Strongsville Squashes School District's Rezoning Request

City Council has denied a request from the Strongsville school district to ask voters to rezone a parcel of land off Pearl Road for future use.

Council voted 4-3 against the request on Monday, with members saying they need to know what might be built on the land first.

"I cannot justify voting for a zoning issue without knowing what it's going to be," Councilman at large Joe DeMio said.

Ward 4 Councilman Scott Maloney said that while school officials say they intend to eventually use it for a school purpose, "we don't know what the future holds."

The Strongsville school district sought to have the vacant 17-acre parcel off Pearl Road, adjacent to Strongsville High School property and behind Jardine Funeral Home, rezoned from the current residential zoning to a public facilities district in case it is developed for school use one day.

Superintendent John Krupinski said the district bought the parcel in 2005 as a new site for Center Middle School, but it's no longer needed for that.

"There are no formal or informal plans for the 17-acre parcel of land," Krupinski told City Council earlier this month. But he said the district "can't develop or use it without having the zoning classification changed."

Any change from residential zoning to another district must be approved by voters.

But Councilman at large Duke Southworth said voters only have a say in the rezoning once, and there's no guarantee the property will be used by the schools.

"This is the only time the voters will have a direct say in this zoning," Southworth said. "If the school board sells it down the road, then anything could be built there once it's rezoned." 

Voting against the rezoning were Maloney, DeMio, Southworth and Ward 2 Councilman Matt Schonhut.