Westland Area Commission
January 21, 1998
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. Present were
Daniel Province, chair, Betty Balthaser, Jerry Billman, Hank
Canello, Ginny Frank, Mike Hurd, Glen Hymer, Dorothy Jantzen,
Brian King, Jim McCormick, Tom Morris, Jan Province, Dr. Bob
Rinehart, Bill Saxton, Debbie Wilder, Gary Wills, and Ted
Wotring. Also present were Leo Abston, Norma Abston, Jill
Billman-Royer, Fred Johnson, Dori Sippial, Gus Shihab, Dan
Trittschuh, and others.
Province distributed new introductory handbooks to those
commissioners who needed them. Included is a letter from
Janet Jackson, that is not a part of the older books. It
explains the process whereby City Council votes on denials of
liquor licenses per RC 4303.292(A)(1)(c). Province will
bring additional copies of that letter, next time.
Jantzen moved to approve the December 1997 minutes. Canello
seconded. Approved.
Zoning Committee (Saxton): Last Tuesday, the WAC Zoning
Committee met to consider application Z97-069, concerning a
property located at 1850 Holt Road. The proposal was
approved unanimously by the Zoning Committee. The attorney
for the applicant is Gus Shihab.
Shihab stated that the property in question is an odd-shaped
lot, with frontage on Alkire Road through a very narrow and
long driveway. The lot has frontage on I-270. (It is
abutted by a property that Shihab previously presented to us
for rezoning to AR-12 for luxury apartments). He wants to
rezone this property into two districts. The area on the map
that is cross-hatched (WCW Partners, 2.540 acres) is to be
zoned AR-12. The balance of the property is to be zoned RR.
The portion that is cross-hatched will not be used for actual
construction. It will be used to apply more credit, more
density, for the other piece. This will allow thirty more
units to be built in that area that was previously zoned AR-
12. They will combine the two properties, once they are
zoned, in order to build the additional units.
In order to make the project work, there must be 235 units.
The current zoning allows 205 units. So, they will be asking
for rezoning of the 2.54 acres, so that they can build the
additional 30 units, so that they can complete the last half
of the last building.
There is a lot of open space in the property. "There is a
big chunk of trees on the north, the eastern quadrant of this
property, those trees are going to be preserved." The rest
of the property that is included in this zoning application
will remain vacant.
The project will have a community center with conference
rooms and computer rooms. The whole project is geared toward
home-occupation professionals. The client is Fairfield
Residential. In their brochure there are some interesting
statistics. In 1996, they surveyed 6642 residents, living in
20 different properties, in cities from Raleigh NC to Phoenix
AZ, and found that 70% of the occupants are over age 30, and
that 92.9% of the occupants didn't have children. The 7.1%
of the occupants had 393 children. Only 5% had children
under age 18. The rent will be $900 or $1000 on the average.
The apartments are geared toward professionals.
D. Province said that the limitation overlay text does not
mention the RR zoning area.
Shihab replied that the limitation text applies only to the
2.54 acres, because the rural district doesn't need any
limitation text.
D. Province said that the applicant can still come back to
change the RR district at some point.
Shihab said they would have to come back before WAC.
D. Province said he has a question about signage. The
limitation text says that graphics will be placed only at the
major entrances, the text does not define "major entrances",
and it does not say how many major entrances there will be.
Shihab replied that these are permanent residential
indication graphics, monuments that will say "This is the
Village of Oakhill", or whatever. It will be a landscaped
feature, with, like, a stone wall and identification sign,
not like commercial graphics.
D. Province said there is nothing guaranteeing they will not
put a sign along I-270.
The City of Columbus brought up this matter, too. They have
no intention of putting up billboards. They will put in a
limitation prohibiting billboards.
J. Province said that a billboard is not the way it is
usually handled. Usually, they put the sign on the roof of
one of the units facing the freeway.
That would still be counted as a billboard.
Shihab said they will add "no billboards", or whatever the
term should be.
