or five years ago. Through Larson that cleared everything. Everything was tested and passed. So I, you know, we did have the special or the out-of-use permit done as well. Everything was good. I did just reach to Buster before coming in. Everything is good from there. We just got to do the, you know, basically get the certifications and then, you know, do the testings again. So I'm waiting for, you know, to get the approval to move forward.

Okay, thank you very much. No problem. Commissioners, any additional questions for the applicant at this time?

Yes, Chair, I do. I have one question, maybe several. Have you thought of, so first, if this didn't go in your favor, from this commission all the way to city council, have you ever thought about just, and your line of work, of course, is you've been doing this for 20 years, so I see why it would be a gas station. Have you thought about anything else that you could do with that location if it was not a gas station?

I mean, I feel like, Having it as a gas station is the most successful where it helps the community. It'll stay open. It'll help the community. Again, some of the concerns, I have thought about doing a coffee shop and stuff like that. Again, we do have things underground that would cost me a lot of money to remove. And for that reason, the only option for me is to keep it as a gas station for the time being.

It would be most cost effective, is what you're saying?

Pretty much, yes. I mean, we are putting a lot of money. We're putting about $400,000, $500,000 in there. But with contaminations and stuff, when you pull, it does basically ruin and contaminate land once you remove tanks. We don't want to do that. We want to stay the original way this property was made for.

Okay, so the other thing would be, if you open back up for business and since you're out of state, do you have a team of folks that's here that you have to hire new? Are you going to bring some of your team from Michigan here that already knows what they're doing? I'm just curious on what that would look like.

Well, this is, you know, this is a chance for the neighborhood to, you know, like I will be employing local hire, you know, so it would help the community, help a few individuals that will have a job to come to, you know, and that will be my team. I will be supervising. I will be coming out here. Of course, the fact that it would be run, I would be out here a lot more often.

Thank you. Commissioners anything else for the applicant Hearing none, I believe I had one more person who wanted to speak from the audience I'm gonna allow one more person to speak and then We'll move on to the next phase of this case ma'am if you want to step up Go ahead sign in and then give us your name and address, okay

And my name is Tammy Michalak. The address is 2056 Scottwood Avenue. And I believe you should have all received an email from me this morning with what my concerns are, which relate specifically to the Buster compliance issues.

I'm going to have you raise your right hand.

Sorry. Do you swear that the testimony you're about to give will be the truth? If so, say I do. I do. Thank you.

Ma'am, just before you begin, I just want to state that we do have your correspondence in our packets in front of us today. Perfect. So go ahead and proceed.

Yep, so I know you understand what my concerns are and what my request is, is that you deny this application until those outstanding compliance issues have been rectified. As you know, this gas station has been out of service for a number of years. We went to, when we had the Community meeting, one of the individuals requested questions about has there been EPA testing? Are we in compliance? And I think I just heard the applicant say today that he talked to Buster yesterday and he's fully compliant. That's not what they just told me last week. So unless he went in within the past week and paid four years worth of permits and penalties and compliance, he's not in compliance. They told me before he could do anything on that site, he has to bring himself up to date on the compliance issues that I provided. And while I know that they are administrative, I think it speaks to whether we can rely upon these things happening. And I believe that this applicant, given the fact that he's owned the property for ten years, couldn't even file simple administrative compliance issues of filing for an out-of-service permit after a year that it expired. And that the fact that we have a state government who is moving at a snail's pace in enforcing that compliance issue, if things would have been done in a timely manner, He would have either needed to comply within that 12-month window, or he would have been forced to take the tanks out. so now we're talking about four years later and that stuff still has not taken place how do we know that it's going to actually take place and it will but i feel like we should we should require that this is this is something that is going to impact the entire community it would give a period of time while he's rectifying the buster state issues and compliance issues I know that we have within the plan commission, there's a study being done that I think could hopefully address some of the other neighborhood concerns about proximity to other gas stations. It would give everyone a better chance to have a clear picture and give the applicant more time to also provide us with Actual details because everything that was provided to us was very fuzzy I'm going to do I'm gonna make it brighter. I'm gonna make it we didn't see any visuals at the community meeting The only thing we were referenced to was the site plan and it was the eight and a half by eleven site plan That was in this packet. So if anybody could actually read that Please let me know So I think you understand my concerns and my questions. I'm happy to answer any other questions if there's any for me.

