Request from developer sparks dispute among Campbell officials

By jeanne starmack

starmack@vindy.com

campbell

A developer wants to build a strip plaza that would include grocery and hardware stores and a bank on 8 acres at the southeast corner of McCartney Road and Sycamore Drive.

The request sparked a dispute among city officials about whether a zone change is needed for the property.

Michael Kerpelis of Kerpelis Investments sent a letter last month to the city planning and zoning commission requesting a zone change for the property from residential to highway commercial C-3.

City council already passed an ordinance in 2003 that changed the property from residential to commercial, at least to classification C-1.

The Mahoning County Auditor’s office, however, still lists the property as residential.

Councilman Mike Tsikouris said at Wednesday’s caucus meeting that the county knows the land is commercial, but will not change the zoning designation for taxes until there is a building on the property.

At the time of the city’s zone change, the land was three parcels with three different owners. After Kerpelis bought the property in 2007 and cleared woods there, neighbors on Sycamore Drive began questioning whether the zone change had been done properly.

They questioned whether neighbors had been properly notified and whether there was a public hearing first, according to Vindicator files.

City Administrator Lew Jackson said Tuesday there was a public hearing. He said, though, that he wanted to check with the city’s law director about whether neighbors received proper notification.

He said he was willing to go through the zone-change process again to make sure neighbors are satisfied.

Some council members said Wednesday they didn’t want to go through the process again because it wasn’t necessary.

Tsikouris pointed out, though, that Kerpelis is requesting C-3, not C-1 zoning. Council then decided it was appropriate to go through another zone change.

Neighbors will be notified, and a public hearing will be set.

Kerpelis’ letter to the city says the zone change is for the “potential” development of a 40,000-square-foot building there.

Mayor George Krinos has said the development would cost $4 million.

Kerpelis could not be reached to comment on which stores would move into the plaza.