Toledo City Plan Commission - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Thank you.

I call to order the Zoning and Planning Committee of August, sorry, not August, September 16th, 2026. Clerk, please call the roll.

Morris?

Here.

Martinez?

Driscoll?

Present, sorry. Here.

Gattis? Here. Hobbs? Comibes? Meldon? Sorrento? Here. Williams? Here. Six present.

I was going to say, don't make me give you that mom look when they call your name. I just wanted to let folks know we're going to be doing a little bit of jockeying of cases, so please pay attention when I call your case. Please come to the microphone as the clerk is reading the case. And then we will ask you then to speak on behalf of your case. So at this point, I am asking for the applicant for case number one to come to the microphone. And clerk, can you please read case number one?

Case number one is a request for a zone change from CO office commercial to RD6 duplex residential for the property located at 1302 Kelsey Avenue. Case number Z26-0013, the Plain Commission recommends approval.

Can you state your name and address for the record?

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

And would you raise your hand? Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do. Yes. Thank you.

Okay, tell me about your application for a zone change.

This is an office commercial property. It was previously zoned as residential. All the surrounding properties are all residential. That's the only commercial property there. So we're trying to switch it back to residential. It was actually done a few years ago, four years ago. It was actually done four years ago to commercial, but it used to be residential. So we're trying to put it back to residential property.

Okay. And will someone be residing in that property then? Yes.

Okay.

All right. Is there anyone in the audience? I'm sorry. Ms. Cottrell, do you have anything to add?

So this is an old legacy commercial building that the applicant wants to use for single family, which is not permitted in the CO zoning district. Hence the zone change. We did not get any calls or any concerns at the plan commission hearing. Okay.

Thank you. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak for or against case number one? Again, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak for or against case number one? Okay. Council member Gaddis, what is your recommendation?

I recommend this go to city council as approved. Thank you.

Seeing no objections, so ordered. So this will be going to the full city council on October 6th. You do not need to be there, but it'll be at 4 PM and it will be heard, okay? Okay. All right, thank you for coming. Thank you. You're welcome. Would the applicant for case number two please come forward? And clerk, could you please read case number two?

Case number two is a request for a zone change from IL Limited Industrial to see our regional commercial for the property located at 3910 Haverhill Drive, case number Z26-0014. The plan commission recommends approval.

Could you state your name and address for the record?

My name is Craig Joseph. My address is 3522 Edgevale Road, Toledo, Ohio.

Would you raise your right hand, please? Yes, I will. Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do.

I do. Thank you.

Thank you. I understand you're changing this back to commercial. It was commercial and then it went to IL. Now it's back to commercial. Tell me what's going on with this property.

So it was always CR and my brother, who unfortunately passed away August 11th, had this great idea to build a warehouse there, but none of us were on board with it. And so the warehouse never got built and we're just trying to put it back to its original intent we have a tenant who wants to move in there and Some young people in the in the area there. I think we'll add a business to the area So we're very optimistic and hopeful that the committee will approve it

I have, that's my neighborhood, is over there. And so I really would like to see something productive in that spot. It's been very lonely for a while. And so is this going to be a used car? Yes. Okay.

Yes, and we've already put... In anticipation, hopefully it'll be approved. They've put a lot of money already into the building. We've cleaned up the lot. We're redoing the parking lot. So we'll clean it up. And it's been an area where people have just been dumping trash, and it's been a nuisance that we're going to clean that up.

Okay. Your music to my ears here. So if not, I'm going to come have coffee with you over on Edgevale. Ms. Cottrell, do you have anything to add?

Only that we did not receive any calls in opposition or anyone at the end.

Okay.

Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak for or against case number two? Again, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak for or against case number two? All right, this is in my district, and I will recommend this go to the full city council as approved. And seeing no objections, so ordered. This will be heard at the full city council on October 6th. Thank you. Thank you for coming. Have a great day. Sorry about your brother. Oh, I... Mm-hmm.

I appreciate that.

Yeah. Okay, we're going to do a little jockeying here. We're going to move to case number five. And this is a request for an SUP for a gas station. I'm assuming you're the applicant for case number five? Yes. And clerk, can you please read case number five?

Case number five is a request for a special use permit for a gas station for the property located at 2485 North Detroit Avenue. Case number SGP 25-0037, the plan commission recommends approval subject to 38 conditions.

Okay, would you state your name and address for the record?

My name is . 2485 North Detroit Avenue.

Raise your right hand please. You swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

Thank you. Tell us about your application, sir.

Well, I've had the property for a while now. I've been trying to get it up to its original state as a gas station. And it's been a little tough road trying to get it up and running. I've got the support, Sitco's also supporting me with the build. We're just trying to get it up and basically just get that corner back in its original shape, keep it clean, keep it neat.

And you will have gas there. Yes. Will you have any kind of automotive element?

No, just gas, convenience, that's it.

Okay, thank you. Ms. Cottrell, do you have anything to add?

There were two neighborhood meetings held, one on 228 and then with an expanded name list on 84. The vote at the planning commission level was a split vote, three to two approval.

Okay, thank you. I will call on members of city council, President Williams.

Thank you. I'm the district council person for that area. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you too. Sorry I couldn't make your meeting. It's okay. The question I have is, you acquired this property at 17?

Yes.

Okay. You haven't been paying the taxes on it. You paid an 18, 20, 21, 23, and 26, and you're left with $3,000.

Yes. The plan is to clear everything before the build.

You want to pay it off before the build? Yes. If this goes through? Yes. Oh, okay. So that corner is pretty active. And it's a gas station in central Detroit. I'm trying to get sheets down there at Monroe and... It ain't going to happen, but Monroe in Detroit is a gas station. Then we got our ARCO. Right. Yeah. What makes you want to put a gas station here? Do you live over there?

No, I don't live here. But, I mean, the plan is to, you know, start something over here in Toledo.

Just something? No.

I mean, life.

Another gas station?

A life.

We need another gas station, huh? Well.

We always need another gas station. No, we don't. We're talking about sheets, so.

Sheets is different. So. There's a convenience store across there. Have you talked to those folks over there?

No, I haven't.

Oh, okay. They actually are right across the street.

Right, and they're right here.

Yeah, okay, so you haven't talked to them. Actually... I'm impressed that you came to do this. I'll let the community speak and I'll give my recommendation, Chair.

Thank you very much. I'm going to move on to Council Member, sorry. Take that off. Okay, Councilman Driscoll, please.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you for being here today. I attended the second neighborhood meeting. a couple weeks ago, and it was not probably the best and the easiest environment, so I appreciate you hanging in there. But I did want to give my thoughts on a few things. First of all, taxes aren't optional. So it's not like you get to choose when to pay them. They're not optional. They're not optional even if you don't have a successful business. You've got to pay your taxes.

