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Wickliffe voters will decide two zoning issues on November 2.
One is an amendment to the referendum zoning charter; the other a rezoning of property registered on the ballot by petition.
Referendum zoning is an indispensable piece of the city’s development puzzle, says Mayor John A. Barbish.
Referendum zoning shortens the process of any rezoning effort in Wickliffe, making the city more attractive to a developer, business owner or investor, Barbish said.
According to the Lake County Elections Board, the proposed charter amendment states that a change in the zoning or district classification of any property, in the uses permitted in any zoning classification, or in the use of any property in Wickliffe must be approved unless and until it is submitted to the Planning Commission for approval or disapproval. Nor should it be approved or adopted as an emergency measure.
In addition, no measure will be passed or adopted until it has been read on three separate days and received an affirmative vote of two-thirds of all elected members of city council.
“Zoning is something that cannot be changed quickly without a lot of thought, but there are still large plots in the city that may require it,” Barbish said, citing the former ABB site (now Premier Development ) and schools.
“As they build new schools, things are going to have to be dezoned for middle and elementary school,” he added. “The city is working with the district in this regard.
“When people come to the table and say, ‘We want to develop houses here,’ it makes sense to the community. We want it to go well and not take a year.
In addition to referendum zoning, a proposed zoning change for a single property will be on the ballot for Wickliffe this year. A small single family house on E. 289th St. is owned by Bruno and Jospia Milisic, owners of Casa Di Vino.
“They bought it and fixed it to sell it, and they found out that it was a general matter,” Barbish said. “The title company will do nothing, the bank will do nothing and as mayor I could not force this to happen.”
If voters approve the residential zoning change, the Milisics can sell the house.
Similar issues have arisen from time to time, such as Lucky 7 on Worden Road, which is a commercial residential area, Barbish said.
“So just really wacky stuff. Who knows how it was 50 or 60 years ago,” he said. “It keeps transactions from happening and it hurts people who invest money “Money. That puts thousands of dollars into a property and you can’t sell it because of this problem.”
Over the past 18 months, many young investors have ventured into Wickliffe. With this, the city set up a community reinvestment zone for tax breaks between 2018 and 2019.
“Property tax rebates for new construction and major renovations – we’ve extended them citywide for residential and commercial, which has reduced barriers to investment for people,” said Barbish .
While Wickliffe may have been undervalued, people see him as valuable stock in a way, he said.
“I think the people who invest in Wickliffe see it and understand it,” Barbish said. “They agree with an investment over 10 or 15 years. Millennials are taking over family businesses and buying their own property, so it’s very exciting.
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