May 19, 2011
City gets ready for Kingsdale, Phase 2 By CHRIS BOURNEA ThisWeek Community Newspapers The city of Upper Arlington is moving closer to beginning the second phase of redevelopment at the Kingsdale Shopping Center. City council discussed an ordinance Monday night that would enable the city to issue notes to purchase a five-acre parcel from Echo/Continental Kingsdale LLC to develop 104,000 square feet of office space at the shopping center.
Cathe Armstrong, the city’s finance director, explained that the purchase was outlined in the development agreement the city entered into in May 2009 with Echo/Continental. “Per the development agreement, once the shell of the center was substantially complete, the Giant Eagle was relocated, the demolition of the city’s Zollinger Road building and the partial demolition of the old Giant Eagle occurred, Continental would create an office parcel of approximately five acres for the devel-
opment of 104,000 square feet of office space,” Armstrong said in a staff report. “Upon these terms being met, the city has 30 days to purchase this office parcel for the price of $4.8 million. This purchase price was determined by the fair market value of the office parcel as determined by the April 24, 2009, appraisal.” The development agreement calls for Continental to divide the 104,000 square feet of office space into two buildings that will be constructed.
“Once the city owns the land, Continental has the exclusive right for three years to market the office parcel for development of office buildings,”Armstrong said. “Continental is required to use good faith and diligent efforts to procure office tenants during this period.” Matt Shad, deputy city manager for economic development, said the development agreement gives the city the time and flexibility to work with Echo/Continental to attract tenants to the new office space.
“The city believes there can and potentially is interest in office uses in this area, and this structure of the development agreement allows us to wait out the current economic uncertainties in the market,” Shad said. Armstrong explained that the $4.8 million in notes that the city will issue to purchase the five-acre parcel is similar to how bonds are issued when funds are needed for infrastructure projects. See PHASE 2, page A3
Low growth compatible with Upper Arlington Census profile
ART OF GLASS
By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Adam Cairns/ThisWeek
Jeanne Masoni works on the frame of her stained glass underwater scene at the Upper Arlington Senior Center on May 17. Masoni, who also teaches oil painting from her home, has been working on this and several other pieces the past few months. The stained glass class for all skill levels meets Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and Fridays from noon to 4 p.m.
Tree of Life denied injunction By ANDREW MILLER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Tree of Life Christian Schools will not be opening classroom doors in Upper Arlington any time soon. The organization, which bought the former Time Warner/AOL building at 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. last year, lost its federal preliminary injunction case against the city. Judge George C. Smith, of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, ruled on April 27, that Tree of Life demonstrated only a slight chance of success on the merits of its Religious Land Use
and Institutionalized Persons Act discrimination case. A preliminary injunction would have allowed Tree of Life to hold classes while the court decided on the case, filed on behalf of Tree of Life by the Alliance Defense Fund, an alliance of Christian attorneys focused on the protection of religious rights, according to the ADF website. Preliminary injunctions require that the court must consider four factors, which are to be balanced, but not necessarily individually met: “(1) whether the movant has a strong or substantial likelihood of success on the merits; (2) whether the movant would suffer ir-
reparable injury without the relief requested; (3) whether issuance of the injunction will cause substantial harm to others; and (4) whether the public interest will be served by issuance of the injunction.” The predominant factor is the first one, according to court documents. In this case, Smith’s opinion on the first factor is that the court believes the city’s Unified Development Ordinance passes a rational basis review and therefore doesn’t violate the Equal Protection Clause. It is the court’s belief that Tree of Life’s likelihood of success is slight, See SCHOOL, page A2
Upper Arlington’s population has grown by less than 100 in the last decade, and some people think that’s just fine. According to U.S. Census Bureau, the total population of UA in 2010 was 33,771. In 2000, it was 33,686. “The overall population of Upper Arlington is up, and I’m pleased with that. I think that’s a good sign,” said assistant city manager Joe Valentino. “To me, it shows that Upper Arlington is still vital.” While the population is not what it once was, with census figures of 38,630 in 1970; 35,648 in 1980; and 34,128 in 1990 – Valentino said he would be concerned if the population had increased a lot because of its impact on the city’s infrastructure, housing, finances, services and education. “I would also be concerned if we saw a dramatic drop, if folks didn’t want to live in Upper Arlington any more, that we were losing folks quicker than we were gaining. That would concern me quite a bit,” Valentino said. Because Upper Arlington has no more room for expansion, a stable population is good, Valentino said. There are 14,544 total housing units in Upper Arlington in 2010, with 13,754 (94 percent) occupied at the time the census figures were collected. “Our housing market continues to move,” Valentino said.