Saxton moved to approve the rezoning, with the amendment
prohibiting billboards. Balthaser seconded. Approved, with
one objection.
The second issue for the evening concerns the property
located at 1400 Norton Road, which was also unanimously
approved by the WAC Zoning Committee. It is variance
application V97-131. The applicant is Schultz, Snyder &
Steele. A Mr. Snow represents the applicants. This is
actually a request for two variances, on two different
setbacks.
Snow said that the applicant wants to erect a building on the
north edge of the property. The property to the north of
them is Metro Beverage, which manufactures Lotsa Pop. The
applicant is in the business of wholesale lumber
distribution. The current owner purchased this property from
Dow Chemical several years ago; it had been a manufacturing
facility.
The applicant is asking for a variance to permit construction
of a new building, eleven feet off the north property line,
where the normal setback is twenty-five feet. The building
will be a three-sided metal building, for lumber storage.
The exterior skin would be a color similar to the harvest
gold of the existing building.
Is it a garage, or what?
It will be a storage building for wholesale lumber and
plywood products.
D. Province asked whether the applicant has talked to Fire
yet.
Yes. The back wall of the building will be a one-hour
firewall, which meets the city requirement. The second
reason it must be eleven feet off the property line, is to
meet the fire code.
What about the end wall, facing Norton Road? Will it have
any kind of finish, other than metal?
No, but the existing building's facade, which faces Norton
Road, is also just harvest gold metal.
D. Province said he has concerns about another metal wall
west, reflecting the sunset.
The building is 30 feet deep by 300 feet long. The frontage
will be narrow.
What is directly on the other side of the property line? Is
it open space?
It's a parking lot and a truck turnaround for Metro Beverage.
Their parking area comes right up to the edge of the property
line.
Snow said that this building will be a positive benefit, in
that it will create additional tax dollars, and there will be
no students added to the community.
King said that they are asking that a 25 foot setback be
changed to an 11 foot setback. Is there a downside to this?
Saxton replied that the WAC Zoning Committee couldn't find
any.
J. Province said that the building would help prevent theft.
Yes, exactly.
D. Province said that, if the beverage company put a building
opposite this one, there could be a fire hazard. However, if
they did that, they would not have room for their trucks to
turn around.
Saxton moved to approve the variance for the setback change.
Hymer seconded. Approved.
Snow said that Norton Road between Hall and Georgesville is
designated as a future five-lane road. That means that there
needs to be a 200 foot setback from the center line to any
structure on the property. When they did the site plan, they
discovered that, the previous owner had installed the wooden
fence and paved a portion of the property that is beyond the
200 foot limit. From center line, on the northwest corner,
it is 183 feet. Where the fence turns at a right angle, it
is 177 feet. They are asking to be permitted to continue to
leave the fence where it is, and utilize that area. They
have just repaved that lot to the existing fence.
It is an eight foot high fence, that they maintain. It
blocks sight of most of the things they do.
Is this the same variance? Is it the same variance number?
Yes.
Hymer asked whether the current location of the fence would
hinder the widening of Norton Road.
Snow said that the zoning commission does not believe there
will be a problem, but they will talk to Traffic Engineering.
Saxton said that this variance has nothing to do with the
road. We are being asked to grant permission for the
property owner to continue to use the lot and fence, as they
are, until such time as the road goes in. Then, if the city
wants it, they would just take it.
Exactly. They are just asking for continuing use.
Do we need language about this? If they decide to widen the
road, five or ten years from now, will they come back to us,
and will there be a problem with grandfathering?
D. Province said we will be lucky if it is five years. Also,
we are not granting them the easement. We are simply
allowing them to continue to be over the easement.
J. Province said the city wouldn't pay attention to us. They
would just go ahead with their roadwork project.
D. Province said that it is to be a six-lane road, with side
lanes, not five lanes.
King asked whether we would be setting any precedent if we
approve this.
Saxton replied that he doesn't think so. We are just
allowing him to continue using what he has been using.