Well, I am paying, though. I mean, if you look at the records, I did just pay a month ago. That's true.

Yeah, we are. But there's still an outstanding match. No, I understand that. For the record. Understood. Everybody's edification. Understood. But the question before us is a land use question, ultimately. I understand how the planner arrived at the conclusion, because I think the Forward Toledo plan, it does state that we should try to sustain what we already have. And of course, there is an existing structure here. But here's my problem with this. And I feel very strongly we should vote this down. After all the community engagement in the Forward Toledo plan, the number one thing that came up over and over again for people living across the city is they wanted walkable neighborhoods. What does a walkable neighborhood really mean? In my opinion, it's not just a place to take a walk or walk your dog. It's to be able to accomplish something by walking. If I live in the old West End, we have very limited opportunities for commercial investment in the neighborhood. There's not that many commercial buildings. It was built like a subdivision for the most part. It's mostly housing. If that neighborhood is ever going to become a quote unquote walkable neighborhood with services, jobs, places to shop. We have to be really conscientious about what we do with the commercial space that's already there. And this is a commercial site. Detroit Avenue represents some of the only commercial opportunities in the neighborhood. Collingwood probably represents the remainder of them. Maybe a few sites on Delaware, but for the most part, the sites are very limited. And a gas station by its nature is not a walkable, land use just isn't. It's designed for cars. And I put aside, I think there are negative externalities from gas stations anyways to abutting properties. But I think the community spoke pretty clearly that night, and I think we'll hear later, but Yeah, I think I don't think this is in alignment with the Ford Toledo plan and like I said I understand how the planner came to that conclusion. This is no No shame on them. I just think it's it's clear to me that this is not in alignment with our our plan and this is not a walkable land use and we Need to be conscientious about what we're putting specifically in this neighborhood where commercial opportunities are so limited the other concern I have with uh... the staff report is actually not about uh... plan commission staff have no idea i i am at a loss this is the second one and and and as many months uh... some of us got their transportation department there's no left turn on on detroit So I don't know how folks are going to be getting in and out of this without creating a safety hazard on Detroit Avenue. I don't know, Director Cottrell, if you could speak to that, but I think we might need to be taking a closer look at how these things are going through transportation.

then ultimately get into the plan commission other than that that's all the comments i have thank you so i i did call and verify that they had no concerns a day before the city planning commission hearing because we had heard the neighbors concerns about it and transportation said they it's an existing site and they they stood by with their comments that they did not have any issues with it

It's an existing site, but it's an existing vacant site. So I just don't think that it takes that into account. In the long run, I think we probably could road dye Detroit. It probably doesn't carry as much traffic as necessary. So I think you could easily put in a left turn lane. And maybe in the future, when we're considering development on Detroit Avenue, that's what we do. But this is the second case in as many months where I'm starting to wonder What that the transportation filter looks like in this? In this organization, but that that is again to be very very clear not a fault of the Planning Commission Not a fault of the Planning Commission staff.

I just really wondering how this got through Yeah, and I did like I said, I did call and confirm because I did hear the concerns and they they they were insistent They they didn't have an issue with it. Thank you.

I don't understand Thank You madam chair

Councilman, maybe perhaps we would have a Transportation Committee hearing about that issue. Thank you. Councilmember Gattis.

Thank you. Did you say there were two community meetings?

There was one on 228 and then with an expanded name list, we had a second one on 84.

And how were they well attended?

Could you give us one was not we had not had that we had not expanded into the old West End to get those neighbors and those groups for the second one we did. The second one was quite well attended.

And then what were the major concerns of the community?

A lot of the concerns were what you heard was traffic, safety, is it appropriate use, rather something walkable, more community related, but I think traffic and safety, I think you'll hear from the neighbors were the big issues.

And then have we gotten any calls or emails about it?

Yeah, we had multiple calls and emails as well as...

letters a lot as late as just today i do have a copy here of his of my planner's call log he had several calls so i can pass that around for everyone okay and then um how long has the pumps been gone because they this is from the the 64 is that when they put it in

It's been, I'm sorry, I can't see that right now.

So how long has it been without pumps? Because I assume there's still the basin underground, but no pumps, right?

Yeah, I'm not sure I can get you that information, but I don't know how long it's been without pumps.

Okay, were there any environmental concerns?

So the environmental services did add a condition that final inspections have not been approved via the state, and that has to happen before any occupancy permit were to be issued, but that lack of an inspection was a concern to them.

Yeah, that's my biggest concern is when they're, I mean, they're sitting in the ground that long without use and without maintenance. That could be quite dangerous to the surrounding neighborhoods. All right, thank you, Chair.

Thank you. All right, I am going to open this up to the public. And so gentlemen, if you would go ahead and have a seat. I don't know if we have a sign up sheet. Okay, do you want to grab it so we can call people? Okay, we can just call as people come up. The one thing I'm going to ask, we're going to limit comments to three minutes. And there will be, there's timers on the sides here. And we're gonna ask your name and address. And do we have to swear them in? We have to swear you in. And that won't count against your three minutes, okay? Even if you have a long name, it's okay. So go ahead and state your name and address for the record.

Gregory Kane, 411 Boston Place, Toledo.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you. Thank you. You have three minutes.

After we've had multiple meetings regarding this situation, and I'd like to point out again, as I pointed out to the Planning Commission, the applicant stated his address as the address on Detroit Avenue of the gas station. He lives in Hamtramck, Michigan. He owns multiple gas stations he impressed upon us in Detroit. We do not need within a mile from Detroit and Central to Detroit Monroe five gas stations. That's what would happen if this goes through. We are totally opposed. The neighborhood is totally opposed to this. And we look forward to the Planning Commission and Council to vote this down. You looked at all the recommendations on behalf of the Planning Commission. Also, he has not paid his taxes. He's owned the property since 2014. Most of us have lived in the neighborhood for over 50 years. And if we let our property stay that way for 10 years, which he has done, we'd be in housing court. So we are pleading with you to vote this down. Any questions? Thank you.

Thank you. All right. Please go ahead and pull down the microphone so that it's at your level and state your name and address for the record, please.

Carol Couchet, 2483 Scottwood Avenue. would you raise your right hand please do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth of so say i do i do thank you thank you you have three minutes i appreciate the opportunity to speak uh i've lived in the old west end for over 30 years and i've been active with women of the old west end and the women of the old west end sent a very succinct letter outlining five different points. And I assume you have those before you to review. But I would just like to speak on a few personal things. I attended the meeting at Kent Branch Library last month and I posed a question to my fellow neighbors and asked them did they view this site as being no longer in use. And they all agreed on that point. And at the end of the time together, I believe there was one gentleman who was in favor of having the gas station at that site. Recently in the Old West End, we have had a very heartfelt event with the gang activity. And we have observed that certain sites in our area draw adverse actions, shootings, and violent things. The Detroit stop, which is right across the street from this site, is one of those. It's drawn many actions from the police over the course of the time of year. We are like a little island in the old West End and there's all this activity around us and we are very sensitive to this right now. I would view that station operating, selling not only gas, but gambling opportunities to be another site that could draw gang activity and violence. would be very adverse to the station being operating at this time there are those who say that is a a blank piece of property and we should have something there but i say that it's better off being not operating until we find something that we can welcome Thank you very kindly.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Is there anyone else who would like to speak for or against case number five? I please state your name and address for the record.