A closer look According to U.S. Census Bureau, the total population of UA in 2010 was 33,771. In 2000, it was 33,686.
“Young families are taking up residence here. I think those numbers will be borne out as we get more (bureau) data.” In some cases, those young families are people returning to UA. “One of the unique things about Upper Arlington from my perspective is that we are strongly multi-generational,” Valentino said. “On the same street, you’ll have a family that has a fourth generation, and then two or three of those generations are all clustered here, and that doesn’t happen much any more in other cities.” However, the city’s older homes are causing some of the older population to move out of UA, Valentino said. “We don’t have a style of house that you could literally live your entire life in, which I think is something we need to address down the road,” Valentino said. The city’s slow growth is also good news overall for the school district. “One thing that those figures show is that it’s similar to what we’re seeing in our enrollment, and even our projections 10 years out are staying pretty consisSee CENSUS, page A3
Chelsea Road update honors past, adds conveniences By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The New England Colonial built in 1936 at 2014 Chelsea Road received an extreme makeover by its fourth and present owners, Sue and Robert A. ‘Buz’ Minor. Ten years after its purchase, the additions were completed in 1998 and nearly doubled the home’s size. According to the UA Historical Society, the additions “included a family room with windows and doors to the back patio; a larger kitchen, laundry room, and pantry; an office, a paneled bar, a roomier powder room; and a back stairs to the second-floor study and studio over the new three-car garage. They also reworked a third-floor apartment to
Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories about the homes in the 2011 Upper Arlington Historic Home and Garden Tour, to be presented by the UA Historical Society from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 19. Tickets cost $12 for members, $15 for non-members, $20 day of tour. They go on sale Monday, May 23, at Huffmans Market, 2140 Tremont Center, and Arlington Bank, 4621 Reed Road. For more information, call 614-4702610 or visit www.uaoh.net/uahistory. include a bedroom, a bath, and a study.” “There used to be at the back of this house a darling kitchen nook, knotty pine – very 1930s,” Sue Minor said. “But I could never see my kids from the kitchen, we couldn’t talk. I thought it would be nice to open this up. Plus, the kitchen was made for a very tiny person to cook. It had five doors that you felt like you were in a lit-
DIRECTORY News: (740) 888-6100 editorial@thisweeknews.com Sports: (740) 888-6054 sports@thisweeknews.com
tle box, and when the doors would open from the outside, it would blow out my gas stove.” The additions were done so subtly that once completed, an alarm system installer didn’t know what was new. “What you try to do when you add on to a historical home is maintain the façade,” Minor said. “So
By Chris Parker/ThisWeek
The home at 2014 Chelsea Road will be one of the homes featured in this year’s Upper Arlington See CHELSEA, page A2 Histroic Home and Garden Tour to be held Sunday, June 19.
In this edition: Read about Amazing Student Volunteers across central Ohio.
food and wine expand your tastes Presented by:
Retail ads: (740) 888-6000 www.thisweeknews.com/advertise Classified: (740) 888-5003 classified@thisweeknews.com Customer Service: 1-888-837-4342
Also online at www.ThisWeekNews.com/Volunteers
Visit ThisWeekNews.com/foodandwine