Council approves rezoning of four properties along Route 14

COLUMBIANA -- City council has approved rezoning properties along the south side of state Route 14 from residential to commercial.
Councilman Don Leonard voted against the change. The properties are at 241, 247, 253 and 259 state Route 14.
Residents have said they have had difficulty selling their homes as residential property because most of the area is commercial, including the Dutch Village Inn, a carwash and a small strip plaza across the road.
Residents of Seventh Street, which borders the south side of the properties, have been opposed to the rezoning because they don't want businesses in their back yards.
Bob Belding, building and zoning officer, said none of the properties have been sold yet. He said the planning commission can require the new property owners to landcape, plant trees, etc., to create a buffer zone between the commercial properties and the residential ones on Seventh Street.