Thursday, September 18, 2003
Neither request has received final approval.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Two proposed zoning changes on Western Reserve Road could change land on either side of the road from agricultural open space to commercial areas prime for development.
On one side of Western Reserve is Boardman Township, while on the other is Beaver Township. Change requests have been submitted in both townships.
A request to rezone a portion of the south side of the road west of Market Street between Hitchcock and Tippecanoe roads from agricultural to commercial has been submitted to Beaver Township officials by Orville Biever, a longtime Beaver resident.
A request to rezone a portion of the north side of the road in the same area from residential and agricultural to one residential district and three business districts has been submitted to Boardman Township officials by Brian Angelilli of Angelilli Builders Inc. of Poland.
Before property can be rezoned, the property owner must obtain three levels of approval -- that of the Mahoning County Planning Commission, the township zoning commission and township trustees.
The proposed zone changes in Boardman and Beaver townships already have received the blessing of the county planning commission.
Beaver Township's zoning commission has approved the zone change in Beaver township, but modified the request to increase the buffer protecting Mill Creek.
Boardman township's zoning commission will have a hearing on the Angellili request at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the township government building.
Trustees in either township have the final say. To overturn the zoning commission, however, trustees must come to a unanimous decision.
Different meanings
The requests have different meanings to officials in both townships.
Michele Swope, Beaver Township zoning inspector, said township officials there do not see any need for concern in relation to Biever's request. She said his plan, building a banquet facility, will have minimal impact on the surrounding area.
The request to rezone the Boardman Township half of the road might not go as smoothly, however.
In a letter to township officials, Angelilli said he wants to rezone the land to provide residents in housing developments in that area access to future retail and office buildings. He called the area the township's next growth area.
Darren Crivelli, Boardman township zoning inspector, said township officials have a land-use plan that details what growth in the township will look like. He said the rezoning of that section of Western Reserve Road goes against that plan.
"We knew there would be widening on Western Reserve Road, but we did not want to create another commercial corridor in the township while the widening on South Avenue was still taking place," he said. "This does not conform with our land-use plans."
Crivelli said the Western Reserve land is one of the last large agricultural areas left in the township and officials would like to keep it that way. He said there is still room for businesses on Market Street, U.S. Route 224 and other commercial areas in the township.
jgoodwin@vindy.com