Marhofer rezoning approved - Mike Rasor's blog

A lot of important votes happened last night. Here’s my recap:

Marhofer expansion – RLM Darrow, LLC’s proposal to rezone three properties on Thorndale passed by a 5-1 vote (Riehl). I abstained.

This might be the most contentious zoning issue I have seen. The residents were steadfast in attending each meeting and they did their best to contact their representatives.

A compromise was reached in the last week, which will hopefully give the residents what they wanted — one of the three rezoned properties being a buffer zone between the neighbors and the dealership. Like I wrote a couple months ago, the buffer zone is what would get city council’s approval. If all goes as planned, Thorndale will be converted into a cul-de-sac.

I abstained because Ron Marhofer, the member of RLM Darrow, LLC, is my uncle. To my surprise, I caught some flack for that. It’s true that I obtained an Ohio Ethics Commission opinion that gave me the green light to vote. But one of the things I have learned in my legal career is this: Not everything that is legal is also moral; just because you’re able to do something under the rules does not make it right. It seemed obvious to me that you shouldn’t sit down with someone for Thanksgiving dinner, vote to approve something in his favor and pretend like it’s all above board. But that’s just me…

Anyhow, you have not heard the end of this issue. RLM Darrow, LLC will need to return to Planning Commission with more zoning requests before the dirt can start moving.

Stow-Kent Shopping Center redevelopment – City Council unanimously approved the redevelopment plans for the Stow-Kent Shopping Center, which include 152 modern-style residential units and a revamping of the retail plaza.

As I walk neighborhoods and knock on doors, two complaints are common: 1) Stow-Kent Shopping Center is a disaster. 2) Stow has no “downtown.”

In a way, this legislation cures both of these problems. When people say, “Stow has no downtown,” I think they mean, at least in part, Stow has no walkable, pedestrian-friendly shopping area. Plaza 59 — as it will be called — is a step in that direction. It’s not a “sexy” development on paper, but I think residents will be satisfied when they see the finished product.

Kudos to the mayor and planning department, who have put a lot of time into getting this proposal off the ground.

2014 budget – Council approved the 2014 budget by a 4-3 vote (Riehl, Rasor and Lowdermilk). Every budget since I have been on council has been approved by this margin.

Here’s why I voted “no”: 1) The budget is not balanced (i.e. expenses exceed revenue by about $150,000). 2) The budget uses $850,000 from the Capital Improvements Fund for general expenditures.

If families and businesses in town balance their budgets, so should their government. Perhaps more importantly, we are compromising the future of this city by continuing to reduce the amounts invested into infrastructure — particularly neighborhood roads.

Income tax incentives – City council unanimously expanded the incentives that the city is permitted to offer to businesses that wish to open up doors in Stow. The new category of incentives combines income tax grants with property tax abatements.

I have heard some people complain about “corporate handouts.” That is not the right perspective. You have to understand: Before a company comes to town, Stow gets zero dollars and zero cents from them — either in property tax or income tax. If we return to them a portion of the income taxes they pay, Stow is still seeing a net gain. If we abate property taxes that exceed the property taxes the property paid before a new building is constructed, Stow is still seeing a net gain.

Other folks say cities should not compete with one another. Again, that is a short-sighted perspective. If we don’t compete with our neighbors for business, then other regions of the country will compete for it. When Stow competes with Hudson, Akron and Cuyahoga Falls, the entire region becomes more competitive and it gives the entire region a leg-up on other regions (and even other countries).

End of the term — We voted to cancel our December 30, 2013 meeting, so this is the end of the 2012-2013 term. Our organizational meeting will take place on January 2, when we will elect officers of council. In the new term, we will say goodbye to Mary Bednar and hello to Bob Adaska.