Thank you. Ma'am, I guess the only thing I'll ask you is, I understand your concerns with the underground storage tanks, and as a condition, if we approve this, a condition of approval is that those things have to be remediated.

I understand that, but in the past, and I know the new director has given me great assurances that she's going to personally follow up But I haven't always felt comfortable that our local city enforcement agencies have followed up on compliance issues. We've seen it time and time again. So how do I know and how do you give the community a sense of assurance that something's not going to slip through the cracks and that we're going to have another environmental issue going on? When I talked to the representative at Buster, They said this is something that's been on their radar for following up with because it has been so long and that there is no guarantee that those existing tanks can be reused. So that's going to present another financial issue for the applicant and And once that approval is done, how do we really know what is being done and we have the safety and security of the residents in mind? That is, I mean, I don't understand why we wouldn't take a proactive approach and say if you can't, If you can't pay your property taxes and get your property taxes up to date, and if you can't pay the fees and penalties, how do we know that you're going to be able to pay any types of remediation issues that are going to take place on this property, which we don't know. They're all unknowns. So why would we issue a special use permit conditional upon 38 conditions, one of which is you still have to bring it into compliance for things that you didn't do for four years ago? Four years ago. I mean, it just makes no common sense to me. So I'm saying my piece. That's your decision to make. And if it would pass today, we're going to continue to make those same recommendations to the city council.

Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Mr. Ball, did you have something?

Yeah, this is a question for the director. Special use permits can be reviewed and revoked at any time, right?

that is correct and you could do a yearly review or yearly revocation correct so if this gentleman does not operate his business in the appropriate fashion the special use permit can be reviewed and then revoked that is correct along with the license a license is also required now and that's a dual action we could hold either or both

And just as a follow-up, as a condition of getting the license to operate, he's going to have to show compliance with these buster violations. Correct. Yeah. Okay. Just my personal comment is, Out of service gas stations are challenging. There are very limited uses to reuse out of service gas stations. And my concern is more that nothing happens with this site than something positive happens with this site. Even if it's not the use we would prefer, some people might prefer, putting a vacant site back into reuse I think is a overall positive thing for the city. So that's my view of it. At this time, I'm going to ask Alex. I know we've talked about some of the correspondence that we've received in neighborhood meetings. Is there anything else you wanted to notify us on as far as communications prior to today's hearing?

I guess I'll give a brief. We've gotten a total of eight letters. In regards to this, you've received them all. Seven of them have been opposition, one was in support. And then a total of two calls, both calls were in opposition. And similar concerns that have been addressed or that have been spoken today.

Thank you. So at this time, I will turn it over to the commissioners to ask any final questions. And if there are no final questions, I will accept a motion on this case. Note the staff has recommended approval of this case. So commissioners, any questions or a motion?

Ball will make a motion for approval.

I'm going to second that. Ms. Cottrell, can we do a roll call vote, please? We have a first and a second to approve the application. A vote in the affirmative would be for approval. A vote in the negative would be for disapproval.

Okay. Momine?

No. Whittington?

Makeup? Yes.

Ball? Yes. Grossweiler? Yes. Okay, so that'll pass three to two. That'll go to city council with a recommendation for approval. You'll be in front of city council on September 17th. They will hear your case. They are free to make whatever decision they would like to after this. So for the neighbors that are in attendance, you are allowed to go to that meeting and present testimony. And they will hear that case and take the next steps.

Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Case number five, please. item number five is case spr 260030 major site plan review for a manufacturing facility with the joining parking lot to be located at 5315 stickney avenue staff recommends approval for the following reason the proposed plan meets all standards of the toledo municipal code the zoning code and other adopted city policies staff further recommends approval subject to 34 conditions which will be reflected in the minutes and not run to the record unless there's a request that i do self

Sir, when you're ready, give us your name and address.

Doug Glover, 816 Washington Street, Toledo.

As soon as you're done signing in, we'll swear you in.

Do you swear the testimony you're about to give will be the truth? If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Sir, welcome. Tell us about the project, looks like a big one.

