Reynoldsburg City Council Update 1/28/19
Reynoldsburg City council convened on Monday, January 28th, and their meeting lasted until roughly 9:50 PM. An almost packed house looked on as the city council began with announcements.
Council women Kristin Bryant introduced a guest speaker, a representative for ETSS. ETSS (Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services) is an organization providing incredible services to immigrants in central Ohio. The group offer a bevy of services which serve the youth, adult, and family care demographics. Their newest location, 530 & 588 McNaughten Road, is perfect for families of the east side community that can benefit from their selfless work. Visit their website for more information.
Council continued the night, and quickly adjourned several committees. The Development, Parks and Recreation committee proposed several new items. The highlight here was item 4B, which proposed the purchase of a new four by four. The committee ended with all items being passed onto council unanimously.
The Public Safety, Law, and Courts committee followed with several items being introduced for purchasing equipment for the Reynoldsburg Police Department. These proposed assets included radios (and related equipment), body cameras, four police cruisers, and one pick up truck. There were no discussions or in depth analysis of the proposed items. All items proposed to the committee were passed along to council unanimously.
Finally, the public service and transportation committee began their proceedings. This committee was by far the longest to hold discussions, as item 5A continues to be an important topic for the City and it’s residents. The item, if approved, would give Metro Development the opportunity to construct an 120 unit apartment complex on Waggoner Road. The residents of Reynoldsburg, and some on council, are calling for an end to the possible development. Though a large portion of the audience agreed with that sentiment, some residents have spoken out in support of the proposed complex.
As it pertains to the actual passing of the legislation, the city has proposed several new additions to the plans put forth by Metro Development. These additions all point towards easing the traffic density on Waggoner Road, which is already one of the busiest roads in the city. Council member Stacie Baker specifically doubted the weight of Metro Development’s traffic study, saying “I think your study needs to be re-looked.” Representatives of Metro Development did not object to any of the propositions for additions made by council, but nothing is final until the entity changes their plan within the context of the zoning code.
Conversations led into other areas of development within the city. The comprehensive plan (of which we’ve discussed with Development Director Andrew Bowsher) appeared as a common thread among residents’ issues with the complex. They continually pointed to the adopted plan as a guide for supplemental areas in which this apartment complex would fit perfectly (namely the vacant K-Mart lot on Main Street and Brice Road and the current home of Kroger on Main Street). Residents also brought up property value as a key indicator of why they oppose the legislation. Reynoldsburg resident Mary Stoots stated "I understand we have to revamp the zoning code...but the residents have no leg to stand on and no way to protect property value." Members of the Jordan Crossing community were represented by one of their residents, Tim Brass, who stated "We feel that the development on Waggoner road would not make Reynoldsburg a better place to live...it is not something the residents of the area need."
After these initial residents spoke their mind, council deliberated on the matter themselves. Much of their discussions were guided by a grant the city was not able to obtain that would’ve made way fro several improvements on the Waggoner Road area. As the conversation circled back to the proposed complex, council member Mel Clemens stated "I want development here, in the last three years what have we brought here? Apartments. I'm not saying I'm against apartments, but when it affects people's lives, we should take our time". After deliberation the legislation will be discussed again in two weeks, when council holds their February 11th meeting. The proposed plans for the complex can be seen in the slideshow above.
After this, the council meeting sped up, as legislation saw no in depth discussion. The finance administration ended with all items being unanimously passed. Highlights here include the editing of several city ordinances to better match the city’s needs. When the regular city council meeting began, no further discussion on items presented to council were held. All items presented were passed or carried their respective readings with unanimous votes. A special report by Cheif of Police David Plesich was also given, outlining key statistics the Police Department tracked in the fourth quarter.
We’re glad to have live tweeted Reynoldsburg’s January 28th city council meeting. #This is Reynoldsburg is proud to promote the events our local city government holds. It is only in the constant evaluation of our local government, that we can make a positive impact on the way it grows in the near future. Thank you for reading, and remember to check into www.thisisreynoldsburg.org for more content on Reynoldsburg’s local government .
