of Chillicothe,
Ross County & South-Central Ohio of Chillicothe,
Ross County & South-Central Ohio new 10/15/04 |
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| Western Avenue traffic zips past the front yard of the L.T. Franklin house and the amputated stone bridge that serves it and the neighboring John Franklin house. |
As Joe Herlihy explained in a previous article, "Public Hearings are formal, citizen based comments. They are scheduled events and must be properly notified by the local media and usually deal with pending Council action. Public Hearings occur prior to a Council Meeting, and the public is invited to comment, on the record.
"The October 11th public hearing will be the last legislative council meeting before the final decision on the zoning issue the next Monday. Audience participation will be allowed without need for permission from council.
"The spirit and intent of both meetings is to build awareness of an issue, and to encourage public participation in the local government."
The Chillicothe Gazette's next-day article on the 12th desrcibes the meeting well. The story ranked front page, top fold, status, with a large photo of a perturbed owner Henry Barlow speaking to council. WBEX 1490 AM and WKKJ 94.3 FM (Clear Channel radio) reported that more than 100 people crowded into the chambers.
I foolishly arrived at the 7:20 pm doomsday session for 989 Western Avenue five minutes late and, as my dad says, "he who doddles, looses." It was standing room only out to the top of the stairs. After scouting around and realizing that I had no hope for a good seat or good acoustics, I departed and sought out a television to catch the session on broadcast.
All that cost me about 40 minutes and I tuned in about 8:10, typing outline notes as I was watching. I present those notes below, and apologize for any misspelled names and misconstrued or uncompleted comment in the rush of listening and typing. As usual, I add my own comments where I feel they need to be made.
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| A panorama of the property as it is now...before any more changes. This is the first of a series of visual suggestions of what might happen with this property if it is rezoned. |
All links on this issue:
Council member Joe Herlihy was speaking as I was peeking through the council chamber door. I did not catch what he said, but I'm certain it was echoed in the PowerPoint show that was sucessfully presented in the following Wednesday special session. The equipment refused to work Monday, and that preoccupied some of the time that I missed.
...first speakers missed - apologies...
Stanley Shope : 960 Western Avenue Neighborproponent
No. We don't need or want that kind of support, and we don't stoop to tactics like that.
That is a half-truth. Yes, Franklin argued for alterations in the Governors Place development - and was accomodated. That is why the historic house still stands there and is a part of the residents' pride - and also why the lake was not filled in! (I hope to look into the historical truth of this issue soon...)
Yes, and it was "taken out" in a 'midnight raid' - a Friday midnight, I believe - in an act to avoid continued debate about the development, avoid long-term responsibility to the community through preservation, and to avoid even partly loosing a 'Good Old Boys' action to preservationists. And, what happened to that development about 15 years after it was forced through? Which side had long-term vision?
The "11th hour" gripe is a common complaint - partly true, but also a situation often forced because such projects are kept secret until they can be sprung (or must) onto the public, leaving as little time possible for opposition. If you don't like the 11th hour opposition, try playing by the rules and above the board! The first Zoning Commission presentation of this project, on May 12, was not truthfully or appropriately advertised.
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| A view of the back of the L.T. Franklin house its first winter, looking southwest towards Western Avenue. The sparsely populated (and travelled) road is visible on the far right. |
Esther Franklin : Governor's Place Neighbor opponent
Marvin Jones : Chamber of Commerce Executive Directorproponent
And they can be devolved.
Kezia Sproat - South Central Ohio Preservation Societyopponent
Rod Siddons - Church Streetproponent
Henry Barlow - Owner proponent
It's not a "little front yard." And if you need help mowing, call me. (There aren't any entrerprising young people nearby?) Of course, you could also redo the landscaping so it requires less maintenance, such as replanting trees and shrubs. And, the responsibility to maintain your yard is different from the privelage to develop it any way you want.
Don't rush it. Important decisions take time to be made property.
[name not heard - sorry]opponent
Chris Hanners - 820 Western Avenue Neighborproponent
Sometimes you have already heard it all before it comes across your desk.
Don't worry - the 'Good Old Boys' Club' still has a strong upper hand, Bridge Street is far from being restrained, and Sunrush is still going strong. The Conservancy is only trying to save the real Chillicothe from the false.
No, the suppositions you may be referring to (such as the "domino effect" and house being endangered) are predictions borne by experience and foresight. And, one common tactic in campaigns is to take the accusations about your side and apply it to your opponent's.
Robert Carlson - Son-in-Law of 991 Western Avenue Neighbor Don Grossnickleproponent
Would you prefer a Walgreens and a restaurant and their asphalt and concrete parking lots and lights and dumpsters? Yes, Governor's Place was a drastic change, and ideally the historic house alone (or with its neighbor) would be more pleasant. But, what's done is done, and it could have been done far worse but for intervention by preservationists.
