Akron Ohio News - Fairlawn Council OKs rezoning request for proposed hotel

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Fairlawn Council OKs rezoning request for proposed hotel

8/16/2012 - West Side Leader

By Sean Patrick

During the Aug. 13 meeting, Fairlawn City Council unanimously approved an ordinance rezoning 4080 Embassy Parkway.

The change from B-1 (Limited Business District) to B-3 (Business District) paves the way for the potential construction of a Marriott Residence Inn.

Scott Yaeger, president of Radius Hospitality, estimated the total cost of the project at “somewhere around $11.5 million.”

“There will be 107 suites. It’s a mix of two-bedroom suites, one-bedroom rooms and studio rooms. But they all have kitchens in them,” he said. “The building is designed with a pool, fitness facility, outdoor sports court and a very nice lobby area. It’s designed for that extended-stay traveler.”

Yaeger said his company has been working on the project “for the past several years.”

“The project’s ready to go. As soon as financing’s completed, we’re shovel-ready,” he stated. “Typically, a hotel’s going to take about 12 months. If weather’s good to us, it could be a little faster. We’re hoping by fall, October-ish, we can get started and then build right through the winter.”

Yaeger said his company is “fairly confident” the financing will come through and added that Council’s approval of the rezoning will help in that area.

“The economy is slowly coming around and banks are slowly loosening up,” he said. “We’re … very close with getting a final decision on that. It’s looking very favorable right now. We’re excited about it. We love the area.”

Zoning, Housing and Residential Building Commissioner Chris Randles said the Planning Commission approved the plans during its meeting last week.

In other business, President Barack Obama visited Fairlawn July 5, and Mayor William Roth said he has received a total bill for the president’s one-night trip.

“We’ve had presidents roll through or stay for a speaking engagement, but this is the first time we’ve ever had a sitting president spend the night,” the mayor said. “The Hilton basically became, for a period, the White House. But the issue is the cost, and we’re a small city.”

Roth said the total cost for Fairlawn amounted to $34,146.33.

“We received the final costs from the department heads. The police department’s accommodation of overtime and labor was $12,626.37. The fire department’s cost was $4,036.04. The service department was $12,192.88. And that’s for labor alone,” he said. “This is for personnel that had to be added on due to the visit — it’s not our normal cost — but the total cost for us for labor was $28,855.29.”

In addition, Roth said, the city needed to purchase materials in the amount of $5,291.04.

“It’s an honor to have a president, but there is a cost. And whoever comes in like this, we will send a bill to. Will they pay it? We don’t know,” he said. “As a city, we have to keep within our budget. No one really plans for this kind of expense. But we’ll make the request and, hopefully, in good faith they will pay it.”

Roth, who is a Republican, said the city will send the bill to “the powers that be.”

“We’re going to send it, I think, to the Obama campaign committee and the Democratic National Committee,” he said. “And, likewise, if the Republicans come in and we incur any type of costs, we’ll do the same thing to whoever they are.”

In other news:

• Roth said the city has agreed to a price for gas aggregation.

“It will be $4.79 mcf [thousand cubic feet]. And there’s a 10-cent senior discount,” he said. “Last year, it was $6.19, if I remember right, so it’s about $1.40 cheaper than last year.”

According to Roth, the price will start in October and be “fixed for a year.”

“We always try to give residents an option, and this is an option when they go shopping for gas prices in the fall,” he stated.

• Law Director Ed Riegler said the city has received notices from representatives of “the [Fraternal Order of Police] representing police patrol and the police sergeants” signifying the unit’s wish to renegotiate wages for the employees as allowed by their current contracts.

“The full-time collective bargaining agreements are good through December of 2013. However, there is a wage re-opener for 2013, and we’ve gotten notice from two of the units that they’re ready to bargain. I will keep you posted as any other notices are received,” he told Council.

• Fire Chief Russ Hose said he received a notice from Emergency Management in Akron that FirstEnergy will be “inspecting the high-tension lines over the next 10 days.”

“They will have helicopters flying low over the lines,” he stated. “They may stop in certain spots, so there is the potential that we may get calls from people asking what the deal is with these low-flying black helicopters.”

• Council unanimously approved a resolution designating Dr. John Pakiela as the official medical director/adviser to Fairlawn’s Division of Fire and Emergency Rescue Services.

“Dr. Mary Jo McMullen has retired after 30 years of service as our one and only medical director, and I feel very fortunate that we’ve been able to get Dr. John Pakiela to come on to replace her,” Hose said. “He is currently working for Akron General Medical Center, where he’s the head of the paramedic program. He is a teaching physician. I think he will be an excellent fit for Fairlawn.”

Hose said the job is considered “community service” and does not draw a salary.

• Deputy Service Director Ernie Staten said the city’s “miscellaneous slab repair is about two-thirds of the way done.”

“Everything from this point forward will be done north of West Market Street,” he said.

The next Fairlawn City Council meeting is set to take place Sept. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Fairlawn City Hall, 3487 S. Smith Road.

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