Sue Jones, 3018 Warsaw.

Would you raise your right hand? Do you swear and tell the truth and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do.

I do.

Thank you.

You have three minutes. I'm the person for 2516 North Detroit, Detroit Stop. I know they say there's a lot of gang stuff there. There is not. A lot of that doesn't come from our store. When the festival went on, they had nothing to do with our store, but they put it as our store. Either he can have a gas station and we're applying for a gas station. We do need a gas station there. Nobody wants to go to gas in the hood because now that is a bad gas station. Yes, I heard what you said, but there's a gas station down there. It's always Detroit stop. We can't control what goes on around there. We tell people to leave every day. We try to make it a better place. We can't control the community. They can't control the community. So either give him a gas station, give us a gas station, either way, again, like I said, it's not always something at Detroit Stop. People bring stuff from other places, just like the festival. That had nothing to do with Detroit Stop. That came with outside people going over into the festival, starting whatever. Yes, they ran that direction, but again, it has nothing to do with Detroit Stop. I can't speak for this gentleman, but I can speak for my store. Okay, thank you very much.

All right, please come forward. And would you state your name and address for the record? Tammy Michalak, 2056 Scottwood Avenue.

Would you raise your right hand? Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do. I do. Thank you. Thank you.

You have three minutes. Thank you. So I'm actually here speaking on behalf of not just myself as a 30-year resident of the Old West End, but on behalf of the Women of the Old West End Association. For the record, while we did submit this morning an additional letter and supporting exhibits to city council and the plan commission, I assume everyone received that, outlining our concerns and reasons why we believe this special use permit should be denied. Under Toledo Municipal Code section 1111.0706, council is required to determine whether this proposal meets the approval criteria spelled out in that section of the code. We believe that it does not, and there's really four primary reasons. And I'm actually going to, there wasn't one that I didn't really include, but I'm going to include it now that we heard from the Detroit stop. And I don't have the exact section, but I'm just going to address that one first. But I thought that there was something in the special use permit codes talking about the ability to have safety and applications, if I'm not mistaken, and I think that the individual here just expressed we can't even handle the issues that exist today why would we add another gas station and make it even more burdensome to our community and that that in and of itself makes no sense to me uh... but but really our primary goals and objectives is that we don't believe it meets that criteria and it should be removed first because the proposal as uh... councilman driscoll said it's incompatible with the with the site use uh... the the then forward to legal plan clearly states that this is designated as a mixed neighborhood mixed use the staff report specifically stated that and acknowledged that auto oriented uses such as gas stations are not compatible with that designation And if you can look at any of the two exhibits or the three exhibits that we had, the two maps, you can clearly see that it's surrounded by residential homes. It's located near multiple schools as well as daycare facilities. SECOND, THERE IS NO DEMONSTRATED PUBLIC NEED THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED BY ANYONE FOR ANOTHER GAS STATION. IN EXHIBIT A, WE'VE DOCUMENTED SIX GAS STATIONS AS WELL AS SIX ADDITIONAL CONVENIENCE STORES THAT ARE OPERATING WITHIN A ONE MILE RADIUS OF THIS PROPOSED SITE. CLEARLY, THIS IS A WELL SERVICED AREA FOR GAS STATIONS AND CONVENIENCE STORES. WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE. Third, council needs to consider the impact to the neighboring properties. That includes things like traffic, lighting, noise, and environmental concerns. Residents have made significant investments in their homes within this community and trying to redevelop this neighborhood into a livable, walkable neighborhood. We should not have our efforts diminished by yet another gas station.

Ma'am, your time is up. Okay. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you. Be careful. Would you state your name and address?

Tony Moore, 2369 Robinwood.

Thank you.

With Women of the Old West End.

Would you raise your right hand, please? Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do.

yes thank you you have three minutes miss moore well i think my neighbors have said of many things but i will tell you that when this gentleman came to us when he was asked to meet with the neighborhood we truly thought that he would bring renderings of what he planned to do for this building and he never did and there was a lot of back and forth we never really got a lot of information There are within the mile radius around this neck of the woods where we all live, there are seven gas stations, three of which are on Detroit Avenue. We don't need a fourth gas station on Detroit Avenue. There's one right at the expressway and that is between Monroe and Central Avenue. Please know that we have thought seriously about all of this. It's very difficult to think that we would end up with another gas station there. Also, please know that we will keep an eye on all of the things that are going on within the neighborhood. and report back. I know that Mac Driscoll has had some concerns. I know Vanessa had some concerns. We have concerns about it as well. So know that we will be diligent in coming back to you if we have to and talk to you about the things that we're very concerned about. Again, I am concerned, very much concerned about another gas station on Detroit Avenue. Thank you.

Thank you. It's one thing I never underestimate is the power of the women of the Old West End. Councilman Driscoll.

Thank you, Madam Chair. In addition to the process question I had about the transportation department's review of these, it occurred to me in the last two meetings that people are coming before this committee and swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And telling us their properties are vacant. I think that members here who oversee code compliance, code enforcement, and economic development, we have a vacant property registration. I don't know if there's properties on it, but we know it's vacant. And so I think from this committee, I think plan commission is oftentimes the first interaction somebody has with the city of Toledo. probably plan commission if we can find a way to refer this to code enforcement to get these properties on our vacant property registration and this obviously would be one thank you we can do that

Thank you. Before I get to Council Member McPherson, I do have just a technical question for Ms. Cottrell. One of the emails had said that the site has sat vacant for more than ten years and is a non-conforming use. So can the applicant just simply rely on history or would they have to qualify under today's standards?

So the nonconformity is the loss of the special use permit. There was a special use permit for the gas station that was there originally. So the zoning's okay, but the special use is what needed.

Just wanted to have that clarification. Thank you so much. Council Member McPherson.

Thank you. Apologies for being late, but the person that is requesting this, who would? Okay, this question is for you. Yes. Two questions.

Yes.

One, for what reason, why did you choose this site?

