Proposed Sylvania recreation, community center project moves forward
Jul. 28—Despite concerns about the location, the Lucas County Plan Commission on Wednesday approved both the zoning change and conditional use permit requests for the Sylvania multigenerational recreation and community center project.
"We're excited and very pleased with the decision the planning commission made," said Mike McMahon, operations manager for Sylvania Recreation.
Next steps for the project include presentations before the Sylvania Township Board of Zoning Appeals at 5 p.m. on Monday and the Zoning Commission at 6 p.m. on Aug. 11. John Pristash, chairman of the Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District, which is the entity heading up the project, said he felt positive after the plan commission meeting on Wednesday.
"We've done our due diligence on this," he said. "We think we have the ideal location."
The proposed $60 million facility would be located on a 14.6-acre property at 7260, 7270, 7300, 7316, and 7334 Crossleigh Court in the Cobblestone Woods Business Park. The space has been undeveloped for 20 years, SAJRD representatives told the plan commission on Wednesday.
In its report to the plan commission, commission staff recommended disapproval on both the zone change and conditional use permit requests.
Bill Harbert, county planner, said the recommendation for disapproval stemmed from the site's location in an office park, where officials believe a community center would be incompatible and would be counter-intuitive to Sylvania Township's 2018 land use plan.
Additionally, there were concerns about the amount of traffic and noise the facility would generate, Mr. Harbert said.
"We are typically very supportive of development," he said. "But not all development is found to be appropriate."
During the meeting Wednesday, Daryl Graus, Sylvania Township planning and zoning manager, said the planning and zoning department is also opposed to the proposed location because they don't believe it's compatible with the surrounding area.
SAJRD representatives, however, defended the location with a traffic study that showed, representatives said, that traffic impact as a result of the proposed facility would be negligible as well as letters of support from the facility's would-be neighbors.
The proposed site is centrally located, they argued, and has the connectivity to allow people access by car, bicycle, or on foot.
Greg Feller, president of Feller, Finch and Associates, an engineering firm working with SAJRD on the project, said there are already some recreational amenities in the area, including any events at Southview High School, which is just north of the property.
"We don't feel [the recreation facility] is completely out of character with the area," he said.
Members of the plan commission pointed out that the space has been undeveloped for decades, the traffic study appears to show there would be no concerning impact, and that ultimately the final decision would rest with Sylvania Township trustees.
To fund the project and other improvements to SAJRD facilities, SAJRD is looking to put a capital improvement levy on the November ballot. The 2.56-mill, 28-year levy would generate $72 million, Mr. McMahon said.
"We've done our homework," he said about the project. "Any other concerns we think are far outweighed by the attributes of this particular property."
