By Sean Rice
srice@dailystandard.com Mercer County Commissioners granted a zoning change request on Thursday that modified a property near Wright State University-Lake Campus into a commercial-light zoned parcel.
Located at 7706 state Route 703, the 0.9-acre parcel contains a small square building that has been unoccupied for several years. Owner George Rafferty intends to sell the property to state Rep. Keith Faber, a township resident, according to Mercer County Zoning Commission documents. Faber has said he and associates may use the building for professional office space.
After the Thursday public hearing, Phil Cozad, zoning commission member and local real estate agent, said the sale is still planned to move forward.
Commissioners fielded no comments from the public on the issue and immediately approved the request. The request moved through the zoning commission and county Regional Planning Commission during the past few months.
Earlier this year, county commissioners rejected an effort to rezone the Rafferty building and surrounding 60 acres commercial, including the Lake Campus. Many area residents attended the March public hearing in protest of the broad change to a commercial zone in a mostly residential area. Under direction of the county commissioners, zoning commission members created a new commercial/light (CL) zoning classification as an alternative for areas with mixed business and residential.
The Rafferty property change from a special/parks zone to CL takes effect after 30 days have passed from the commissioners' approval.
The list of principal uses in the CL are: agriculture, business/professional offices, daycare facilities, funeral homes, libraries and financial institutions. Uses in that zone which require a conditional use permit are: pet shops, standard restaurants, retail business, personal services, assisted living facilities, bed and breakfast shops, museums, nursing homes, schools, recreation and churches.
Conditional use permits require an approval from the Mercer County Board of Zoning Appeals, a body separate from the zoning commission. |
