Developer Petitions to Build Senior Housing in Strongsville

A developer is asking voters to sign petitions to rezone land at Howe Road and Tracy Lane for senior citizen housing.

Law Director Ken Kraus said M & B Strongsville LLC has notified the city it will seek to put an initiative on the ballot to change the zoning of 3.91 acres from the current residential zoning to SR2, a senior citizen living district.

People from the company have been outside Strongsville businesses and going door-to-door, seeking signatures on the petitions.

Any change from residential zoning needs voter approval in Strongsville.

A representative from M & B could not be reached for comment.

But the city's zoning code says the SR2 district is designed for people 50 and older for community-based residential care facilities, apartments, single-family clusters and skilled nursing facilities.

Most developers seek a rezoning by filing an application with the city. City Council ultimately decides the issue, except in the case of changes from residential, when council places the issue on the ballot.

"They (M & B) want to bypass that and go right to a vote of the people," Kraus said.

With initiative petitions, anyone can place a proposed ordinance or resolution on the ballot by gathering a certain number of signatures and following procedures for submitting it to the city.

Kraus said M & B also sought a rezoning through an initiative petition in 2006 when it sought to build Kids First Learning Center at Howe and Tracy.

The senior housing would run along Howe Road, north of Kids First and behind an Illuminating Company substation.