Zoning board approves Bradley Bay expansion
By Eric J. Eakin
Bay Village
Published March 16, 2005

The board of zoning appeals last week resuscitated Bradley Bay Health Center's (BBHC) expansion plans, which had been near death following two setbacks.

By a vote of 5-2, the board approved a request from BBHC owner John O'Neill for a special-use permit for independent-living suites that will be included in the $7-million expansion planned for land adjacent to the existing center.

The approval, however, came despite a strong protest by residents living in the area, and with a variety of strings attached.

The strings include: a reduction in the number of parking spaces necessary; no more than 32 independent-living suites may be built; adequate buffering shall be built along the south border; the new building must be set back from Bradley Road the same distance as the existing building; deliveries and garbage pick-ups are to be restricted to business hours; there will be no further expansion on the property; a corrected application must be filed, and that the proposed structure be approved by the architectural board of review (ABR).

O'Neill also announced at the meeting that the plans for the expansion had been substantially altered in order to address some of the concerns of residents. The new building, for example, would now be connected to the existing facility. And an access road to the rear of the facility will be built on the south side of the parcel, which will increase the distance from the nearby Bay Commons condominiums.

More than 100 residents and others attended the BZA hearing, including many neighbors of the center, lawyers for both sides, and numerous city council and other city officials.

Despite presentations by lawyer Gerald Phillips opposing the proposal and a statement by Ward 2 Councilman Brian Cruse urging the board to reject the proposal, it appeared a majority of the board members were in favor of the request from the start after they almost simultaneously picked up the motion for approval.

It might have been obvious to the board that O'Neill, by a variety of loopholes in current laws, was allowed to build the new building. The only question was the makeup of the rooms inside it.

"I appreciate that a lot of people have opinions on this issue, but public opinion does not determine the law," board chairperson Jack Norton said.

"It's a given, he (O'Neill) can build it," board member Barry Tyo said. "If he (O'Neill) wanted to he could build 84 nursing-home beds. Would that make everybody happy? No. It's only the assisted living part of this project that is causing problems."

The proposal now will go to the planning commission, as well as the ARB, for further review. It is expected that O'Neill will be forced to submit revised drawings in the wake of the conditions attached to the approval.