Yes, so the project will be a site development new office and manufacturing facility for Bull Crane. Basically, they're relocating their headquarters that are currently over on Lasky and different branches or facilities that are scattered around.

Thank you. Let me get to this here, one second.

The building will be approximately 77,000 square feet, pre-engineered metal building.

And there are 34 recommended conditions of approval with this application. Have you had a chance to review those?

I have.

And are there any concerns with those conditions of approval?

So I'm representing the owner as an owner's agent. There's a couple that they did want me to make sure I mentioned. Obviously the public sidewalk, I already know the answer to this, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it on their behalf. There are no existing sidewalks in that area on any property. So they're concerned about having to pay $40,000 to install public sidewalk that goes from nowhere to nowhere.

I'm just bear with me a moment. I'm looking up which can which number condition that that was I think provided It's condition 25. Yeah, and you know this this comes up quite a bit with yeah with redevelopment. Yeah our Our policy as a commission has been to defer to the Division of Traffic Management regarding this condition. But I will pose to the group right now, if anyone would like to make a motion to remove item 25, we can do that at this time. All right, I don't think anyone's going to make that motion, sir. Do you want to tell us about the next concern?

Yeah, let me move on. Item number 29, the east facade was actually mismarked backwards on the plans. The east was west and the west was marked as east. But we'll be in compliance with that requirement. And then item number- Before we move on, just hold on.

Yeah, sorry. Alayah, does that condition need to be revised then to reflect that that should say the west facade? If it was reversed in the drawings?

Well, the east facade faces Stickney Avenue, so that would be the facade that needs to meet this condition.

And we will comply. I'm just letting everyone know that. the drawing the drawing the plan view okay the drawing elevations were mismarked okay so that does not need revision all right they just need to be flipped the drawings need to be flipped not not the condition well yeah yep

Is there another one, sir?

There was one other one, and I'm trying to find which one it is. I thought I had it marked, but apparently I don't. There was a request for changing the 18 foot drive that is on the property to a 25 feet requirement.

Number 26.

Number 26. Anyways, that 18 foot drive, it's only access to an overhead door. It is not a drive lane. So, just wanted to see why that would have to be come 25 foot.

Does that access from the road?

Does it access- No, it's off of the lot that's 30, the drive lane that's 30 feet. So in between the two parking lots, correct, it's right there.

So just that specific one, you would like to maintain at 18 feet versus 25 feet?

Yes, I don't see why it would have to be 25 foot. It's not a driveway and it's just access to the overhead door.

Alaya, do you have any thoughts on that?

It's a transportation condition, so I don't have any thoughts on that, but I don't see an issue with that since it's not a dry valve. The only ones using it would be trucks entering and leaving to the overhead door.

Yeah, to get access for equipment and staging materials.

Lisa, any thoughts? It's a garage width, okay.

I would concur with that. It's an overhead door.

It's not even that wide. It's probably 14.

Yeah. Okay. Let me look at the exact wording of this condition again. Just give me a moment.

It just references the fact that for Toledo requirements, the drive lanes need to be 25 foot. But again, that's not necessarily a drive lane.

The condition actually references a specific 18-foot drive aisle that needs to be 25 feet. Is that the one they're referencing? I believe so.

That's the only area on that plan that shows an 18-foot wide path. All the other drive lanes are minimum 30 feet.

Okay. As chair, I'll make a motion to remove condition 26. Is there a second to my motion?

I'll second it.

We have a first and a second to remove condition 26. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, so that one can stay 18 feet.

All right, thank you. That's all I have.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about the project or any other conditions you'd like to discuss?

No, like I said, they're excited to be moving into the area and growing their business and making what they do more efficient for them.

Excellent. Commissioners, any questions for the applicant? Hearing none, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak in favor of or opposed to this application? Okay, and Alayah, did we get any calls, emails, or other correspondence in advance of today's hearing?

We did not receive any correspondence.

Thank you. Okay, commissioners, I will open this up for any final questions or a motion at this time. Staff has recommended approval of this application.

I'll make a motion for approval of SPR 26-0030. One second.

We have a first and a second to approve the application. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That carries unanimously and that is approved. You do not go to council. So good luck to you. Thank you. Case number six, please.

