Voters may decide Bradley land fate
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published June 13, 2007

City Council took the first step Thursday to place the fate of 42 acres of undeveloped land owned by the Westlake City Schools before the city voters this November.

An ordinance asking voters to decide “for advisory purposes only” whether the property, which the city has long sought for recreational use, should in fact be rezoned for that purpose was placed on first reading at the June 7 council meeting.

Three readings are required before a vote is taken on a bill unless those rules are suspended.

Law Director John Wheeler explained that the ordinance has to be passed before the second week of August so that the question can be placed on the ballot by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

On April 17, Wheeler told council’s planning, zoning and legislative committee that the city could hold an advisory election on whether to rezone the land for exclusively recreational purposes. The land is currently zoned for residential use.

The City Charter only calls for a public vote on rezoning matters when the land in question will be changed to include multifamily housing, a shopping center, or an increase in population density, Wheeler said. Because none of these factors apply in the case of the Bradley Road property, a popular vote would only be advisory, the law director explained.

The city still has to create a zoning classification that would only permit recreational uses, Wheeler added.

City Council, which has the authority to rezone the Bradley Road property, would prepare a rezoning ordinance and pass it if the advisory vote of the citizens tells them to, Council President Michael Killeen has said.

Westlake School Board President Renee D’Ettorre Wargo has said such efforts to rezone the district’s property for exclusively recreational purposes were an obvious attempt to pressure the school board into a sale to the city.

Several months of negotiations between the city and school board have failed to reach an agreement. At a May 15 council committee-of-the-whole meeting, members voted 6 to 1 to renew an offer of $1.9 million for the district’s land. However, that offer expires on June 15. The school board’s most recent asking price was $3.59 million.

On Monday, D’Ettorre Wargo told West Life that she stands by that asking price.

The school board has been busy interviewing candidates for the superintendent position and has not had the time to discuss the city’s renewed offer before this week, D’Ettorre Wargo told West Life.

Previous West Life articles online:

• "City wants public meeting on Bradley land"
  West Life, March 14, 2007
• "City to school board: Deal or no deal?"
  May 23, 2007