Boston Heights Council approves some 'big box' retail

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by Rachael Whitcomb

Associate Editor

Boston Heights -- Super-sized shopping could be coming to the village following Council's approval May 7 of a request to allow larger retail uses at certain locations along Route 8.

Village Council approved a request to allow "big box" retail in the village's retail business district by a 5-1 vote, with Council member Teri Slane voting against the measure. Another request, to allow "big box" retail in the general business district, was denied unanimously.

The measure approved by Council will allow only one 215,000-square-foot two-story building in the retail business district, and one 125,000-square-foot one-story building per 50-acre retail business parcel, Council President Pro Tem Bill Goncy said.

For comparison, the Wal-Mart on Hudson Drive in Stow is 130,000 square feet.

Clerk of Council Carol Zeman said Council amended the original request for the retail business district zoning code change, which would have allowed an unspecified number of buildings of up to 100,000 square feet for a single story and 215,000 square feet for a two-story building as conditional uses on 50-acre parcels.

The village's retail business district now allows buildings up to 50,000 square feet.

No specific plans for "big box" stores have been submitted to the village, though, and all the "big box" stores would need conditional use approval and be subject to approval from the planning commission, Goncy added.

The other request, to allow "big box" retail in the general business district, was not recommended to Council by the planning commission. Since Council denied the request, building sizes in that district will remain capped at 30,000 square feet, Zeman said.

Request for zoning code addition denied

Village Council also unanimously denied a developer's request to make changes to the general business district zoning code May 7.

The site's developer's, Boston Crossings Ltd. and Omni Realty asked Council to change the general business code to allow a maximum building size of 105,000 square feet per story on a 40-acre portion of their 77-acre property, according to Zeman. The developers told Council at recent meetings that they planned to build office buildings at their property at Route 8 and Boston Mills Road near the Ohio Turnpike.

The general business district allows 2 1/2-story buildings capped at 30,000 square feet as the maximum under the current code.

The developers could not be reached by press time.

E-mail: rwhitcomb@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3146