Board denies Mauer Rentals' request to add truck dock at former steel plant on West Sixth

The Perrysburg Board of Zoning Appeals denied Mauer Rentals LLC's request to add one truck dock at 525 West Sixth Street, a large former steel-treatment building that became a legal nonconforming use after a zoning change.

Robert Mauer (listed in board materials as the applicant) said the 100,000-square-foot property was rezoned to multifamily (R-3) after his purchase, leaving the structure nonconforming and limited to lower-intensity uses. He asked for one ground-level dock on the building's west side so up to about 20,000–25,000 square feet could be used for warehousing; he said the dock would be roughly 4 feet in grade and not highly visible from the street.

Neighbors spoke against the request at the microphone and in the record, raising truck-traffic, overnight deliveries, road damage and historic odors from prior industrial uses. Christina Plainbrief, who said she lives on Lehi, noted prior heavy truck use and expressed concern about additional truck traffic on load-limited streets. Gaetano Ruggiero, who owns rental property at 510 West Sixth Street, cited a history of odors and alleged damage to sewer tiles from truck activity.

City staff read the applicable provision from the record (identified as chapter "12 65.09") that allows structural changes to a nonconforming building only when the board finds exceptional hardship, no adverse effect on surrounding property and that the relief sought is the minimum necessary.

After public comment, a motion to deny the administrative appeal carried. The recorded vote was 4 in favor of denial and 1 in favor of approval (Bill Williams). The board's denial means the applicant must pursue other options or revise the request before the Board of Zoning Appeals would authorize construction.