Item number six is case SUP 260018, special use permit for storage of tow-away vehicles located at 5825 Angola Road. Staff recommends disapproval for the following two reasons. The proposed use does not comply with all applicable provisions of the zoning code, and the proposed use is not compatible with adjacent uses in terms of scale, site design, and operating characteristics. There are two waivers associated with this. Staff recommends disapproval of the waiver of location 1104-1600, waiver to allow storage of vehicles within 500 feet of a residential district. If the case is approved, staff would recommend approval of the waiver of surfacing and drainage 1107-1906, waiver to allow stone gravel in the parking areas for vehicle storage.

Thank you. Sir, name and address please.

Good afternoon, my name is Kyle Tucker. I'm an attorney at Eastman and Smith and our address is 1 Seagate, Toledo, Ohio 43604.

Sir, you do not need to be sworn in as your member of the bar. Does anyone else plan to speak today on behalf of your application?

It's uncertain, so I'll ask, I guess, Dan Stone with Van Hoover Van Horn and Kimberly Simons.

Let's have them give their name, address, we'll swear them in. If they speak, they speak, and if not, it's okay.

My name is Kimberly Simons.

And what's your address?

You want the business address? That's fine. 548, Jesus, 5825 Angola Road, I'm sorry.

It's okay. Take your time.

In Toledo, Ohio.

Thank you. And sir?

My name's Dan Stone. I'm with Van Horn Hoover & Associates. Address is 3200 North Main Street, Findlay, Ohio.

Will you both please raise your right hand?

Do you swear that the testimony you're about to give will be the truth? If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you. Thank you.

Mr. Tucker, why don't you tell us about the request?

Sure. So... The request is for the SUP special use permit for the storage of tow-away vehicles at 5825 Angola Road. The use is actually in effect at this time, without complaint, and it's only based on an oversight Client bought by Zeki towing only to later find out that when you buy a towing company That doesn't necessarily mean that you can store tow away vehicles on-site so it's been operating since they bought the property in 2023 and It's a storage of their fleet tow vehicles and trucks as well as from time to time. They have to store vehicles that they have towed on behalf of the city or otherwise the Let me think about. Operationally, I can't really speak to specifics. That's why Kimberly is here. But the reason I guess I wanted to take the stage to talk first was to discuss the 500 foot setback issue. Because what I think is happening here is we're getting a technical recommendation for denial just on the fact that we simply cannot comply with that. Because there is, if you look at the map adjacent, manufacturing housing park. And so because we're within 500 feet, it's automatic recommendation of denial. But we believe that if you look in the broader context of the uses in the surrounding area, that with implementation of proper screening mechanisms and other mitigating factors, we believe that the use will not have any sort of detrimental impact beyond any of the existing uses. In fact, the use that we are going to implement is a much lesser intense industrial use. It's basically we have some trucks coming and going, but if you look in the grand scheme, the broader area surrounding, there's other manufacturing uses. There are auto repair. There is, in fact, a go-cart recreational facility that's adjacent to the manufacturing home. As I understand it, they're open until 10 o'clock at night. Our operations are more from eight to five. On occasion, we do have calls late at night. But the truck drivers, as I understand it, all take the trucks home with them at night. And so if they're on call, then they leave from their house and they may end up going to the site if needed, but oftentimes they don't have to go there. So it's not like it's very intense in terms of the traffic. And I would just ask that the Commission I guess consider the fact that this will be an enhancement or improved site with the upgrades and it will help us come into compliance and it will allow for the proper screening landscaping and setbacks of the. We're going to we've agreed to do it behind the. We've agreed to implement a dust mitigation plan. So there's a number of conditions, all of which we've addressed with an updated site plan and a formal response to the staff report. And basically the operator has said, hey, we want to do whatever's necessary to get the use approved, so we'll adopt all those conditions.

Thank you. Before we move on, do either of the people with you want to have any additional comment before we ask questions?

Only if there's questions.

Okay. Talk to me a little bit more about how many vehicles are on this site at any one time?

