11/27/2008 - South Side Leader
     

To the editor:

I have been a resident of Green for 34 years. I am very concerned about the storm water and transportation issues involved with the Moore Road rezoning legislation in front of City Council and feel select lots on Moore Road should be rezoned to R1, which would be more appropriate for their current use.

My elderly mother and in-laws live in Robin’s Gate. Being a resident of Robin’s Trace, I have seen the storm runoff rise to a level that made the roads impassable by automobile.

I am very concerned that the proposed new project will increase the likelihood of flooding in both of these allotments. We are directly down hill from the proposed rezoning area. I believe high-density housing, thus more flooding, will pose a serious health risk involving the use of emergency vehicles.

The congestion at Moore Road and Arlington is a nightmare. Drivers heading north on Arlington consistently run the red light and block the intersection to squeeze through. I have personally witnessed acts of road rage there. High-density housing would potentially add over 280 cars (traffic engineers’ numbers, not mine).

The Long Range Plan for the city of Green calls for the land north of Moore Road to be used for medium density. Some have exclaimed this is a typographical error. Ohio courts have historically used what is referred to as the “Four Corners” rule, which simply states the language that is contained within the four corners of a document is to be used to determine the full meaning of the document (see Black’s Law Dictionary). Do we now choose to twist the language to reflect the self-serving interests of a few? Isn’t this done enough in our country?

Council members should be concerned that the right precautions have not been taken on the proposed project. However, those that are on the Storm Water and Transportation committees should take special notice of these issues. There was no traffic control study of the Moore Road congestion conducted prior to the preliminary approval of the project by the [city of Green] Planning and Zoning Commission. Doesn’t good community planning call for this? Can’t plans for such a project developed years ago change as do the times and the surrounding area development?

Summit County Engineer’s Office officials have stated they could not guarantee that the sewage disposal from any further development through the pump station in Robin’s Trace would not cause increased problems for the nearby residents. Who is willing to give our city this assurance?

A high-density complex with no new tax obligations from the renters would place a burden on our schools. I say that the handful of property owners that want to keep the present zoning should accept the fact that responsible city government can change zoning when called for. If mistakes were made in the past regarding proper planning or bad zoning decisions, now is the time to correct them.

John Casalinuovo, Green

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