Saxton moved to approve the variance. Rinehart seconded.
Approved.
D. Province reported that, in regard to the proposal for the
gas station to be built at Holt and Alkire (Z96-112), the
Development Commission has decided to table the issue until
the February meeting.
Saxton said that Province will notify WAC when the issue
comes up.
Province said that the Development Commission meets on the
second Thursday of February. It may well be tabled again.
Saxton said that there was nothing of interest at the Prairie
Township zoning meeting. There were a couple of variances
regarding a fence, and something else insignificant.
What about Home Depot, on the corner of I-270 and Grener
Road?
It's in Franklin Township, so it will not come before us.
The Old Trail Restaurant will be torn down, yet again.
Saxton said that an addition is being built to the auto parts
store, and it never came before us, so it must be in the
township, too.
Hymer said he attended the Prairie Township trustees meeting.
They have tabled the issue pending word from the Ohio
Department of Transportation. Home Depot is being assessed a
million dollars to upgrade the freeway ramp to accommodate
their entrance.
Safety and City Services Committee (Canello): Province
reported that he attended the groundbreaking ceremony today
for the new police substation in Big Run Park. The mayor was
there, the chief of police, the commander of Zone 3, Rice,
and other city department directors were there.
It is a nice site, and Province hopes it is secure enough
that there will not be vandalism. They had a backhoe burned
and destroyed, already, and a dump truck was overturned.
(The police have already told us that it is not reasonable to
plant a forest around a building, and then expect the police
to be able to patrol it adequately, but that is what they are
doing in the park).
The facility will have an 800 square foot public meeting room
that will be open to neighborhood groups. It would be a good
place for blockwatch organizations to meet.
There is talk about moving 19 Precinct to this building.
Billman said that response time in our area is terrible, and
it is getting worse. The issue needs to be addressed again.
Why have police cars been parked all day, every day, at the
New Rome Bypass?
Jill Billman-Royer said the police are doing an off-duty
stakeout of a private home in that area.
Jerry Billman said he had a drive-off from his gas station,
and he asked that patrolman to pursue the individual. The
officer said he couldn't do it; he was on private duty.
However, that police presence is slowing down traffic on
Sullivant Avenue.
Canello reported that, recently, the City of Columbus and
Franklin County made public the results of a community health
risk assessment. Mr. Fred Johnson, of the Columbus Board of
Health is here to share with us some of the results, and some
of the impacts the Westland area might see.
Fred Johnson said that he is the Health Programs Manager for
the Columbus Health Department. Part of what he does
involves meeting with individuals to start a dialogue about
health in our city, at the neighborhood level.
About two years ago, the Columbus Health Department and the
Franklin County Health Department started talking with each
other about the status of the health of individuals in our
area. They found out that, in looking at historical data,
and at current data in bits and pieces, that we were getting
a partial picture. They needed to do more. They started
collaborating to look at health issues. One of their
guidelines was a document that was produced nationally,
called Healthy People 2000.
From this collaboration, they produced City of Columbus and
Franklin County 1995-96 Community Health Risk Assessment, as
well as reports regarding sexual health, mortality indices,
unintended pregnancy, and they are currently working on a
report together, on the health behaviors of teens, looking at
their experimentation with drugs, alcohol, sexuality, stress.
They know that, from the 9th grade level onward, stress
levels among adolescents is upward of 60%. That translates,
for the west side of Columbus, into a 31% suicide attempt
rate, which shocked them. They learned that, when they were
looking at stress factors, we have, in Columbus, for
individuals from ages 13 to 18, one of the most violent and
volatile groups, (especially the males), of any time in
history. Columbus has more than its share of gangs, and that
population, from ages 10 to 25, is growing significantly.
