VILLAGE OF BOSTON HEIGHTS
45 E. Boston Mills Road • Boston Hts., Ohio 44236
Phone 330.650.4111 Fax 330.655.9578
July 31, 2002
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 59
Louisville, KY 40201-0059
Attention: CELRL-ED-EB (Nora Keel)
RE: Proposed new U. S. Army Reserve Center
Olde Route 8, Boston Heights, Summit County, Ohio
Dear Ms. Keel:
As the Mayor of the Village of Boston Heights, Ohio, I write to express my concerns over the proposed new U.S. Army Reserve Center. The Village of Boston Heights is a small community located in northern Summit County, Ohio which has a limited tax base and limited room for economic growth. One-third of the land in the Village of Boston Heights was taken by the Federal government in connection with the creation of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Village is divided North and South by the Ohio Turnpike. This division limits the ability to extend water and sewer services to property South of the Turnpike. The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration are in the process of attempting to promote the widening of State Route 8, which would further restrict access for development in the Village of Boston Heights.
Because of these factors, limited funds exist for the maintenance and upkeep of the roads in the Village of Boston Heights. Consequentlyn the Village of Boston Heights has enacted ordinances which govern the use of its streets by overweight vehicles so that its streets are not subject to excess wear and tear. Further, the Village of Boston Heights has enacted a Comprehensive Planning and Zoning Ordinance to govern land use planning to maximize economic development and to provide for transition measures to address concerns that arise from different use categories adjoining one another.
I have carefully reviewed the Army's proposed use of the property as contained in the Environmental Impact document. I believe that the increase in the local traffic created by the facility will have a negative impact on the condition of local roads in the Village of Boston Heights. Further, I believe that the proposed use will promote the use of vehicle traffic that exceeds the weight limit for use of the streets in the Village of Boston Heights. The Environmental Impact document improperly lists the golf course with respect to its zoning classification. The golf course located to the North of the proposed facility is zoned R-1 for single family residential use.
The Environmental document does not discuss the Village's Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and how the facility will fit within the confines and regulations that the Village has validly and legitimately established for use of property in the Village of Boston Heights.
I would hope that the Army would prepare and submit to the Village of Boston Heights Zoning Commission a preliminary plan that addresses the zoning issues and addresses buffer issues for property that adjoins residential zoned districts. I would further expect full compliance with the Boston Heights Building Codes and regulations with respect to the construction on the site. I would ask that buildings be designed and constructed in such a manner as to fit the rural nature of the Village. I would further ask that any hazardous materials that might be stored on the grounds be placed in the site plan in such a manner as to minimize hazard to surrounding residential areas.
The proposed project intends to take one of the few remaining developable pieces of property in the Village of Boston Heights. I would hope you keep these concerns in mind as the project further progresses.
Sincerely,
<signed>
Raymond McFall, Mayor
Village of Boston Heights