ASHLAND – The City of Ashland is considering rezoning land off Commerce Parkway from a residential district to an industrial district, potentially paving the way for the construction of manfacturing facilities in the area. 

The city’s planning commission recommended the change, and city engineer Shane Kremser brought the commission’s request before city council Tuesday.  

Kremser said the developer who owns the land would like to extend Commerce Parkway out toward George Road to continue developing the area, which is near the new construction of Aber’s Towing and Crane Service and CrossFit 419, as well as near the existing Charles River Laboratories. 

“There has been no talk of any residential development, given the proximity of this site to the interstate and to the existing industrial,” Kremser said. 

Kremser said the original developer of that area had intended to construct rental housing in the area prior to the housing crisis.

“It’s on its fourth owner now, and essentially every developer that has looked at it has looked at it for industrial or retail use,” Kremser said. 

Since the property is near the city limits, Kremser said he checked the zoning of the adjacent township properties before making his recommendation. None of those properties are zoned as residential. 

City council members scheduled a public hearing on the matter for 7:10 p.m., Oct. 16.

In other business, the council held a public hearing on a request from Park Street Brethren Church to vacate an alley adjacent to the church. 

Several neighbors who live near the alley attended the hearing and shared their opinions on the change. A few opposed the vacation, saying they use the alley to access their driveways. Others supported the move, saying traffic in the alley is a nuisance and safety concern. 

As a next step, the city’s board of revision will make a recommendation, which the city council may approve or deny. Council members Al Farnam and Dan Lawson both plan to recuse themselves from voting on the matter as they are members of Park Street Brethren Church. 

Other actions taken by the council Tuesday included:

  • Authorized the purchase of a Marathon Hot Box at a cost of $31,182. The hot box will be used by the street department to repair potholes and should be more effective than the current method of cold patching, according to department director Jerry Mack.
  • Approved two contracts to replace the roof at the street department maintenence building. The contracts include a $49,400 contract with Mid-Ohio Roofing for the labor, and the other is a $30,986 contract with The Garland Company for materials. 
  • Authorized a $49,000 contract with Lebanon Ford to purchase a new police SUV to replace a cruiser that was involved in an a crash several weeks ago. 
  • Approved an enterprize zone agreement with Harris Welding, which gives the company a 75-percent property tax abatement on new construction for five years. The company plans to expand its operations at its Cottage Street location and has promised to add jobs and increase payroll.