I was shopping around back ten years ago, found a property I liked, a corner I liked, a neighborhood I liked, and I decided to buy it. I did my research, didn't know that there was, at the time, there was a convenience store issue because of the distance of another station. so I couldn't proceed with it at the time. I did try to meet with the, you know, with a couple community, you know, advocates like, you know, the women of OSN. They advised me. They were, again, in my favor at the time. I don't know what happened since then, but um so i had to wait it out the laws changed you know fell in my favor um i started searching for you know the right investors i found that sitco is planning on doing the site i did i know one one of the ladies said that i didn't have any plans i did provide the plans in earlier i think alex gave it to you guys So, you know, my plan is just to bring that corner back up and make it look better than what it is right now. So this is not just for me. It's also for the community. And it will, you know, provide for a few families, you know, a paycheck at the end of the week.

Do you have other gas stations?

I do. No. Okay.

I don't know. That's why I'm asking. I don't know and I would like to see, are they city? In the city of Toledo?

No, they're in the city of Detroit.

How do I say this without getting in trouble? But I do have people. I'm concerned. And everybody knows this about me. Everybody wants to come into Toledo. And build or bring in what they think is good for Toledo, but don't live in Toledo. Don't work in Toledo and don't share Toledo's youth. I have a problem with that, for one. And what you want to bring back to our community that you know nothing about is an insult to me because I live in that community. I just want that for the record. You don't know our community. Okay, let me bring it down. Well, this, um, most of the people, cause I got the mic, um, you've heard from, um, those that live in the community. Also, I remember. Growing up the Sunoco and the crayon family that owned that Sunoco gas station, a family business that was wonderful. And that piece of property has been dead for over 20 some years. Um, what else will be there other than a gas station?

Well, just to put it out there, I don't sell alcohol. I don't sell any drugs other than a convenience store slash, you know, gas station. That's all it's going to be.

Vapes, cigarettes? Cigarettes, other than that. Lottery tickets?

Not as of this moment, no.

Not as of this moment.

My focus is more on convenience store slash gas station.

So you have like milk, eggs? Yes. okay i'm i'm i don't have any more questions for you sir i am very concerned i'm all for businesses let me be clear i am all for business but i have a problem when people come into our city and think they know what's best for our city and our citizens, and you don't live here, you don't reside here, and you're not moving here. You just want to make money off of us. I'm through.

Thank you. You want to go ahead and have another seat? I'm going to open it up to anyone else who would like to speak for or against case number five.

Would you like me to sign in?

Yes, I'm sorry. Would you state your name and address for the record, and then we'll swear you in, and then you will have three minutes at that point. And you can pull down the mic as well.

Are you calling me short? My name is Lori Hammond. I am a resident of 921 Nassawood in Toledo, Ohio, and I'm also part of the Old West End Association.

We're going to swear you in here.

Would you raise your hand? Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so say I do? I do. Thank you.

you have three minutes thank you four thirty six uh... as councilwoman mcpherson has stated we are all for business development in our community my problem with this uh... special use permit is i don't feel that they did enough Research enough gathering of information input from the community I know that when we met with the plan Commission a couple of months ago He was required to do another community meeting which we had I Believe it was probably well over 20 25 people there And each one of us expressed our concerns We are not Discounting the fact that we need business on the Detroit corridor. However, we do not need that type of business. I understand that it is a brownfield, but I think there should be more information that could be gathered as to what else we could put there. In regard to him saying it will be a convenience store slash gas station, what's the markup of the convenience items? We already have three convenience stores in the area. When we're already paying $5 for a carton of eggs in a grocery store, I can't imagine what it's going to cost in a convenience store slash gas station. That's not going to sell lottery. That's not going to sell alcohol. That's not going to sell drug paraphernalia. I don't see that. I don't see it at all. Um, and again, as councilwoman has suggested or stated, the owner does not live in Toledo. He has no idea. He lives in Hamtramck. Even with the, at the prior meeting of the playing commission, He gave the address of the gas station as his residence, so I don't even believe that he's being forthcoming or transparent with his plans for the future. He said he's not doing lottery right now, maybe not until he opens, but any time after that, then you can apply for a lottery license if he doesn't already have one for the state of Ohio. I just think he's not being transparent, and I do not condone or, and I'm asking that council not approve that this special use permit be allowed so that he can reopen a gas station. As a matter of fact, I asked that maybe we could redirect him to find another opportunity, what he can use for that property. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anyone else? Okay, come on up. Please state your name and address for the record.

My name is Lynn Sheehan. My address is 444 Kenilworth Avenue, Toledo, Ohio.

And would you, well, when you're done with the pen. Yes.

Thank you much. I appreciate everyone's time.

Um, I am a, uh, I need to swear you. I'm so sorry. Oh, do you swear to tell the truth and nothing, nothing but the truth of South say I do. Yes. Thanks, ma'am.

You have three minutes. Thank you. I'll be brief. I think probably most of this has been said already. Uh, my name is Lynn Sheehan. I'm a resident of Toledo old town and the old West end, uh, both a resident property owner and a neighbor. I'm actively involved in numerous of the neighborhood organizations. I am here representing myself, uh, with my own voice today, although I'm very appreciative and respectful of my position on the Old West End Board as a trustee. We care very deeply about our neighborhoods, all of us over in District 4, and all sides of the street, et cetera. I believe a lot of the issues have been raised already by my very articulate neighbors and colleagues, And I want to thank all of you guys for seriously considering this proposal that has been through plan commission hearings twice in July and August and now is before you for your thoughts and ultimately a vote. I have a couple of serious concerns, one I shared with many elected representatives and community leaders who were at a neighborhood meeting for District 4 at the Zablocki Center, where it was a different issue. But I am encouraging all of you, our elected representatives, to really support the thoughtful planning and zoning that has been invested in Toledo becoming awake again, alive again, and a really vibrant, healthy city. having read staff reports, it seems like sometimes certain factors are being considered as far as the appropriateness of the zoning for a specified use. And I'm encouraging us to at least have a dynamic dialogue about things that support the proposals as well as things that contraindicate the proposals. And so far I've seen just the things that support said proposal that's moving forward. In this case, with the proposed and I believe redundant gas station and convenience store at this location, I don't think it supports the neighborhood fabric. Clearly we don't need it. There's not a demonstrated need for yet another. I know there's no current stricture about how far apart these facilities need to be. but i would encourage all of you guys to support business and neighborhoods i'm very pro-business i'm very pro economic redevelopment uh... i'm not a naysayer i also am not a believer that any use is a good user any development is a good development i think we all have more capacity to be more discerning than that. So I encourage you to do that as you consider this issue and vote. My other primary concern, which actually was disturbed when I presented at both of the Planning Commission hearings in July and August, is the safety of this proposed use at this location. And I'm well aware that this is essentially a mini brownfield with decades-old historic and now unregistered and uninspected fuel tanks. And I'm not informed enough as yet about what other possible uses, short of very expensive remediation, can occur at a site like this.

Excuse me.

Yes, are we done? Thank you. Anyway, I think it's a huge safety risk, and I'd love for you to consider that. Thank you for your time. Appreciate it.

Thank you. We'll take one more comment. Just state your name and address for the record, please.

