ELYRIA — The developers of Spring Valley Golf and Athletic Club will not be building an assisted living facility in the front of the property anytime soon after City Council’s Community Development Committee shot down a proposal to rezone more than eight acres of land.
Corna
With the failed rezoning request came a request for a conditional use permit that would have allowed the facility to be built, but committee members likewise voted against the request of Bob Corna, who is redeveloping Spring Valley.
Councilman Forrest Bullocks, D-2nd Ward, was the only committee member to vote in favor of rezoning. While he said he also shared many of the same concerns of the other Council members, he said Council would still have a lot of opportunity to weigh-in on various phases of the project before construction started.
The other members of the committee are Councilman Tom Callahan, D-at large; Councilman Kevin Brubaker, D-at large; Councilman Kevin Krischer, I-5th Ward and Councilwoman Donna Mitchell, D-6th Ward.
Council members voted to deny the rezoning until Corna can deal with several violations he has received from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Councilman Larry Tanner, D-1st Ward, brought the problems — grading, storm drains and the stockpiling of building material near the Black River — to Council’s attention, although he is not on the committee. He encouraged committee members to vote against rezoning.
“It’s fine to give us a line of stuff of how this is good for Elyria, but you run into problems and you don’t fix them,” he said.
However, Corna, who asked Council members to accept his proposal, said there was a misunderstanding with the Ohio EPA, and he vowed to correct the problem.
“There is almost this feeling that we have done something wrong with the property,” he said. “But every day I am fighting to keep this property beautiful and green.”
Corna said that while he pledges to keep a golf course at Spring Valley, “the golf business alone can not sustain Spring Valley forever. It will be the development that makes it happen.”
Corna first appeared before Council in 2008 with a proposal to turn the golf course and surrounding property into a $50 million housing development. Construction was supposed to start this spring on 96 single-family and duplex cluster homes, but Corna has not broken ground and has pumped close to $800,000 into the golf course and clubhouse.
The plan included assisted living homes, but in a later phase. On Monday, Corna said he decided to come back to Council with a different plan because the residential building market had no room for a new home development. However, he did a market study that said an assisted living facility could make it in this tough economy.
But first he needs to get the rezoning and conditional use permit in place to help secure funding. “I really need the project to move forward … and I need your help,” he said.
Council members told Corna he has a lot to do before he will get their help. Not only does the Ohio EPA have concerns, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency has to sign off on the plan because portions of Spring Valley are in the flood plain.
Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.