Those who support development appear to like it.
We all must be good neighbors. Yes, that was probably nosy and presumptuous of them, but clearing, grading, paving, building, and operating are a litle different than just clearing.
Great! How can we help?
Is what is proposed an improvement?
Joy Renner - Governor's Place Neighboropponent
Actually, it may begin past Krogers and beyond - but it doesn't see the light of day until the Barlows.
Yet, if it was within city limits at the time (I'm not sure) city council allowed it to happen that way.
Bob Barlow - Owner's Sonproponent
It was until it was partly filled in several years ago. Yes, it is not wet now; that is on the Grisnickle's side - but as unpaved ground, it is part of the health of the drainage system.
Good point. But please appreciate the natural beauty of it, with the hibiscus shrubs and wildlife.
And citizens have rights to a good quality-of-life, and there are constitutional contraints to protect that.
"Lies," or predictions? About developing the whole property? - Why else did he originally want the whole property rezoned? About the house being endangered? - Who would happily live there after the front (and surrounding) is developed?
That is not surprising. And, this testifies to the above implied "lie" about the house.
There are better modes of development that also preserve quality-of-life.
Let's consider an aspect of the Barlow's business, the "Sparkle Clean" dry cleaner in Central Center. Why do people wear suits and dress clothes that are not the most comfortable, cannot be cleaned frequently, and need to be cleaned in a relatively expensive process that cannot be done in the home and may be environmenally damaging?
Because it is expected of them? Because they are conforming?
Or because they like looking good, like feeling secure, like standing out and being unique among lesser garb?
That is part of the reason why people choose to live in supposedly outdated, maintenance-intensive, but beautiful, irreplacable, durable historical buildings. If you can't appreciate that, then I'm sorry you couldn't sell the house to someone who respects it when you tried.
Tracy Hatmaker : Planner, West End Residentneutral?
Agreed. This is being rushed so that people will make an emotional or un-thought-out decision, and not realize the true costs of this kind of development at this location
Agreed - sprawl is bad. But should we allow compacted sprawl within the city? There is a way to do this much better.
Don't forget redevelopment - such as downtown housing upstairs
So how do we start agian? (I think I need to interview Mr. Hatmaker.)
Joe Herlihy : Concilman, West End Resident, Chillicothe Conservancy opponent
(Bob Barlow questioned if Herlihy should be speaking - told there is precedent for a council member to do so)
Janet Griffith : Business Neighbor (Skate-A-Way), West End Resident opponent
Bob Casari : Church Neighboropponent
Loren Mead : Engineer, Chillicothe Conservancyopponent
Cindy Anderson : Church Neighboropponent
Ed Alexinas : Brewer's Heights Resident, former Councilmanopponent
Ed Kunzelman : Downtown Business Owneropponent
Tom Troester : Historic Homeowner, Chillicothe Conservancyopponent
Jeff Benson - Lawyer Representing Developerproponent
Peggy McHenry : Governor's Place Neighboropponent
Shoultz : City Council President proponent
Eric Rinehart : City Councilman, Development Chairman (spoke for about 15 minutes)proponent
That's because you did it wrong the first time, and still didn't do it right the second!
For how long? Are the plans to develop the rest of the property shelved permanently along with trying to get it all rezoned?
That's disgusting. You think that's progress? That's hell. That's not Chillicothe.
But it did! It's part of the argument for this rezoning!
No, traffic going past it is the problem.
The issue started with a threat to the greenspace on Western Avenue, to the Franklin Home, to the quality of life of Chillicothe yet again
No, we have constitutional limits on constitutional rights.
That would be better than commercial uses. (Imagine Governor's Place as a mall.)
Yes, better access - but are they being bribed and/or bullied with parking they don't need, traffic they don't want, and minimal commmunication?
Then why are those owners supporting this? One previously wanted rezoning for his parcel.
And it's not good enough.
Right development in right location. But Western Avenue is not Bridge Street, and should never be.
Focus on better development if you don't want a pitched battle.
You can't be trusted to be given a blank check - or the first domino.
Perhaps breaking code is the status quo...
Bill Morrisey : City Treasurer
Then let's communicate properly before the attack to develop is commenced.
ordinance to appropriate money for outside counsel on 989 W. Ave. passed unanimously
Discussion on when to have 989 meeting:
In fairness to the process, it has been rushed and bullied through. Proper discussion of such issues takes much longer. If it's worth developing, it's worth developing right, and it's worth putting the time in to do it right - which means waiting patiently for an appropriate time.
If anything, this struggle marks a new maturity for Chillicothe - that the community is realizing the value of its quality of life, and how it is threatened but run-of-the-mill development - and that a pitched battle against the 'powers that be' is worth it.
Special meeting to decide 989 agreed on Wednesday, 7:30.
Council adjourned 11:20 p.m.
