Saturday, October 23, 2004
The streets appear on some village maps, but they don't really exist.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LORDSTOWN -- Richard Morgan remembers a guy who approached him at a gas station, asking for directions.
"He said he had just won something like two lots of property in a card game, and was having some trouble finding it," said Morgan, a village councilman.
The man had been driving around the village, looking for the street that matched his newly won deed. When he finally stopped for directions, he held up a map of the village, Morgan said, and pointed to an area off Highland Avenue.
"When he said he was looking for something like 28th Street, I told him the street didn't exist," Morgan said.
The street, one of seven in a housing development that never happened, is simply a field.
Known as a "paper street," the 28th Street the man was looking for is one that was visible on maps, but was never paved.
What happened
Councilman William Dray referred to the area as an imaginary street, saying it was platted off years ago for future development.
"But the roads never came about, and the housing developments never came about," he said.
Ron Barnhart, planning and zoning administrator for Lordstown, said the area, known as Industrial View, was originally planned in 1920. The development was to be located in the northeast section of the village, off of Highland Avenue.
Nine streets -- 26th through 32nd and Burnett Street and Frazier Avenue -- were supposed to be paved and houses constructed, but it just never happened.
"Basically, it just stayed woods and grass out there," he said.
It's not a situation unique to Lordstown, however. Throughout the state, communities have paper streets, areas technically owned by the city or village, but usually maintained by neighboring property owners.
Vacating streets
When property owners decide they want to develop the area themselves, they can petition the local planning commission to vacate the streets. Oftentimes, requests are made by property owners who want to construct a garage or some other type of outbuilding.
If approved, a vacation means the city or village gives up ownership of the area to the property owners, who then can develop or improve the area themselves. The owners are also responsible for maintenance of the area.
Lordstown council is currently considering vacating 26th Street after property owners Everett and Barbara Howdershelt, who have property on either side of the paper street, made the request.
The request was originally heard by the village's planning commission in September, when members of that board found the action "would not be detrimental to the public interest."
Planning commission members also noted the paper street "is not needed for a public purpose within the village."
Council is expected to approve the vacation, meaning 26th Street would no longer exist, by the end of next month.
slshaulis@vindy.com