Aurora planning considers site plan for tire warehouse in industrial zone
AURORA – The planning commission accepted for study an amended preliminary site plan, a final site plan and wetlands setback variance request for a new K&M Tire warehouse at its July 20 session.
Aurora Industrial Park II/Curtis Layer seeks to erect the 130,000-square-foot building on 13.9 acres on Francis D. Kenneth Drive, just north of Campus Drive, in the southern industrial zone.
In April, City Council approved a 15-year, 100 percent tax abatement with C Realty LLC/K&M Tire Inc. for the warehouse, which is expected to bring about 26 new jobs to the city.
The planning commission previously approved a lot split of 34.5 acres at the site, which got the ball rolling for K&M Tire to submit plans to build on the northernmost 13.9 acres.
K&M Tire spokesman Kevin Schnipke said the firm plans to move its Solon facility to Aurora. The firm is a family-owned regional tire distributor headquartered in Delphos, Ohio.
It owns and operates 32 distribution centers throughout the Great Lakes, Midwest, and Great Plains regions, and distributes 50-plus brands of passenger car and light/medium truck tires and 12-plus brands of agricultural, industrial and specialty tires.
The firm employs 265 total full-time workers. The company plans to move 16 full-timers from Solon and hire five each in years 2 and 3 for a total of 26. That would result in a payroll of slightly more than $1 million by the third quarter of 2025.
It was explained the proposed building would have a roof ridge height of 30 feet, and the proposed side yard and rear yard building/parking setbacks are greater than the required minimums.
A minimum of 65 trees are required to be planted in accordance with the zoning code.
Planning-zoning-building director Denise Januska said the code also requires that the site must have 174 parking spaces, and 43 paved spaces with 131 land-banked spaces are proposed.
The applicant is seeking a 58-foot wetlands setback variance, and Januska said a wetlands delineation with ORAM scores by HzW Environmental Consultants has been submitted. The Chagrin River Watershed Partners has reviewed the variance request.
Januska also said the fire department has no objection to the project, a trip generation report has been submitted and improvements plans are required before final site plan approval is given.
OTHER BUSINESS
The planning panel accepted for study a request for a 75-foot wetlands setback variance so that Jan and Tina Bruecklmeier can erect a fence for grazing of a horse in the front yard of their 15.8-acre property at 720 E. Garfield Road.
The Bruecklmeiers said if they cannot graze the horse in the front yard, they would have to cut down a large number of trees in the woods on the south side of the lot to locate the pasture there.
“With our planned design, passing cars and the neighbors would only see one uniform fence front vs. different divided pieces of pastures,” they said. “We have the feeling this will minimize the impact on the neighbors.”
Januska said a wetlands delineation with ORAM scores by HzW Environmental Consultants has been submitted, and the Chagrin River Watershed Partners has reviewed the variance request.
Meanwhile, the panel sent a positive recommendation to City Council to change sections of city ordinances dealing with storage of rubbish/junk vehicles and property maintenance standards.
Violators would be subject to a fourth-degree misdemeanor for a first offense instead of the current minor misdemeanor. A second offense within one year would be a third-degree misdemeanor and each subsequent offense within one year after the first would be a second-degree misdemeanor.
Police Lt. Andrew Lumpkins explained increasing the penalty by one degree will require people who have been cited to have a hearing, at which point the law director could discuss the issue with the defendant, and in many cases come to a resolution.
He said under the current process, when a minor misdemeanor citation is issued, the guilty party goes to court and pays the fine without any input from city officials, and the judge does not consistently order abatement of the violation.
Contact the newspaper at auroraadvocate@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Aurora planning considers site plan for tire warehouse