Good afternoon. My name is Joyce Singer and I live at 662 Collins Street in the Old West End.

Would you raise your hand?

I will.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do. I do. Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am. You have three minutes.

Thank you. As stated, I live in the Old West End. I've been a resident in the Old West End for over 25 years. I am representing the Old West End Association, the women of Old West End, and the Glenwood Park Neighborhood Coalition. I, too, along with my neighbors, we oppose this special permit. We do not need another gas station convenience store in our community, anywhere within our community. Within a mile, two mile radius from Central and Detroit down to Detroit and Nebraska, there are 14 convenience slash and or gas stations that are in our community, mainly the underserved community. And these people come from Detroit, these owners, business owners, they have these LLCs and they come to our community and they open up in our community and they take advantage of our community and the underserved. Yes, they have convenience stores, but yes, they price gouge. They go and they raise up the prices to where it's not really helping our people, it's taking from our people. As far as the Detroit stop, the young lady said that the incident that happened with the OS10, the shooting, it didn't come from her store. However, I drove through there. And it was – their store was over-inundated with so many cars you couldn't even get through that was coming from the Detroit stop. And the music, the vulgar music that was coming from there. So what we're saying is that, yes, we do want – uh... other uh... businesses in our community and yes we encourage uh... economic development in our community but no we don't want to have another platform for negative activity to occur they don't live in our community they don't understand they don't see the people that are there in these parking lots at midnight late at night, hanging out, playing a bunch of music, you know, and you can't even go. My husband goes to work at 4 o'clock in the morning. He called me, and he'll say, you can't believe that gas station on the corner of Detroit and Central has so many people in that gas station at 5 o'clock in the morning. He's like, I couldn't even hardly get around the corner to get to work. So it creates an atmosphere for negative behavior, and that's what we're saying. And we absolutely do not. Yeah, there are There are gas stations. There's one, as it was stated, there's a gas station on Detroit and at the expressway that a half mile down, there's one on Detroit and Central. Then you go the other way, there's one on Detroit and Monroe. We don't need it and we don't want it because it does not promote any type of positivity in our community and so we are saying no we're asking you all to deny it deny deny but again encourage something else that would be more productive thank you very much for your comments council member gaddis thank you do we have a hours of operation

Was it requested for 24 hours?

We can add that as a condition. We are allowed to have hours of operation that match the liquor permit. So it would be 1 to 530. 1 a.m. to 530 a.m.

Okay. Thank you so much. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you. All right, I'm going to ask President of Council Williams to give us her recommendation. Now before I do that, I want to make sure everyone understands this. This is not a vote today, okay? This is a recommendation and then it will go to the full city council at the next meeting, which is October 6th. So just clarification, President Williams.

Thank you so much, Chair. I'm actually on leave this week, so I came just for this case, and then I'm going away. I appreciate all the residents coming and all my colleagues' feedback on this. This gas station, not even just a gas station, the ownership gives me pause because, like my colleague said, paying taxes is not an option. And since you had it, you pay every couple years, that's not good. uh... and then on top of that there's nuisance and abatement charges assessments that were put on this property as well so the ownership gives me pause uh... not only just the gas station being here but the ownership gives me pause and As far as I want to tell the community that's here, I did have a conversation with the gas station on Central and Detroit. They actually are under watch and on the start list, and they have to close at midnight and stay closed until 5 a.m. They're on my list. And if you know me, you know that I kind of take community engagement very seriously, and I take the – I take it serious. I want everybody to know we may not agree all the time on every topic, but we agree on this. There are several issues that give me pause outside the ownership, and I have to make sure that I'm aligning with the law when I say this will go to the Fuller City Council as disapproved. based on 1111.0706, the items C, D, E, and F. Those items are the reason under the review of why I am, and that is basically It goes against the safety of the neighborhood, the property values of the neighborhood, the sufficient public safety, and whether it has environmental impacts. So I appreciate someone coming forth and wanting to open a business, but you can't just put anything in our neighborhood. So we appreciate you. Try again. Thank you, Chair.

Seeing no objections, so ordered. Sir, there is some paperwork you'd have to sign, and this will be heard in the full city council on October 6th. All right, let's backtrack a little bit, and let's go to case number three. Would the applicant for case number three please come forward, and clerk, can you please read case number three? Please be in order. If you have any comments, please go outside. This is still an active hearing. Clerk, please go ahead.

Case number three is a request for a special use permit for a storage of tow-away vehicles for the property located at 5825 Angola Road, case number SUP 26-0018. The plan commission staff recommends disapproval. The plan commission recommends approval subject to 29 conditions and two waivers.

Can you please, both of you, state your name and address for the record and we will swear you in after that point.

My name's Eric Stearns. I'm the owner and operator of Paiseki Towing Service at 5825 Angola Road.

Thank you.

My name's Kyle Tucker. I'm an attorney at Eastman & Smith. Our office is at 1 Seagate.

Okay, Mr. Smith, you won't have to be sworn in, but yes, you will need to be sworn in, Mr. Paiseki.

Stearns?

I'm sorry, Stearns? Yes. The business is Paiseki, sorry.

No worries. Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do. I do. Thank you.

Thank you. Tell us about your application.

So we are a towing provider for many municipalities in the county, in the county of Lucas County, I'm sorry, in the city of Toledo. We operate a towing service at 5825 Angola Road. We're requesting a special use permit for the storage of our tow vehicles.

How long have you owned that property?

I've owned it about three years.

And do you know what it was before?

It's been various different transportation-related businesses for many years, as is pretty much the entire street that we operate on.

Thank you. Ms. Cottrell, do you have anything to add?

So I'll add that staff recommended disapproval because there is a spacing requirement against residential. Planning Commission recommended approval for a number of reasons. We didn't get any opposition. We did go beyond the normal outreach. We did talk to the... owner of the mobile home park and they distributed notices there so because there was no opposition and because the applicant is Improving the site and it's been of an auto nature for so long blank mission recommended approval Thank you.

Is there anyone and I'm sorry councilman Driscoll Thank You madam chair.

Just curious director control was a five nothing voter.

It was a five nothing vote.

Okay. Thank you

Thank you. Council Member Gaddis.

Thank you. I know this sounds like a weird question, but as a district member you see a lot of things. Will all of the vehicles be behind the fence? Stored behind the fence?

Yes, so all the vehicles will be stored behind the fence and then actually they will also be stored behind the building.

OK, so that be nothing visibly terrible in front.

no no actually we'll we have a site plan that's uh like total renovation with um landscaping and we'll meet all the requirements and conditions i really appreciate that thank you thank you chair thank you is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak for or against case number three

Again, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak for or against case number three? This is in District 2. Councilman Martinez, what is your recommendation?

Thank you, Madam Chair. So just a couple quick questions. So, Mrs. Stearns, thank you. I'm actually familiar with this building. I drive past it fairly regularly. So you've been operating roughly three years as is?