My understanding that there's generally between 10 and 20 vehicles at any given time on average.

and in the event of approval there are count them 29 conditions of approval attached to the application have you had a chance to review those yes we have and are you in agreement with those conditions

We are. In fact, I think the updated site plan should implement each and every one, with the exception of the bicycle rack. We noted to Alea that we would put it up by near the parking. To be frank, I don't think it's needed because the course of the last three years, nobody once has rode a bike to the site. But regardless, a client is willing to implement it to satisfy that condition.

Thank you. Alea, I have a question. I just want to make sure I'm placing this right. I think earlier this year or maybe late last year, didn't we approve a new Sheets Distribution Center right down the street from this?

Isn't there a new- It was to the east of Reynolds, that portion of Angola. It's that portion of Angola?

Yeah.

Okay.

But this is still kind of a- a string of industrial property that's just intermixed with housing and other uses.

I would say that Angola Road does pose an interesting land use issue for Toledo. It's got a hodgepodge of industrial uses all the way, probably all the way down to the Wends Road area and then here out in Pennsylvania. So it's been established this way for some time.

and i know that we need the special use permit for this this use do do any of the neighboring property owners have special use permits i i don't think so i'm not sure that their uses would warrant a special use permit but elaine may know a little bit more not from my analysis of looking at the general area of the site there's not any other special use permits um there's just like a manufacturing warehouse to the west and then some fleet storage to the east There is a storage unit just south there that kind of provides a buffer between the residential and the site that did receive a special use permit, or sorry, it has site plan review for that. We require some special use for that now. But no, no special uses for any of the other operators.

What is that use to the west? What is that building?

So from my understanding is they clean out warehouses and they bring a lot of that product to their site and store it there to be shipped elsewhere. So they're kind of just like a warehousing facility.

Okay, I guess in looking at this, just looking at that picture on 6.2, you look at the amount of vehicles that are stored on this site compared to the amount of just the mess that's stored on the site to the west, and it's hard to be too upset with the site. So, commissioners, any questions for the applicant?

Yes, Chair, I have a question. Mr. Whitton, go ahead. Are we, you're towing cars right now? That's what you're doing now already, is that correct?

Yes, that's correct. There was a notice of violation that was issued in November of 25 and we met with the city on site and since that time we've been working through the site plan and getting the application submitted.

So the previous owner was a towing company?

Heiseki Towing was there. As to whether or not they were storing tow-away vehicles, I cannot answer that. I do not believe that was the case. Okay.

So essentially, if you don't get, you would have to close?

Is that what? They would have to close the business if they don't? Yes, and on that point, I would note that we do services for the city of Toledo and the Toledo Police Department. And we employ five Toledo residents. So to the extent... Those are important factors to consider.

I have a follow-up question to yours, Robert. Okay. The special use permit allows the storage of other vehicles, like towed vehicles on the site. They could still store their own tow trucks and their own equipment on site. They just couldn't bring towed vehicles to the site.

That's correct. So the tow trucks themselves would be considered fleet storage, which is a permitted use. But the storage of tow away vehicles is what requires a special use permit. And a lot of that comes from nuisances such as like noise and the operation of the tow trucks backing in and out. They typically operate 24 hours. So when those are adjacent to residential uses, you have that concern of a tow truck operating at two o'clock across the street. it is just really the technicality of the location there's not really anywhere on the site that's not within 500 feet of a residential district because we have those to just the RM and the rd6 to the south there that kind of just by technicality there's just not anywhere that's not within 500 feet

I guess I'll follow up that in terms of the noise of coming and going. I mean, they can do that today as long as they're not storing the vehicles there, right?

That's correct. Yeah.

Can I ask a question? Keep going.

May I come in and comment on the last topic?

Before you do, I'm going to let her ask her next question and then we'll let you come back to it. Okay.

So it's in regards to the site plan and where on the site plan would the vehicles themselves be stored?

Yeah, so that's actually what I was going to talk to. Apparently, I didn't make that clear enough, and I apologize, but we have agreed that the primary location for all the storage of the tow-away vehicles will be behind the building. So that's as far back as we could set it from the residential district. But again, we haven't had any sort of complaints, and given the surrounding area, I don't think anybody would complain because a tow vehicle is going to generate a little less noise than the heavier trucks.

Thank you. That's all from me.

