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Residents oppose housing plan as Findlay strategic planning committee backs R-3 development on Carlin Street
Summary
After a sometimes-heated public exchange, the council adopted a strategic planning committee report that recommends support for R-3 residential development on the Carlin Street property; residents pressed council to halt sales, seek more study and hold a live auction without restrictions.
The Findlay City Council on Oct. 7 adopted a strategic planning committee report recommending support for development of the Carlin Street property for R-3 residential housing, a step that residents and some council members said was premature.
Robin Welly, speaking for neighbors near the site, told the council: “We're back pleading the city again not to destroy our homes by dynamiting in our neighborhood,” and raised concerns about loss of green space, flooding, infrastructure costs and bedrock conditions at the site. Welly requested a live auction with no rezoning and asked that current residents or local farmers be allowed to bid.
The strategic planning committee met Sept. 30 and recommended supporting residential development on Carlin Street and asked for legal opinions from Bricker Graydon and from Andrew Brossert on the best process to proceed. The committee report was moved for acceptance by the committee chair and adopted by the council after discussion; Councilman Russell said the committee’s recommendation was not a final decision and that the ultimate determination rests with full council.
Mayor Christina M. Murrin said housing is a key initiative of the city strategic plan and that early discussion in strategic planning was appropriate to advance options. “One of the key initiatives of the strategic plan was housing,” she said, and noted that the committee recommended the item proceed to appropriations for further vetting.
Opponents argued that the strategic-planning forum was the wrong venue to surface a sale or zoning change and urged that the item be fully vetted in appropriations or a committee of the whole, with site exploration and cost estimates — including test borings to determine bedrock depth — provided before any sale or project proceeds.
Council accepted the committee report after a motion to accept was made by the committee chair and seconded by Councilman Bauman. The report’s recommendation to pursue R-3 residential options and to seek legal opinions will be forwarded for additional review, including appropriations-level vetting and review of potential infrastructure costs.