At that location, yes. Pisecki Towing Service has been around since 1936.

Yeah, no, I'm familiar with your company. And you guys have always ran a top notch business, so I have no concerns. Because sometimes when we acquire buildings, we don't necessarily always know what's allowable. So we had this last year with a smoke shack type thing where they had operated illegally for three years. And I'm not trying to shut down businesses, but this is a little bit different. My only pause is that it goes against the forward Toledo plan. because of the spacing requirement, but you can't really do much because of where you're located. And rarely do I go against the forward Toledo plan, but I'm willing to give you a shot since your reputation of your company precedes you. But I would like a one year review, just to make sure everything's going well, if that's okay. So basically, I'm going to make a recommendation for, assuming you're okay with the conditions and the two waivers.

Yes.

so i guess i do need to make sure that's on the uh the record that he is okay with the waivers i'm sorry uh the clerk has to specify them i'm sorry oh i'm sorry what was that oh for councilman martinez his recommendation

Oh, I'll wait until his recommendation.

What is your recommendation?

So my recommendation is going to be for that this goes to the body for approval. And I'm asking the Planning Commission to do a one year review on the SUP, assuming that they are okay with the waivers and the special conditions.

Okay, the first waiver is the waiver of TMC 1104.1600 to permit storage of tow away vehicles within 500 feet of a residential district. What is your recommendation?

I recommend to go to the city council for full approval.

Okay, the second is a waiver of TMC 1107.1906 to allow stone gravel in the vehicle storage parking areas.

I recommend the city council as approved.

Thank you. All right, seeing no objections, so ordered. So this will go to the full city council on October 6th.

May I just clarify one thing? It sounded like, my understanding on an SUP, so long as it gets approved, you only have a certain period of time to implement that, right? And isn't that roughly about 12 months?

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm having trouble hearing. Can someone silence their phone, please? Could you restate that, please?

I'm kind of looking at Lisa because I know she probably knows the code better. But the question is whether or not the SUP, if approved, it's got to be implemented within a certain period of time. And the question is, how long is that time? Because maybe that alleviates Councilman Martinez's concern.

So that's correct. You have one year to completely implement and adhere to all the conditions of approval.

Okay, so we will comply with the condition so long as city council approves and then if within a year we haven't met those standards, then of course it would be readjust by the city, which of course just for clarification purposes, this kind of stems from a notice that we received and you know, a little bit of a naivety as to whether or not the use was allowed when the purchase happened. Correct. Okay, thank you.

Okay, are we good? Yep. We do need some signatures, so if you'll meet Dana over here, that would be great. All right, thank you for your time. Thank you very much.

Best of luck, thank you.

Thank you. Let's move on to case number four. Can the applicant for case number four please come forward? And clerk, can you please read case number four?

Case number four is a request for a special use permit for a scrap and salvage facility for the property located at 4103 LaGrange Street. Case number SGP 26-0011. The plan commission recommends approval subject to 44 conditions and three waivers. Okay.

Sir, will you please state your name and address for the record?

My name is Gary Gursick and my address is 8614 Casey Lane in Montclova, Ohio.

We're going to go ahead and swear you in, but we need your right hand, so we're going to wait a little bit here.

Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so say I do?

I do.

Thank you.

Okay. Tell us why you're making an application for this special use permit.

So I'm working on behalf of RNM Recycling at 4103 LaGrange Street, also known as Junkie Realty. And they've accepted the majority of the recommended conditions that you all have in front of you. And they've agreed to significant improvements, including driveway modifications, landscaping, and eight-foot screening fence, just to name a few. We respectfully request the committee's consideration for the four items, approval of waiver C, which is to retain the existing employee parking lot within 30 feet of the Green Street right away. Can we see, I don't know if you can. So although the planning commission didn't support this, the traffic management indicated that the waiver was acceptable. subject to the approved parking lot layout with a 25-foot drive aisle, bi-directional drive aisle. And that's represented in a plan that, I don't know if we have it up there, but it's probably in that packet. The second approval waiver, E, we're requesting to allow the southern trailer and roll-off storage area to remain asphalt grindings. PAVING EVEN JUST THE DRIVE AISLE ALONE WOULD CREATE SUBSTANTIAL COSTS TO REQUIRE UNDERGROUND STORM SEWER SYSTEM FOR THIS OWNER. SO R&M REQUESTS THAT THE EXISTING ASPHALT GRINDING SURFACE REMAIN THROUGHOUT THIS STORAGE AREA, INCLUDING THE DRIVE AISLE TOGETHER WITH THE PROPOSED LANDSCAPING, FENCING, AND SCREENING IMPROVEMENTS THAT THEY PROPOSED, WE PROPOSED IN THE PLANS. Third is the removal of sanitary sewer conditions 16 and 17, which is the inspection, cleaning, and videoing of the existing sanitary sewer taps. This SUP amendment does not impact any of the existing sanitary sewer taps. Therefore, we're requesting a waiver of that. Fourth is the request removal of item 40, which is allowing the sign to remain. This amendment isn't requesting a new sign, and the existing sign is compatible with the surrounding environment along Green Street. So again, we respectively request approval of the special use permit with these four modifications. And I don't know if you guys have anything else to add, but we appreciate your time and consideration.

Thank you. Ms. Cottrell, do you have anything to add?

so there are multiple waivers there are multiple conditions uh kind of debated on the floor of the planning commission um the waivers that were granted were the 100 foot setback off of detroit the 100 foot setback from residential and the gravel to allow gravel in the northern part of the site plan commission did not approve the gravel in the southern part of the site they felt it was too close to the residential could cause some some issues there and it would get easily broken up the parking issue There's a small area of parking on the north North east corner the site off of the Grange that was installed without permits without site plan review That requires a waiver because it's within the setback. The Planning Commission did not approve that and um customer parking we no longer have parking minimums they felt that there was enough parking on site without that so the sign the sign is a is a tough a tough question you know it needs to be brought down we we do want to be careful about opening that that floodgate uh the code right now says any plan commission review any any additions this is an addition of a large portion of land requires that sign to be brought down we have not waived that criteria yet uh condition 16 and 17 i've seen those waived i've seen those not waived it's a matter of keeping our our sewers inspected videotaped um playing commission was not willing to waive that as we've had some recent issues with underground utilities thank you i'm going to go with council member gaddis

Thank you. Could you list again, I caught a couple of the, you asked for four. Yes. I know one of them was 40, but could you list them?

So on your sheet, you see item C is in Charlie and item E is in Echo. Those are two of the waivers we're recommending for approval. And then the other two are, conditions of the sup from plan commission which is 16 and 17 which reference to sanitary sewer taps and item 14 number 40 with the signs 40. so i apologize you're right the items 16 17 and 40 are not on that sheet okay and how long have you been in business how long has this been in business They've been in, this is. Thank you.