Thank you. On average, and this might be a question for her, how many towed vehicles are you storing on this site on a day to day basis?

So I would say on average, like you said, it's about 10 to 20. There's not a ton that come in. There's a majority of the impounds that we do are for the city of Toledo, so they go to the city impound lot. So it's not very often that we get vehicles coming back to our lot to be stored in the first place.

And once they're there, how long do they sit on your lot?

about three to four months and then we as soon as they come in we start the abandoned vehicle process we send out certified letters to the owners of the vehicle and then as soon as that process is complete we move those vehicles if the owner doesn't pick them up we move them to our salvage facility in Findlay Ohio so they don't stay there long term okay thank you

Commissioners, any additional questions at this time? Hearing none, I'm going to ask, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak in favor of or oppose this application? Okay, and Alea, did we get any calls, emails, or other correspondence in advance of today's hearing?

Yes, so we did get two calls. We got a call from the adjacent owner to the west who was in support. He said that his neighbor is a good operator and that he's a great person. But then to the north, the sportway outdoor recreation facility, the owner there had concerns about dust. She had stated that with the tow trucks operating, it has kicked up a lot of dust onto her facility and that some of the recreation goers have complained about the dust and have just concerns about it being in the parking lot or just in the air. I did let her know that if this was approved, the front area would be paved and with some landscape, being improvements that that dust should be mitigated along with mitigation plan. She seemed to be okay with that. And then just last thing, I did reach out to the manufactured home park. I talked to the facilities manager there, and she had more concern about the operator to the west than the tow operation itself.

Thank you. The area where the vehicles would be stored, that's all paved, correct?

The area where the vehicles are stored is not. That's one of the requests for a variance or a waiver. We would like that to remain. as the gravel. It's going to be all repaved up near the front, and the concern being for us, one, my client would testify that the dust created is not significant, and I think it does, to Alea's point, probably relate more to the ingress, egress drive there right by the curb, because that's all gravel, and people are turning in and out there. We're requesting the gravel because it's a more permeous material and what we want to try to avoid is any sort of pooling or flooding in the rear of the property.

Okay. And so I saw in the conditions of approval, condition 16, traffic once, all off-street parking paved, and then we have a request for a waiver of that item, correct? And we're recommending approval of that waiver.

Correct. We're recommending approval of gravel, so waiving the pavement for the vehicle storage area, but not the drive aisles or customer area.

Okay. Commissioners, any additional questions for the applicant or staff?

I have one question. Sorry, I have to step out for a minute. Mr. Grossweiler, go ahead. Would the paved area go all the way to the back of the building at least, right? Is that what will happen?

There should be an updated site plan attached. I believe, yeah, it extends all the way to the back edge of the building.

Look at the one that we got in the letter from-

Yeah, in your packet that we gave you, there's this image in the back there. They kind of did a colored drawing to show you what areas would be gravel, so that very back page on that.

And what you can't really see here, but in the actual photo of the existing drive, that whole side to the west there, it's all gravel. And now it's going to be grass with landscaping. So we think it'll be a much improved, much nicer, cleaner looking addition here to Englewood Road and that area. And probably look more like it does to the north at the go-kart place, which is kind of a nice drive aisle entrance.

And I will say this is a typical waiver. You've waived this in the past, and we've recommended it in the past for loading areas, storage areas, non-customer accessible. It's pretty standard. It wouldn't be precedent setting.

Thank you. Mr. Gross, anything else? Anything else? Eric?

No.

Any other questions? All right. Then we're going to start with the waivers first. Let's start with the surface and drainage waiver. The staff has recommended approval. I'll accept a motion on that waiver at this time.

I'll make a motion for approval.

Mamani will second.

We have a first and a second to approve that waiver. What I'm going to say into the record is that we're looking at this site plan, this drawing that's been provided by the applicant. And so we would expect those areas that have been designated to be paved, and then the other areas could be gravel. We're all in agreement with that?

Yes. Okay.

All right. We have a first and a second to approve that waiver. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that waiver is granted unanimously. We have the second waiver. The waiver is to allow the storage of vehicles within the 500 feet of a residential district. Staff has recommended disapproval of that waiver. I will accept a motion on that waiver at this time.