The committee started looking at health indices, at the
neighborhood level and community wide, for central Ohio. Out
of the conglomeration of historical data, national data,
state, county, and city data, and interviews of 721 citizens
of Columbus and 303 citizens of the county, and an additional
1024 from their interview pattern, using the questionnaire
from that back of the book Community Health 2000 as a
guideline, they determined that, in looking at the health-
related quality of life for adults, most adults felt that
they have good health. Upward of 76% of adults say that they
have good health. Parents report that 82% of their children
have good health. Those statistics are on pages 60 to 63 and
on page 47 of 1995-96 Community Health Risk Assessment.
Health insurance is one of the growing problems that a lot of
individuals are experiencing in central Ohio. Not only the
unemployed have no health insurance, but also many who are
employed full-time or part-time. Each company has a menu of
health insurance coverage they can provide their employees,
but the employee must ask the right questions: What is
covered? What am I paying for? What happens if I have to go
to the hospital? How many episodes of hospitalization does
this policy cover? How many episodes of doctor visits does
this policy cover? Does it cover wellness, or only illness?
If I or a family member discover a cancerous condition, is
it covered by this policy? What happens if I have an
accident, other than an auto accident? What are the
different elements within the health insurance policy? Am I
the only person being covered, or does the policy cover my
"other" or my children? What if I have a blended family?
What if I am separated? A lot of individuals do not get to
that level of inquiry when they hook up with their employer's
insurance, or when they buy insurance when they are self-
employed. The results are on pages 8 through 11 for adults,
and 64 to 67 for children. They find that children are the
ones most often left with no insurance at all.
Adult primary care access: A lot of us have health
insurance, but do not know whether we can get in to see a
doctor, or what conditions trigger being attended to by a
physician. A lot of people, they learned, go to a doctor
under crisis situations, but do not go to receive preventive
health care. They do not go for that annual checkup, or to
learn whether they have high cholesterol levels, or
hypertension, or to learn their bone density.
At the Health Department, they are trying to get individuals
to think in a different way, to do those kinds of things, to
ask those kinds of questions, and to take that kind of
responsibility, to keep themselves in a better state of
health.
It is necessary to ask about health access. How easy or how
difficult is it to get in to see a doctor? Refer to pages 12
through 16 for data on adults, and to pages 68 through 72 for
children.
Another area people take for granted is dental health. If
our teeth and mouth are not right, we don't eat properly, and
that causes our health to decline. And parents tend not to
pay attention to the dental health of their children unless
the child has a toothache, or have an accident in which a
tooth is knocked out or loosened. The Health Department
encourages individuals to see a dentist every six months for
a cleaning and examination. The results of this study are on
pages 17 and 19 for adults, and on pages 73 to 76 for
children.
Then, they looked at the issue of overweight and physical
activity. A lot of us do not like physical activity. We
don't like to run in the park. We want to ride, and to park
where we have to take minimum steps to do what we need to do,
then drive home, sit down, and watch television. This is
impacting our health. And we do not look at weight
management. As we age, we have less control over our muscle
tone. We stiffen, and think it doesn't matter. Then, the
doctor tells us we have hypertension, high cholesterol, an
ulcer, and why? It is because we did not pay attention early
on, and start doing something to head that off. Then, we get
mad, and refuse to do anything to change our life styles.
Then we get a crisis, such as a heart attack or a stroke.
Then, the light comes on. The data is on pages 20 to 24 for
adults, and pages 70 and 77 to 81 for children. One alarming
finding is that we do not pay enough attention to our
children's level of physical activity, and to their weight,
because they are cute. Make those children leave that
computer and television, and make them get out and play
sports. That keeps the body in good working order.
They discovered that women have a significant rate of
hypertension. It isn't only African-American men who have a
high rate of hypertension. Women outstrip men across the
board. See pages 25 to 29. Women also lead the field for
high cholesterol. Children, beginning at around age 13, are
gathering cholesterol, too. More studies are being done in
this area.
They are beginning a study of children's smoking. They are
looking at physical impact of smoking, other than addictive
behavior. There are 450 different chemicals in cigarettes,
any of which, alone, can kill you, or can seriously
compromise your health. The Health Department is trying to
make it known to the children so that they can understand
that they are putting a very dangerous product into their
bodies. We are chemicals, and one of the functions of our
immune systems is to keep our body chemistry in balance.