Please state your name and address for the record.

Good afternoon, Matt Fisher. I'm an attorney at Marshall & Melhorn for Seagate, 8th floor. I've represented Mike Rogers and his companies for probably 15 years now. Mike has been in business for well over, I want to say 25 years at that location. Councilwoman Morris was courteous enough to come out and visit the site and walk it with us. She met Mike, she walked around, she saw what we were doing there, which again, thank you very much, Councilwoman. We do appreciate your time. Mike has been a longstanding businessman in the city of Toledo, very upstanding. And I think Councilwoman Morris will confirm, if you look around at the different scrap yards in the Toledo area, Micron's a very well-run operation. He's very aware of his neighbors, cognizant of his neighbors, and is very courteous to them. And I think that that showed when they had the neighborhood meetings, and we had no opposition to that. Thank you.

Thank you. Appreciate that. Okay, thank you. Thank you for the clarity.

Please feel free to go on if you have anything else. Do you have anything else?

No, my concern is the drainage ditch. That makes me a little like, but...

I didn't want to cut you off. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Councilman Driscoll.

Thank you, Chair. So, Director Gattro, is nothing in the staff report then about the sign? Is that right? Today he's just requesting a waiver. Is that right?

Correct. The code requires it to be brought down because of the review. You could waive that.

I understand the request, but, you know, our sign code really only works kind of proactively at this point, and we did all the work to put that into place, and it The only way really we're gonna get these signs updated is if people choose to do it themselves or if we got new development. And I appreciate the concern, but this is really the only time we get, the only opportunities we get to update signage in this community, which I think we all saw was an important thing to do. So I really don't think we should waive that. But other than that, I have no issue with this.

Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak for or against case number four? Again, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak for or against case number four? Okay, I did go and walk the property with the owner and actually some of the other folks that are in the room. And it was eye opening to see how they operate. And I always drive past it and I always do have some concerns and I address them at the meeting. that we don't want to have really high structures of the recycled materials. I always feel like they're gonna spill out onto the road. And so when I was there, they showed me that they have barriers, semi-trailers, that help keep it contained within the uh the the fencing um i too have concerns about the signs um we we do uh have a sign code for a reason uh and um and i am concerned about the waterway However, I understand, you know, once I actually walked the facility and saw that the place in question is not really close to homes, at least in my opinion. I didn't really feel like it was something next door to a home. And, you know, we clarified operational time so it's not something that's going to be going on, you know, ad nauseum in the middle of the night. And the actual road is a kind of a ‑‑ it's actually kind of like a service road in some ways between Detroit and ‑‑ And it's just to store some of the materials, so it's not going to be very active from what I understand. Is that correct?

So actually, Councilwoman, you are correct. The area that we're talking about only stores empty roll-off containers, and they just come and go. But there's not that much room to put more than maybe a couple dozen. So the traffic in there is pretty minimal, but there are always empty containers.

Yeah, and this was something that transportation was concerned about, but then talking it over with transportation, they actually did opine that it was okay. So I would like to talk to you a little bit about the sign. I really would like to see the sign stay in as a condition. I'm not sure if you have the ability to speak on behalf of the owner if if that would be a condition that you would agree to keep in or If that's not something do we need to defer this So you want the new sign but then the other ones are acceptable and

I'm talking about taking down the sign Right, it would have to come down to a monument sign So the the rest of the waivers would be acceptable councilwoman, yes, we would be acceptable to that yes I can speak on behalf of the owner

okay all right seeing no objections so ordered this will go to the full city council as approved um and you do i bet we do have to have you uh she's going to read these waivers here so go ahead and i will say what i need to say

Okay, I'm going to read all five of the requested waivers. The first, the Plain Commission recommended approval of waiver of TMC 1104.2701 to permit scrap and salvage operations within 100 feet of Detroit Avenue.

I recommend this go to the full city council as approved.

All right, the second, the Planning Commission recommends approval of waiver of TMC 1104.2701 to permit scrap and salvage trucking operations and empty dumpster storage within 100 feet of a residential use.

I recommend this go to the full city council as approved.

The third, the Planning Commission recommended disapproval of waiver of TMC 1107.1202 to permit existing non-grandfathered off-street parking facilities within 30 feet of LaGrange.

I have to see. So did you agree to that? I'm trying to remember which ones you agreed to and which ones you didn't. That was recommended disapproval.

We have not agreed to that one. We would like to have that waived, please.

okay um if you can hold on for just a second i want to have a conversation uh side note so hold on i recommend this does not go or this go to the full city council as disapproved

All right, the fourth waiver. The Planning Commission recommends approval of waiver of TMC 1107.1906 to permit dirt and or gravel for portions of the site north of the railroad tracks where heavy equipment is utilized.

I recommend this go to the full city council as approved.

All right, number the fifth. The plan commission recommends disapproval of waiver of TMC 1107.1906 to permit asphalt grindings for the southern trucking operation and dumpster storage area instead of a required dust-free pavement material.

I recommend this go to the full city council as approved.

They recommend disapproval, but is that okay? Okay.

I think it's okay. Okay. This is a new process we're going through, so kind of bear with us. We're trying to figure out how this all works. Anything else that I need to approve or not approve? Okay. All right. Thank you, gentlemen. We do need your signatures over on the side here. This will go to the full city council as approved. Well, given what I had read. And if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us prior to October 6th.

Great. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. And again, Councilwoman, thank you very much for your time.

You're welcome. Thank you. All right, Ms. Cottrell, let's move on to item number six.

This is a local landmark designation for the Dura Building at 4500 North Detroit. Okay.

Thank you. Thank you.

I think we have someone representing the architect here.

Okay, thank you. I failed to sign, so pardon me. Okay. But I'm going to sign. Okay. Thank you. I didn't mean to hold this person up, but I need to get going. It's important to be on the record.

Thank you.

Don't forget to sign. Okay.

And your name and address for the record, please.

Ellen Rodriguez with Thomas Porter Architects, 8 North St. Clair, Toledo, Ohio, 43604. Okay.

And when you're finished signing in, we'll ask you to raise your right hand and we will swear you in.

All right. Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do. I do. Thank you.

All right. Tell us about your request for landmark designation.

