To: Planning Commission & Board of Zoning Appeals,Village Council
Village of Boston Heights Ohio
From: William J. Hinkle
420 E. Boston Mills Road
Boston Heights, OH 44236-1111
Date: Wednesday, June 5, 2002
Subject: Residential Rezoning Concerns
The rezoning plan for the Village of Boston Heights includes two substantial parcels that are proposed to be changed to Office-Professional (OP) zoning. In both cases, these parcels are adjacent to existing residential properties:
* "South Alnola Farms" area north of Boston Mills Road and east of Route 8.
* "Papes Farm" north of Hines Hills Road and west of Walters Road.
There is also an existing O-1 parcel, south of Hines Hill and east of Olde 8, that adjoins residential properties, as well as any number of currently-undeveloped B-1 properties similarly situated.
In all these cases, these questions should be resolved before changing the existing rezoning, in favor of buffering the existing residential areas:
1. Extensive buffer yards should be required for non-RES properties adjoining RES properties (at least RES that is already developed). The requirements for these buffer areas should be specific and written to be minimally conditional. Some portion of "natural growth" should be retained in such buffer yards.
2. Setbacks in general should be increased for non-RES zoning areas. Also, the new county riparian setback requirements should be considered for inclusion in Village zoning. Link: here is a fact sheet on those setback rules.
3. Direct access of non-RES businesses to arterial and feeder roads should be limited; collector roads for new business development should be preferred.
4. Lighting visibility should be greatly limited off-property. Consider restricting the visibility of the luminaire off-property. Link: Here is an example of such an ordinance.
5. Noise limits off-property should be specified.
6. Restrict food service operations in OP zoning, at least within a certain distance to RES.
7. Consider requiring a tree survey and restriction on development clear-cutting.