July 21, 2011
Traffic calming, on-street parking
Recommendations made for Lane Ave. By LIN RICE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Upper Arlington’s city staff members have their work cut out for them this summer as recommendations for the Lane Avenue corridor are put into effect. City council last week formally accepted the Lane Avenue Corridor planning findings delivered by contractor AECOM. The city entered into a con-
tract with the Los Angeles-based company earlier this year for the purpose of evaluating current and future traffic and parking conditions along the busy artery, along with devising solutions for future development issues. Assistant city manager Joe Valentino said he is pleased with the suggestions brought forth to deal with issues along Lane Avenue. “I’m extremely happy,” he said. “(AECOM) really took the time to work
with all the stakeholders, and I think they gained the residents’ trust. They spent a lot of time with our staff, and with individual members of council. They weren’t all recommendations that the city staff would have recommended, but we’re at a place we can live with and feel good about.” If most or all of AECOM’s recommendations are put in place, Lane Avenue will see some significant changes. The company suggests instituting per-
manent on-street parking on the north side of Lane, with a proposed consistent three-lane restriping design. Intersection crosswalks should be “tightened,” the report suggests, increasing both sight distance for drivers and allowing more on-street parking spaces. The study suggests reducing the speed limit on Lane to 25 miles per hour between Northwest Boulevard and North Star, and that the city rethink its restriction of three parking spaces per
1,000 square feet of development. The study supports a revision of Upper Arlington’s 48-foot maximum height restriction on new buildings, adjusting the code to allow for four occupied floors of 10 to 12 feet each. The company also recommends keeping lot sizes to a minimum of one acre, and that the city explore shared parking options and even off-site parking agreeSee LANE, page A4
New ordinance would prohibit daycare centers in office district
HARRY POTTER SPOTTERS
By LIN RICE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek
Harry Potter, portrayed by Roman Manganaro, 7, transplants a mandrake on July 14 at the Upper Arlington Public Library, which hosted a Harry Potter fair to celebrate the release of the final movie in the series. The fair offered a variety of activities, including Quidditch, wand-making and trivia questions from Hagrid.
Home considered for placement on Register of Historic Places By LIN RICE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
A residence that was once home to a prominent Upper Arlington educator and historian is being considered for placement on the National Register of Historic Places. The Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board met last week to consider nominations for five different sites, among them the Frederick Kilgour House, located at 1415 Kirkley Road in Upper Arlington. Tom Wolf, communications director for the Ohio Historical Society, said July 15 the board tabled the decision on the Kilgour House until its next meeting in order to gather more information. “There was quite a bit of discussion (on the Kilgour House),”Wolf said. “What the board was taking into consideration is whether there are other properties in the Columbus area that are associated with Kil-
gour’s achievements, and perhaps whether that property should be combined with other places to be considered.” A ranch-style house built in 1958, the residence is known for its association with Frederick G. Kilgour (1914-2006), who lived there from 1967 to 1990. According to the Ohio Historical Society, Kilgour dedicated his life to the advancement of knowledge and the free flow of information, describing him as “a librarian, educator, historian and entrepreneur, Kilgour is widely recognized as one of the leading figures in 20th-century librarianship for using computer networks to increase access to information in libraries around the world.” In the 1970s, Kilgour founded OCLC, originally the Ohio College Library Center, now known as the Online Computer Library Center, which created a library network that today links 72,000 institutions in
171 countries. In 1982, the American Library Association awarded Kilgour its highest honor, Honorary Life Membership. The award described Kilgour as “scholar, entrepreneur, innovator and interpreter of technology steadfastly committed to the preservation of humanistic values.” The board does not ordinarily consider properties that are less than 50 years old for the National Register unless they can be shown to have some sort of exceptional significance. “So, in making its decision the board will consider whether the Kilgour House appears to merit listing on the National Register because of its exceptional significance,” Wolf said. While the board tabled its decision on the Kilgour House, it approved nomination for the Athletic Club of Columbus (136 E. Broad See REGISTER, page A2
Upper Arlington City Council is considering a change to the zoning code that could have an effect on the city’s ongoing court battle with Tree of Life Christian Schools. Council heard the first reading of an ordinance July 11 that would prohibit daycare centers in the Office and Research (ORC) zoning district. The building purchased by Tree of Life at 5000 Arlington Center Blvd. falls within that zoning classification. The legislation came about after a federal lawsuit was filed by the Tree of Life school, which is attempting to use that property for a K-12 school. It has been the school’s position that because daycare centers are a currently permitted use in the ORC, Tree of Life should be allowed to operate a K-12 school under the same conditions. City senior planning officer Chad Gibson said the changes are intended to protect the character of this particular zoning district. “Staff believes that the core purpose and objectives of the ORC, office and research district, are best protected by eliminating daycare centers as a permitted use,” Gibson said. Gibson said that Upper Arlington’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) defines the purpose of the ORC district as “allowing office and research facilities that will contribute to the city’s pattern of planned, healthy, safe and attractive neighborhoods,” going on to say that “the ORC district should also provide job opportunities and services to the residents and contribute to the city’s economic stability.” “The city of Upper Arlington has an extremely limited amount of commercially zoned proper-
A closer look The legislation came about after a federal lawsuit was filed by the Tree of Life school, which is attempting to use that property for a K-12 school. It has been the school’s position that because daycare centers are a currently permitted use in the ORC, they should be allowed to operate a K12 school under the same conditions.
ty,” Gibson said. “Generally speaking, over 90 percent is zoned residential. Our code is set up to maximize the efficiency and productivity of our commercial districts.” According to the proposed ordinance, the ORC district was created to allow facilities for such uses as business and professional offices, research and development, book and periodical publishing, insurance carriers, corporate data centers, survey research firms, and outpatient surgery centers. Tree of Life purchased the former AOL/Time Warner building in August 2010. Previously, after several failed attempts to obtain a conditional use permit, a federal discrimination case based on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) was filed by attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). The ADF, a group of Christian attorneys who focus on protection of religious rights, represent Tree of Life in the lawsuit. The school’s argument is that if daycare centers are allowed in the ORC zoning district, then their school should be allowed, See ORDINANCE, page A4
Schadek announces he plans to run for city council By LIN RICE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Attorney and small-business owner Mike Schadek announced last week that he is running for a seat on Upper Arlington City Council. Schadek joins incumbent Erik Yassenoff and former mayor Don Leach in declaring their intention of running for a seat on council. Three nonpartisan seats on council will be up for election this November. Two current council mem-
bers, Ed Seidel and Mary Ann Krauss, will be ineligible because of term limits. Schadek said that if elected, his areas of focus would be responsible economic development, increased citizen participation and responsive city govMike ernment. Schadek “I ran for council two years ago, and I think some of the very same issues that
food and wine expand your tastes Presented by:
G L O B A L
C A T E R I N G
were so important then are even more important now,” Schadek said. “As an attorney and small business owner, I understand the importance of expanding our tax base, but I also want to be a real voice for the residents. I think sometimes they have been left out of the process, or feel like they’ve been left out of the process, and I want to meet with the residents one-on-one and see what I can do to help.” Schadek has lived in Upper Arlington for more than 12 years, working as an attorney, long-term
care specialist and small-business owner (his family publishes Open House Magazine). He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Schadek is involved in several local organizations, including the Upper Arlington Civic Association, the St. Agatha Knights of Columbus and the Guilford Road Float Committee. He and his wife, Debbie, have two sons — Sam, a stuSee SCHADEK, page A3
Don’t forget to vote online in the 2011 Readers Poll for your favorite central Ohio dining establishments!
Visit ThisWeekNews.com/foodandwine