We're asking for approval for a landmark designation for the Dura Building at 4500 North Detroit Avenue. The building is a painted block and metal siding building, one story, irregular in plan with a mixture of sawtooth gable and flat roofs. There are steel windows on the front elevation and with sawtooth roofs and loading docks on the southeast and northeast sides of the building. Dura Manufacturing remained in the building until 1990 and since then it has been used for warehousing, a restaurant, and a nightclub. Portions of the building are vacant and portions are still used for warehousing. The Dura building was built adjacent to the railroad in an area known for industry, particularly automotive industry. A little historic context about Dura manufacturing. It was called originally the Dura Mechanical Hardware Company. It was founded as a subsidiary of Milburn Wagon Works in Toledo, Ohio around 1910 to 1913. In 1914, Dura had patented the window lift mechanism that was featured in Milburn's electric automobiles and soon adapted by leading manufacturers such as Ford, Dodge, Willys-Overland, Packard, Studebaker, Nash-Hudson, Jordan, and Moon. Dura's window regulator was a key accessory in modern automobiles. Dura had a portfolio of over 300 patents between 1920 and 1960. In 1928, the company consolidated operations into a new 13,000 square foot facility. This is the facility at 4500 North Detroit Avenue, employing over 1,200 workers making window lifters and metal hardware. This was Dura's main plan for over 50 years. In the mid-1920s, Dura diversified its product lines, producing art deco lighting, clocks, and home accessories in chrome, bakelite, and bakelite. These pieces became collectible icons of industrial design. In 1935, Dura patented the Lazy Susan rotary bearing device, and that extended its innovation beyond automobiles. In 1936, Dura was purchased by the Detroit Harvester Company. During World War II, Dura converted portions of its production to wartime manufacturing, producing bomb cones and other ordinance components. Dura remained a vital employer in post-war Toledo at the Detroit Harvester Division. By 1957, it employed 825 workers. By 1973, the company employed 650 workers, producing window assemblies, hinges, and convertible top mechanisms for automobiles. The Toledo plant closed in 1980 as Dura exited its auto stamping business. The company had 200-plus international patents spanning window regulators, hinges, suspension systems, lighting fixtures, and decorative metalwork. The factory at 4500 North Detroit Avenue remains a physical reminder of Dora's role in shaping both the automotive industry and the industrial heritage of Toledo.

Thank you. Ms. Cottrell, do you have anything to add?

I just want to add that the site has an interesting history, a long history, and this really is a great chance to allow them to get state tax credits. We could reuse an existing structure. I think it's a great funding mechanism for the future, and it's such an important part of the Forward Toledo plan to reuse what we have, so we're definitely supportive.

Thank you. Council Member Gaddis.

I'll be brief. I just want to say this is really cool. And I'm really glad that we're historically landmarking things and people are taking a proactive approach. I mean, that history, I'm sitting here geeking out. I'm like, well, these are fun facts I'm going to tuck away. Like, that's so cool. And thank you for taking the steps to do this because it's important we preserve our history. So thanks.

Thank you. One of my fun pastimes has actually been recently researching old industries in District 6 and all of the different things that we used to have. And I've missed this one. You had me at Lazy Susan. Everybody likes that one. excited to then start looking a little bit more into this and some of the principles that started the company and why did it move here? A lot of the migration of some of these businesses came from the east a lot of times and then they stopped in Toledo and some of them stayed in Toledo, some of them went on. But this always fascinates me because this district was very much the industrial leader of Toledo, but then also of the Midwest. So I'm pretty proud of that. Councilman Martinez.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a quick question. What is the intended adaptive reuse for this, or what's the plan for the property?

Sure, it's going to remain industrial. It'll be warehousing and light industrial use.

Oh, okay. So it's just upgrading what it already has been in the past. Absolutely. So this just helps cover the cost for some of the exterior improvements, I assume?

Exterior and interior, yeah.

Awesome. Well, congratulations. Best of luck. Thank you.

Is there anyone in the audience who wants to speak for or against case number six? Again, is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak for or against case number six? All right, since this is in district six, I will recommend this go to the full city council as approved. Seeing no objections, so ordered. And this will go to the full city council on October 6th. Ms. Cottrell, if you want to talk about items seven and eight.

And so upcoming studies you're going to see on your next zoning and planning is a modification to the industrial site plan review threshold, basically allowing smaller additions to be added, for lack of a better word, without site plan review. We're just trying to remove that barrier for small industrial additions. You will see the gas station study soon. uh maybe the november agenda um but the big thing obviously the zoning code rewrite the the code studio the consultant will be in the third week of october they will present at zoning and planning that day they will be here this that week to start some neighborhood engagement and engage with leaders we've got a draft engagement plan done we've got a timeline done working on a code diagnostic now so everything's moving forward really at a great pace and we're going to do tours of the city that week it's going to be a fun week so pretty excited about it and um that planning and zoning they they will give you a presentation and you'll learn more of what they're about so And then, you know, the Stark designations are moving forward. So in order to meet that timeline of the moratorium, group living, group homes, we are working on policies that we've been advised by law to develop some policies for reasonable accommodations. We have that just about done. We've been working with the Ability Center, Fair Housing Center, and that's just about ready. Your industrial study comes with Martinez as we're working on second some time, but we're we're moving forward on that. So I'm really excited about the zone code in that third week in October for you to meet the consultants and I

Thank you. I'm happy it's after the extension for taxes, so I will be able to be a part of that. Is there any other business before this committee? Please come forward, sir. Please state your name and address for the record.

Richard Arnold, 3305 Middlesex.

You swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so say I do.

I do. I just want to repeat the comments that I made at planned commission. Please correct me if anything I say is wrong. About two weeks ago, you approved a settlement, 62,500 Singletary versus the City of Toledo. My limited understanding, that was a group home. It was called Treasure Homes or something like that. It occurred in 21, which I believe was during the pandemic lockdown. WHEN LEGAL COUNSEL CAME BEFORE CITY COUNCIL, COULDN'T ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE OF PENDING LITIGATION, CITY COUNCIL WENT INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, CAME OUT AND APPROVED IT. SO JUST TWO QUICK COMMENTS. I AM CONCERNED THAT IT MAY SET A PRECEDENT, I HOPE I'M WRONG, BUT IT MAY SET A PRECEDENT FOR OTHER GROUP HOMES WHICH DO NOT MEET THE SPACING REQUIREMENTS. AND JUST HISTORY LESSON, FEBRUARY OF 2019 PLAN COMMISSION CAME UP WITH A text amendments for a special use permits uh... it was kicked around sent back to plan commission came back in may of twenty two and was not approved and i know last october they actually did some kind of clarification so i want to record i want to commend uh... miscarry off and her step they have developed thousands of hours on this. It's something that's been studied and studied and studied, and I think that we do need to revisit this, because I don't think anybody wins with these settlements, but we're going to have more group homes for a variety of issues in the future, and I want to make sure that I go on record. I hope we don't see any more settlements. So thank you for listening.

Thank you. Ms. Cottrell, do you have anything to add?

I just have one more thing I forgot. The other exciting thing we're doing is the Complete Streets Guide. We're going to be taking that over and working on that, and we're pretty excited about that one, too.

Thank you.

The guide for complete streets, we're going to develop that guide. Obviously with other departments involved as well, but we'll spearhead that.

All right.

Seeing no further business, this meeting is adjourned.