By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
A request to rezone the True Value parking lot received approval from the Bucyrus City Council Platting Committee Monday evening.
True Value submitted a request to rezone three lots – Inlots 537, 540, and 545 – from a Suburban Residential District to a Neighborhood Business. According to Ben Campbell, manager of True Value, the company plans on constructing a drive-thru building that would act as a storage facility for basic lumber and other building materials. The building would be 80 feet long by 30 feet wide with the walls reaching 15 feet and the peak of the roof topping out at 23 feet high. It would also sit 56 feet back from the curb.
The rezoning would only occur for True Value’s parking lot; the rest of the property is already zoned as a Neighborhood Business.
Dale Smith, who resides at 706 S. Poplar St., opposed the construction of the building, which he believed would butt up to his property line and leave his home in the shadows for most of the day.
“I think it’s going to pretty much devalue my property,” Smith argued during the public hearing. “This is directly attached almost to my property line. It’s not going to be nice place to live anymore, let’s put it that way.”
Bucyrus Zoning Administrator John Rostash pointed out that there would be quite a bit of distance between the new building and Smith’s residence, including another parcel of land owned by Smith. He added that the location of the building might not even be adjacent to Smith’s home.
“It might be behind his house, so his view might not be obstructed at all,” Rostash said. “They assured me it’s going to fit within the neighborhood, and if it’s less than a two-story building, I don’t think your view would be obstructed at all.”
Rostash believed True Value’s expansion would be a benefit to the city.
“The City of Bucyrus lost our hardware/lumberyard with Carter Lumber. The only available option in town right now would be Quinn’s of Bucyrus,” he said. “To have somebody else in town, another option to purchase from that would have quality product in our community, I think would be a tremendous asset from a planning standpoint. I am very hopeful that this will pass and it will be an asset to the community that will fit nicely in that neighborhood.”
Council member Mark Makeever echoed Rostash’s sentiments, especially with another option that would be open on Sundays rather than driving to Marion or Mansfield.
“I’m not sure that this is going to be as invasive than if somebody built a two-story home next to you,” council member Wanda Sharrock remarked.
The Platting Committee approved a motion on the rezoning recommendation after the public hearing and will be seeking emergency legislation for Tuesday night’s Bucyrus City Council meeting. The matter may still have to pass the Bucyrus City Board of Zoning Appeals due to the location of the building, which would be placed closer to the lot line than would be required by the city. Campbell said state codes may also require them to move the building further away from the property line.