Toledo City Council to vote on zoning requests for planned East Toledo riverfront metropark

​By: Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

At its regular meeting at 4:00 p.m. today, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on Ordinances 89-19 and 90-19 to approve Metroparks Toledo’s zoning applications for its planned riverfront metropark on roughly 89 acres in the Marina District area of East Toledo. The first ordinance would change zoning at the site from regional commercial and general industrial to parks and open space designations. The other would approve a required special use permit for community recreation use of the site. Both requests were previously approved and advanced by Council’s Zoning & Planning Committee. 

Other legislation expected to be voted on include the following: 

• Ordinance 81-19 which would allow the city to continue providing emergency medical services to support Lucas County. The city currently operates five full-time and one part-time advanced life support squads for the County. The County would provide $4,524,728 to the city for operation of the squads for 2019, the same as under the current terms, with an option to extend on a quarterly basis. 
• Ordinance 84-19 which would approve $1 million from the Franklin Park/Westfield Municipal Public Improvement Tax Increment Fund for resurfacing of Laskey Road between Harvest Lane and Secor Road, and safety improvements at the intersection of Laskey Road and Talmadge Road. 
• Ordinance 85-19 which would authorize an agreement with Metroparks Toledo to extend the walkway on the west side of Ottawa Street from the Oliver House to the Middlegrounds Metropark. As part of the agreement, Metroparks Toledo would reimburse the city for 33 percent of the project costs, up to $16,666. 
• Ordinance 88-19 which would approve City Council’s application to change zoning from limited industrial and duplex residential to neighborhood commercial for a mostly vacant four acre site at 1157 Grand Avenue and 1928 North Detroit Avenue. The purpose of the request is to restrict the type and intensity of future land use and development. 

All Council meetings are held in Council Chambers on the first floor of One Government Center, located on Jackson Boulevard in downtown Toledo. 

---

Tim Schneider
​
​As Manager for Local Government Advocacy, Tim Schneider advocates for local policies and laws that safeguard and foster a pro-business environment in the Toledo Region. Tim has more than 10 years of legislative and public policy experience with the local, state and federal levels of government.