City Council is next step for vote on rezoning
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Even though it acknowledges concerns about the noise, the Columbus Development Commission unanimously endorsed a plan last night to convert the Cooper Stadium site into a racetrack and auto-research center.The next stop for developer Arshot Investment Corp. is the Columbus City Council, which probably will hold a final vote on the rezoning in March. Then it's on to the city's Board of Zoning Adjustment for a special permit.
Between now and then, there will be a lot of lobbying of City Council members by proponents and opponents of the plan. Arshot wants to convert the empty baseball stadium west of Downtown into a sports and entertainment hub near some of the city's poorest neighborhoods.
"I deeply believe this area of Columbus is ripe for rebirth," the Development Commission's chairman, Mike Fitzpatrick, told more than 100 people at the city's Carolyn Avenue complex after the commission's 5-0 vote.
Developer William J. Schottenstein, who did not attend last night's meeting, is promising neighbors that sound walls will minimize track noise, that he'll pay fines if they don't, and that he'll hire area residents to work at the complex.
"It's a $30 (million) to $40million gamble he's taking here," Fitzpatrick said.
A parade of people for and against the track made their cases during the hour that the commission gave them.
Opponents said the track would hurt the quality of life for nearby residents, reduce home values, disturb visitors at the nearby Green Lawn and Mount Calvary cemeteries, and harm migrating and nesting birds.
"How can anybody expect us to sell Downtown living?" German Village real-estate agent Regina Acosta Tobin said.
But proponents said the project would breathe new life into the 47-acre site, turning a lifeless area into a job generator.
The half-mile oval track would seat 8,500 at the site of the former home of the Columbus Clippers, with sound walls up to 35 feet tall. Arshot has been emphasizing the automotive-research and technology center.
The project would create more than 300 jobs, Arshot said, and host not only races but also concerts, festivals, trade shows and sporting events.
The new Southwest Civic Association signed a good-neighbor agreement with Schottenstein yesterday before the meeting.
Races have to be finished by 10 p.m., the agreement says, although other events could go until 11:30p.m.
Money from ticket sales and fines for noise violations up to $20,000 would be placed into a community foundation for scholarships and vocational training for residents, and public improvements near the site.
"We wanted to make sure this development has a lasting, positive impact," said the new civic association president, Stefanie Coe.
Coe said Arshot would monitor noise and report violations to the Southwest Area Commission, which drew laughs from opponents.
Though the Southwest Area Commission has approved the idea, the Franklinton Area Commission voted against the plan on Tuesday night.
Coe, also a Southwest Area commissioner, said good-neighbor agreements can be better enforced through civic associations, and acknowledged the track helped spur the new group's creation.
"If we formed it for this purpose, who cares?" Coe said.
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