MANSFIELD — The Westinghouse Home of Tomorrow remains a point of community contention today.
A divided city Planning Commission voted 3-2 on Tuesday to approve a conditional-use permit that would allow the 895 Andover Road site to be utilized as a private museum — over the objections of several Woodland neighborhood residents.
The permit sets a long list of restrictions on the by-appointment-only museum, including its operational season (May through October), days of operation (Thursday through Sunday) and hours of operation (1 to 4 p.m.)
It also limits the size of tour groups to no more than 10 and allows just one open house/event inside the museum per year.
It also calls for visitor parking only on the museum property, i.e. no street parking, among other requirements for the operation.
The restrictions also include no private events outside and maximum total attendance will be restricted to 50, as well as limits on lights and sound at the property. No tour buses will be permitted.
With those limitations in mind, commission members Jotika Shetty, Matthew Stanfield and Jeff Schultheis voted in favor of the proposal put forth by Jerry Miller, president of the North Central Ohio Industrial Museum.
Chad Owens and Lindsay Zimmer voted against the plan in a vote that came at the end of an hour-long discussion. Commission member William Salas said he lives in the neighborhood and chose to abstain from the vote.
The debate, which began during a Planning Commission meeting on July 15, may not be over.
Four Woodland residents attended the meeting and spoke against the proposal, warning commission members of the potential impact on the neighborhood and also on property values.
Decisions of the Planning Commission can be appealed within 30 days to the Richland County Common Pleas Court under Ohio Revised Code 2506.
The latest meeting came after the commission tabled the proposal two weeks ago and asked Miller to provide additional details, which he did with a 31-page document.
Miller owns a house at 545 Stewart Lane in the Woodland neighborhood.
(Below is a PDF with the revised Westinghouse Home of Tomorrow Museum proposal from Jerry Miller and the North Central Ohio Industrial Museum.)
In the expanded proposal, Miller laid out many of the restrictions included in the approved conditional-use permit.
“With advance reservations, small tour groups, on-site parking, one-way driveway circulation, retained landscaping, controlled lighting, and no physical expansion, the proposed use can operate with minimal impact and retain the property’s residential appearance,” Miller said in his revised plan.
Miller also gave the commission a supplemental packet, which included a letter of support from the Richland County Historical Society.
“The Richland County Historical Society believes the proposed adaptive reuse of the Westinghouse Home of Tomorrow as a nonprofit historic house museum is an appropriate and responsible preservation strategy that serves the public interest while remaining compatible with the surrounding neighborhood,” the local historical society said in a letter signed by President Alan Wigton.
(Below is an addendum in PDF form supplied by Jerry Miller on Tuesday.)
Built by Westinghouse in 1934, the Home of Tomorrow showcased the latest electric appliances manufactured in Mansfield at the time. More than 250,000 visitors reportedly toured the home during its first two years before it became a private residence, which it has remained for the last 90 years.
The property is zoned R-1 residential. That zoning allows for museums under conditional-use permits granted by the Planning Commission, “subject to site-plan approval.”
The property is currently owned by Kelly Converse, the city’s finance director, who has lived at the house since 2008.
Miller announced in June the NCOIM had signed a letter of intent with Converse to purchase the house, which he said was the first step toward purchasing and restoring the landmark home as a public museum.
The NCOIM, based inside the former Ohio State Reformatory at 100 Reformatory Road, was launched by Miller five years ago “to honor, preserve, and showcase north central Ohio’s rich industrial and manufacturing history while highlighting the region’s ongoing innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.”
In its report to the commission, city zoning officials said they received 11 emails from residents since the July 14 meeting — six in favor and five opposed.
“It’s almost to 50/50 in the neighborhood,” zoning official Adam Gongwer said. “There’s been some comments from outside the neighborhood, as well.”
He told commission members that Richland County Regional Planning reviewed the proposal and determined it would increase vehicle traffic by less than nine cars per week.
“This is well below the threshold for a professional engineered traffic study. So there is not a need, at this time for a professional from an engineering firm for a traffic study,” Gongwer said.
The Mansfield law director’s office said the Planning Commission may place restrictions and conditions that would result in a revocation of the conditional use permit if the elements of the pact are violated.
“But any such conditions must be stated within the (conditional use permit),” he said.
Miller told commission members he has learned a lot of about “the history business” in recent years. He said there are 25 museums in Richland County and that each one is “either in a neighborhood or directly abuts the neighborhood.”
“That includes the (Ohio State Reformatory), which has had 30,000 people a day for an (Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival) event. There’s neighbors right across the street and there’s neighbors right down the little dead end (road).
