ONTARIO — The former church hall and office building at 1745 Walker Lake Road could become much livelier after Ontario Planning Commission’s approval of plans to construct a childcare center.
The commission granted conditional use approval for a childcare center after hearing from YMCA of North Central Ohio CEO Cristen Gilbert and the new property owner.
Conditions the childcare center must meet include a minimum of 150 square feet per child in an outdoor play area. A total minimum area of 5,000 square feet of outdoor space should be provided and bordered by a treeline or fence at least six feet tall.
Planning commission members also requested that a privacy fence at least six feet tall be built facing the road, but the other sides of the fence may be chainlink.
Gilbert estimated the new day care could handle about 60 kids based on the square footage requirements. Opening the new day care would allow them to move from their current space inside Freedom Ridge Church.
“We are limited in our licensing number for how many kids we can care for at Freedom Ridge, but this move will allow us to double our infant and toddler accommodations,” Gilbert said.
Ontario Y Childcare currently has six infants and six toddlers, and space at 1745 Walker Lake Road will allow space for 12 infants and 14 toddlers.
“That seems to be a need in our community,” Gilbert said. “And building a new playground will give the kids lots of space to run around in a nice, enclosed area.”
Ontario Childcare has about 10 staff members including the site director. Gilbert said she hopes to open the new location by October, though it will require some renovations before then.
Ontario Childcare serves children from 6 weeks old up to 12 years old throughout the year. The hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Fees vary by age and families can also receive financial assistance from Job and Family Services. Interested families can find more information on Ontario Childcare online or call the site director at 419-522-3511 ext. 277.
Commission tabled rezone request for upscale apartments
The planning commission also heard from Craig Donley, who requested a rezone from R-2 to R-3 to build about 200 upscale apartments on 19 acres along Walker Lake Road near the Lexington-Springmill Road intersection.
The R-3 zone allows for high-density residential construction like apartment buildings and multi-family homes, while R-2 only allows one- and two-family residences and publicly-owned facilities.
The commission voted to table the request so the city engineer and zoning inspector can look into how much more road and sewer traffic apartments would add to the area.
Zoning inspector Michael Morton noted if the commission approves a rezone, Donley would be allowed to request up to four variances from what the code allows for the project.
“But if you’re going to be outside the realm of what our code allows, you could go planned unit development so the city and developer can agree on what the project is going to look like,” Morton said.
City engineer Mark Rufener said the planned unit development zone requires the developer to present detailed plans before construction begins.
“All that stuff is planned upfront before the zoning goes through and we would review it and provide feedback depending on what the site can handle,” Rufener said. “But final construction plans would have to be approved regardless of what direction you go in zoning.”
Morton said the planning commission should write new codes for outdoor recreation facilities because the city doesn’t have a specific code on the books. This would benefit private citizens who want to build mini golf, basketball courts or other outdoor entertainment spaces.
“I was approached by someone looking to buy the old mini golf course on Stumbo Road and they want to make it into a different outdoor recreation facility, but nothing in our code permits that,” Morton said.
Morton also said he will have legislation prepared for the next meeting regarding hours of construction in residential areas. Mayor Randy Hutchinson said a timeline limiting construction to the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. within 1,000 feet of residences seemed reasonable.
The legislation will include exemptions for emergencies and might exempt public works projects like road paving.
“The idea is to not handicap contractors, more to protect residents of the community from noise and lights that come from working early or late,” Morton said.