MANSFIELD — Mansfield lawmakers voted against the recommendation of the city’s Planning Commission on Tuesday night.
City Council rejected a proposal to rezone almost 40 acres on the city’s north side after a public hearing that lasted 71 minutes.
If approved, the change would have allowed for the construction of single family or multifamily homes under the city’s zoning code.
The vote was unanimous, save for At-large councilman David Falquette, who was not at the meeting.
Property owner Michael Thiel of Delaware, Ohio, requested the change for the two adjoining parcels currently zoned for mobile home parks.
Those parcels are located east of the Richland County Fairgrounds, just north of the Wooded Estates mobile home park at 1322 Paddock Drive, along Longview Avenue.
The city Planning Commission voted unanimously June 24 to recommend council grant Thiel’s rezoning request.
But on Tuesday, more than a dozen residents of the Roseland neighborhood spoke out against the proposed rezone. Neighbors voiced concerns about safety, increased traffic and infrastructure capacity.
Hannah Ellis said she grew up in the trailer park south of the lots in question. Now, she’s raising her own kids in the neighborhood next door.
“Right now, our neighborhood is quiet. We can let our kids ride their bikes on the road,” she told lawmakers.
“How are we supposed to feel safe and secure about it when we don’t know what’s coming in? What about the wildlife? What about the traffic?”
“The light on Trimble and (U.S.) 30 can’t support what we have now. It backs all the way up to (Ohio) 39,” she said.
Gary Caudill said both his father and brother have issues with sewer backup in their Roseland homes and questioned if existing infrastructure could support a multifamily development.
Mayor, property owner deny land has been designated for ‘government housing’
Multiple residents brought up a lack of notification, asking why the city didn’t send letters and insisting signage about the public hearing was inadequate.
Sherry Madden said she received a letter in the middle of July notifying her of a planning commission meeting in June.
Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry said anyone with property abutting the land with a rezoning proposal should have received a letter.
“It sounds like the mail has had some issues,” she said. “We probably all have had that too. Unfortunately, that’s on us a little bit as well.”
Robert Johnson brought a sheet of yellow notebook paper, which he claimed contained signatures of 200 residents opposed to the rezoning request.
Robert Beatty, president of the Roseland Neighborhood Watch, referenced a misleading petition that had been circulated. But he also said residents deserve accurate information about any proposed development.
“Nobody seems to still know what’s actually going in there,” he said. “They have a right to know.”
Several community members referenced rumors that the lot was destined for “government housing” — something both Thiel and Perry denied.
Thiel told council members before the vote that he plans to sell the property.
“I’m not a developer,” he said. “I’m looking to sell it to someone to develop the property further.”
Thiel added that he could sell it to a mobile home park developer, but sought the rezone after talking with local officials and looking at Richland County’s 2023 countywide housing study.
“There’s a housing shortage within Richland County and there is an excess of mobile homes and mobile home parks within Richland County,” Thiel said.
According to the Richland County Auditor’s Office website, Thiel acquired the two parcels, totaling 39.5 acres, during a Richland County Sheriff’s Office auction for $200,210.
City officials said they didn’t want to vote to rezone without concrete plans for the property
Perry and several city council members said they were hesitant to approve a zoning change when there’s no specific plan for how the property will be used.
“We don’t really know what we’re approving here and that’s what’s concerning to me,” At-large councilwoman Shari Robertson said prior to the vote. “When it comes down to it, it’s hard to vote for something not knowing what’s going to go in there.”
Perry, a non-voting member of the city’s Planning Commission, said she voiced similar concerns at a meeting in June.
She also told residents denying the rezone request doesn’t ensure the property will stay the same forever.
“It doesn’t mean that something else can’t come in,” she said. “Short of you purchasing (the land), I don’t know how you keep it as woodlands forever. But I think it’s fair for you to know what is going in.”
While city lawmakers thanked the public for sharing their views, a few pushed back on statements made about immigrants, homeless people and those on government assistance.
Fifth Ward Councilman Aurelio Diaz said he grew up near Roseland and that the neighborhood held a special place in his heart.
“Thank you for coming here. I think it takes a lot of courage to come up here and be passionate,” he said. “We really do take this serious. We want to hear all sides of it.”
Diaz told the public that his father is an immigrant and his family briefly relied on public assistance when he was growing up.
“Not every single person receiving benefits or are coming from different countries are homeless or bad people. They’re not all lazy,” he said. “There are some people making bad decisions — but that’s not everyone.”
Third Ward Councilman Rev. Eleazer Akuchie, who immigrated to the United States from Nigeria, shared similar thoughts.
“It will be prudent when we are talking about people, not to characterize because you don’t know,” he said. “It could have been me. It could be you tomorrow.”
City council also:
— voted to honor Ray Peterson’s legacy and honor his contributions to the community by naming the Liberty Park baseball field in his honor.
— voted to accept a $7,500 grant from the Mansfield Board of Realtors for the Disc Golf Course at Middle Park.
— voted to accept a $100 donation from Bay World Manufacturing to be used by the city’s flag football program.
— voted to accept a $500 donation from Village Care LLC to be used by the city’s flag football program and youth sports.
— voted to accept a $560 donation from Synergy Properties to be used in the city’s flag football program.
— voted to accept a $2,707.74 EMS equipment grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety-Emergency Medical Services Division to be used by the Mansfield Fire Department.
— voted to accept a $9,350 grant from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to be used by the fire department for EMS hazardous materials training.
— voted to accept a $75,000 grant from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to be used by the city’s drug abuse response team project. Chief Jason Bammann estimated this is the fourth or fifth year the city has received the grant. He told lawmakers it funds the Opiate Response Team and other educational efforts in the community. The Opiate Response Team includes a law enforcement officer, a treatment professional and an addiction advocate who respond within 72 hours of an overdose.
— voted to accept a $141,424.50 grant from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services to be used to continue the city’s license plater reader program, which consists of 24 cameras, through 2026.
— voted to accept a $49,089.86 grant from the Ohio Office Of Criminal Justice Services to be used for a family violence liaison officer in the Mansfield Police Department