“I don’t think I’m asking for anything that’s out of the ordinary around the county,” Miller said.
During public participation, and prior to the commission’s vote, four Woodland neighbors said they opposed the idea, including Sharlene and Robert Neumann, who live across the street at 873 Dickson Parkway.
(Below are photos taken during the city of Mansfield Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday afternoon in City Council chambers.)
Robert Neumann said he had read Miller’s revised plan, but expressed concerns about potential events on the property if it’s rented to third-party groups.
Miller’s plan said, “any material expansion in attendance, hours, events, buildings, parking, exterior activity, or site improvements will require further City review.”
“He says it will not be an unrestricted event center and that the city will preview all events. That doesn’t satisfy me. He has no indication in there as to what events would be happening, how many would be happening, on what days would they be happening, how many people would attend and how parking at those events would occur,” Neumann said.
“He is specific about the one event he’ll have, which is the (annual) open house. But what about other events that could happen on a private property, other things that he could rent to and other people that could definitely increase traffic and increase parking in our area.I think that needs to be addressed in this particular site plan,” Neumann said.
“I have nothing against history, but I do have something against all kinds of events.”
Sharlene Neumann, who also spoke against the proposal July 14, questioned how the museum would remain operational with just 300 visitors a year.
“Before the conditional-use approval is granted, I would request that the applicant disclose the full intent scope of operations and that the commission determine whether each contemplated use is permitted under the requested conditional use (before approval),” she said.
“I’m asking for concrete answers to maximum visitors per day, maximum event attendance, number of private events per year, event hours, whether alcohol, catering, music will be permitted, parking for events, and whether the grounds can be rented to a third party. That hasn’t been addressed,” Sharlene Neumann said.
She called on the commissions to require there be no weddings; no private rentals or parties; no corporate events; no receptions; no fundraising/fundraisers; no outdoor events; no amplified sound; no parking on Dixon Parkway or Andover Road; and no overflow street parking.
Michael Gurski of 866 Dickson Parkway said he and his wife have lived diagonally opposite from the former Westinghouse site for 33 years.
“I’ve been a Woodland resident for nearly 40 years. I have nothing personal against museums, but we are very concerned about this variance being granted.
“It’s not clear to me and I’ve seen the plan and, and there’s great detail in there, but I don’t think we have all the necessary guardrails in place yet. The possibility of having events there greatly concerns me.”
Gurski said he was also concerned about what happens if the museum fails.
“I’m very protective of the value of my property. I don’t want to see any house, if it ends up being a financial struggle, a financial failure, to negatively impact the value of my property. No one would disagree with that.
“This is first and foremost a residential, well established, mature neighborhood,” Gurski said.
Patrick Reynolds, of 586 Brae Burn Road, said he has lived in Woodland for 33 years.
“I can see this residence that we’re talking about from my home office. I walk by it, bike by it. That’s what’s unique about Woodland. Woodland is a biker, runner, walker paradise. We have kids on skateboards (and) scooters.
“It’s been a residence for 90 years. I understand Jerry’s passion for history, but I doubt anybody up here or in behind me would want a museum in their neighborhood. It just changes the dynamics of the neighborhood,” Reynolds said.
He also said he’s not sure how it works when a nonprofit owns a home in the neighborhood.
“I do believe that Jerry lives on Stewart, but he’s also a Florida resident. He’s registered to vote in Florida. And that’s a concern. I’m not saying that he doesn’t have a passion for our neighborhood, but he’s not a resident of the state of Ohio,” Reynolds said.
Before the vote, Stanfield said he understood concerns being raised, but that it was not unusual to have a museum in a residential neighborhood.
“As an architect, I’ve gone to Frank Lloyd Wright houses. They’re always in neighborhoods, and yes, it takes the house off the (tax) roll, but it’s also a $10 million house that probably nobody’s going to buy anyways.
“Even when they’re my wife and I went to one recently, it was closed (and) we parked on the street. We walked around for five minutes and (left) because you can’t get in and there’s no point.
“I don’t know that the traffic is really going to be the concern. Will 300 visitors support the museum? Probably not on ticket sales and that’s why you do it as a nonprofit, right? I’m sure Oak Hill (Cottage) doesn’t subsist on ticket sales a lot,” Stanfield said.
Miller said area residents are giving in terms of assisting nonprofits.
“We have raised $887,000 in the last 12 years to support the history of manufacturing,” he told the commission. “There’s a lot of people that enjoy history and it’s a big tourism part of our whole Destination Mansfield,” Miller said.