I'll make a motion for approval of the waiver.

Seconded.

We have a first and a second to approve the waiver to allow storage within 500 feet of a residential district. Ms. Cottrell, let's do a roll call vote.

Mamadi? Yes. Whittington? Yes. Rickoff?

Yes.

Ball?

Yes. Groswell? Yes. That also passes unanimously. So now I will take the case in full. I'll accept a motion to either approve or disapprove of the case in full as waived and modified.

Ball will make a motion to approve the case in full as waived and modified. I'll second it.

We have a first and a second to approve the case. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that carries unanimously. You will go to city council on September 17th in these chambers at 4 o'clock.

Yes, sir. Thank you. Good luck to you. Appreciate it.

Case number seven, please.

Item number seven is case M1426, local landmark designation for the Dura Building located at 4500 North Detroit Avenue. Staff recommends approval.

Name and address, please.

Julie Abt, Thomas Porter Architects, 8 North St. Clair.

And once you've signed in, just raise your right hand and we'll swear you in.

Do you swear the testimony you're about to give will be the truth? If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Go ahead, tell us about the project.

Yeah, it's not your typical historic designation. It's an industrial, which harkens back to Toledo's roots as an industrial city. So it's important to preserve our manufacturing history. This client, IBC, they own about 5 million square feet in this city proper. Most of it is industrial. They have done several state and federal historic tax credit projects successfully, including one right on the other side of this property, which was the Spicer Dana Manufacturing. And that actually won a state historic preservation award. And it was part of an OSIP program and historic tax credits. And it saved it from demolition. And they're hoping to do the same with this one. They have it about 50% occupied. They have a very good track record for saving these buildings. It just obviously, when 300,000 square feet sits, it needs a lot of help. So this property was significant because it was the home of Dura Manufacturing Company. Dura Manufacturing was well known for making movable parts for automobiles. So hand cranks, dials, things like that. They held over 300 patents in their time, 200 still consistent today, internationally and nationally. And they were responsible for things like the convertible mechanism that opens and closes cars and the hand crank for the windows. They got into other areas of manufacturing during their heyday and did some art deco clocks. bomb parts for the war effort and other interesting manufacturing part of our history. They didn't just supply one manufacturer, they supplied all 10 major manufacturers when they moved to this site in 1927. The original portion of the building was built in 1927 and then it was added on to various times. They left the site in 1980. For 50 years this was their primary manufacturing and research and development. And so this is the home of where they made the patents, where they registered them, and where they developed and manufactured most of them. Today it's used as a Home for Famous supply, and they're hoping to fill the rest of it. The reason a lot of these manufacturing facilities aren't saved is because you'll see a lot of people, they want a double height space over 15 feet high. Some of these, obviously, they do have higher ceilings, but then they have the sawtooth, so it limits some of the racking and lifts that light industrial can put into these facilities. So they're able to maintain it with light industrial and warehousing. They intend to keep the historic use.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

The staff has recommended approval of this application, this designation. Commissioners, any questions for the applicant? Hearing none, I'll ask is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak in favor of or opposed to this application? And Bill, did we get any calls, emails, or other correspondence with respect to this case?

I did receive one correspondence from a neighboring property just to the rear of this property. He was just more curious about how it could affect his property values in the future. I told him that it really has no bearing on his property and that the purpose for pursuing the local landmark designation is to assist with future approvals from the state and federal government in terms of grant thank you commissioners at this time if there's no additional questions for the applicant i'll accept a motion on this case i'll make a motion to approve all seconds

We have a first and a second to approve the application. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That carries unanimously. And this goes to city council on September 17th at 4 o'clock in these chambers.

Perfect, thank you. That will keep us eligible for tax credits.

Thank you. Good luck.

Thank you.

Ms. Cottrell, we have a director's board.

Just a very quick report. I wanted to introduce our two new planners. Luke Fullop and Becca Brown have been promoted up to planner. They're gonna start in a few weeks and their positions will be filled, but you will start to see those two, Luke and Becca, at the hearings doing case work. We're really happy to have them promoted up. Awesome.

Congratulations.

That's it.

Okay, at this time we are adjourned. Thank you everybody.