Council Rejects Rezoning Property in Residential Area

For now, it appears no new business will be moving in to an East Aurora Road property.

Tuesday night Twinsburg City Council unanimously rejected a motion to change property at 3400 E. Aurora Road from residential to commercial.

Thomas Ziska, an architect for the proposed project, said the owner has two pieces of adjacent property, one commercial and the residential piece. He wants to make both commercial to attract a new business.

Both properties are on the corner of East Aurora and Ravenna Roads, across from .

John Manes, the property owner, hasn't pursued any interests in the property yet, but told the city without the zoning, he wasn't able to market the property, according to Mayor Katherine Procop.

“He’s got lots of ideas for it," Ziska said.

During the public hearing on Tuesday a neighboring resident, Gus Crichlow, addressed council with his concerns for the project.

Crichlow was concerned it would encroach on his property, worrying about losing trees and having noise problems depending on what was put in.

“We know a business will probably go there, we understand that, but we don’t want to lose 15 feet of tree space,” he said.

When asked about the neighbors' feelings about a business moving next door, Ziska said, to his knowledge, it's been favorable.

“He (Manes) tells me he’s getting positive responses from those who he’s talked to," Ziska said.

However, council members didn't buy it.

“The architect said there were neighbors who were in support of this, but we had some here tonight that weren’t," At-Large Councilman Gary Sorace said.

“This has gone before the residents two times before and failed twice, so I don’t think we should put them through that again,” Sam Scaffide, Ward 1 councilman, said.