Whenever we introduce a new chemical into our bodies, our
immune systems automatically begin adjusting themselves to
keep us in balance. That is how we become addicted. Our
body is acting normally in trying to keep a balance, with the
addition of the new chemicals.
They also learned that alcohol is highly addictive to women.
Women are designed to conceive, carry and nurture new life,
so their bodies are more sensitive than those of males.
Women become addicted to new chemicals, be they cigarettes,
alcohol, marijuana, crack cocaine, faster than a male will,
and women stay addicted longer than a male will. She will
die faster than a male will. (Johnson did not know this
until he saw the statistics).
The results of their study of alcohol use among children is
on pages 39 to 42. A lot of kids start drinking in their own
homes, at age eleven. They know how to cover up their usage.
The first drug of choice for children is cigarettes, then
marijuana, and then crack. It generally take one experiment
with crack to cause addiction.
Pages 43 to 47 show the results of their study of women and
cancer screening. They are encouraging women to start
getting Pap smears and self-breast exams in their teens.
Most women start doing this at about age 45. However,
women who are sexually active, or who have had a child,
should start doing this long before age 45.
Adult influenza and pneumonia were looked at. They found
many instances of viral pneumonia. You can't kill viral
pneumonia; you can only isolate it from its source to
compromise in terms of not reproducing. Bacterial diseases
are becoming less easy to control, as they develop
resistances to drugs.
Adult nutrition: We don't eat right. We are becoming a fast
food society in Columbus. We don't sit down to eat wholesome
meals. Information about that is on pages 51 through 54, and
on pages 82 to 85.
Adult injuries are on pages 55 to 58. One significant cause
of adult injury is domestic violence. The rate on the west
side of Columbus is the highest in central Ohio. They are
finding that violence is not only men against women, but also
women are becoming as abusive as men. Statistics for
children are on pages 86 and 87 of the report.
Johnson invites us to look at the data, and decide what is
useful to us, and to write down questions that we would like
to see in the next report. They are now starting on the
report for 2000. Is the style of the book helpful?
What other things do the health departments need to do?
Should they join a partnership at the neighborhood level, to
start facilitating more awareness and more kinds of things to
help people enjoy better health?
Rinehart asked for three copies of the book, one for each of
the area high schools.
Yes.
D. Province asked whether the data is divided out by
neighborhoods.
They are doing that now, and they will have that ready in
about five months. They are breaking it out by zip codes,
and by neighborhoods.
J. Province asked whether the libraries have copies of this
book.
Yes, as well as their books about sexual health, unintended
pregnancy, infant mortality, that they have for 1992 to 1994.
These are spin-offs from the Priorities '95 program.
Another document he uses is the Metropolitan Human Services
State of Human Services Report 1995. It gives you education,
income status, health status for our community.
They are also in dialogue with Metropolitan Human Services,
United Way, and the Columbus Foundation to do an update of
this document and the other documents they are doing.
Planning and Development Committee (Billman): Westland Area
Business Association's annual banquet and auction will be
held on February 28, at Gala Events in Grove City. The theme
is West Side Story. The mailing will go out next week.
Election Committee: Province is working on updating the
forms for the coming election. We need an election committee
chairman; McCormick will not do it again. Our by-laws
require that public notice must be made by March 1, and
Province will do that.
Historic Preservation Committee: Billman reported that the
fence has been erected around the Postle Cemetery. WABA and
the United Way paid for the fence. There is now a large
cross erected in the middle of the cemetery. It is made from
fallen tree limbs and a piece of yellow nylon rope. It looks
to be the work of children.
Old Business: Province reported that Dori is working with
the city planners on the update of the Westland Area Plan.
There will be a public meeting about this plan, to be held in
late February or early March. This will be a public meeting,
not a WAC meeting. The city will tell the public what it has
done so far.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 pm.