News Flash: Lance Osborne/Giant Eagle Plan To Gut Highland Heights’ Zoning Code

Lance Osborne informed the Highland Heights Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) tonight that he and Giant Eagle intend to petition to put a zoning issue on the ballot so a mega-GetGo gas station, car wash, and convenience store/cafe can be operated on the Catalano’s grocery store property.

The zoning issue, as described by Osborne, would effectively gut the city’s zoning code.

The Catalano’s property is zoned for "Local Business," which is the most restrictive business classification in the city – buildings currently can’t exceed 10,000 square feet in size and all business activities have to be conducted "wholly" indoors.

Osborne told P&Z that the issue that he and Giant Eagle intend to put on the ballot would:

• Increase the size of buildings in Local Business districts from 10,000 to 25,000 square feet; and

• Remove the "wholly" inside activity restriction to allow gas stations and car washes to be operated as "accessory uses" of grocery and convenience stores.

What does this mean?

• Because the city’s less restrictive General Business classification includes everything permitted in Local Business, the Osborne/Giant Eagle zoning issue, if passed, would allow gas stations and car washes to be installed on every single business-zoned property in the city, no matter where they are located.

• The Osborne/Giant Eagle zoning issue will also effectively gut the city’s “Motor Service District” zoning classification – along with all the important restrictions currently imposed on the location and operation of gas stations in the city.

Based on what he said tonight, it appears that Lance Osborne and Giant Eagle have declared war on the city’s zoning code. 

And since the zoning code is designed to protect Highland Heights residents, that means they’ve declared war on us, too.

Grin of the Night:

Osborne told P&Z there would be "no degradation" of the Brainard/Bishop/Wilson Mills intersection if a mega-GetGo, car wash and convenience store/cafe is put on the Catalano’s property. He also said  the "city won’t have to pay anything" to improve the intersection.

Good news – if you believe it.

Of course Osborne didn’t discuss how residents living in the northwest corner of the city would be impacted by all the new traffic flowing in from surrounding communities, and he didn’t claim that residential neighborhoods (and residential property values) wouldn’t be degraded by the Osborne/Giant Eagle zoning issue and development plan.

By then again, why would he?