Home Care In Avon Lake, OH

Voters in Avon Lake won't know until later this month if an $88 million bond issue for its public schools passed. The money would be used to build a new middle school and repair the district's elementary schools.

In unofficial results, Issue 16 squeaked by with just 16 votes. While Issue 17, an emergency operating levy that will generate $3 million a year over 10 years for the district, passed with a wider margin. Avon Lake City Schools Superintendent Joelle Magyar discusses how the district succeeded in apparently passing tax increases that were previously rejected three times, and what would happen if the bond issue ultimately fails.

Amy: The Chronicle Telegram noted the thought was voters would reject additional taxes after recent property tax increases and the economic uncertainty the nation is feeling surrounding President Trump's trade wars. What were you thinking before the election and what are your thoughts now?

Magyar: "You know, we were hopefully optimistic, and I say that because this is our third attempt at the ballot. Before we went out to even consider whether or not we try for a third time, we did get another community survey, and at this time, they had already had their reappraisal letters. They kind of knew what their taxes were going to look like. When we put the ballot back on in May, it was for a significantly reduced cost from what we asked for in November 2024. It was about 60% less. Meaning that instead of trying to build two elementary schools and a middle school, this ask was for one five to eight [grades] middle school. We spent the better part of this year making reductions, looking at ways that we can increase our revenues. We reduced our positions across the district by 34 people over the last two years to really show that, you know, we're watching our decrease in enrollment and we're going to staff according lead to those numbers."

Amy: You also chose to close Erieview Elementary.

Magyar: "That will be closing here on the last day of school in June. And the idea was if we can reduce our footprint, it saves about $800,000 per year in operating costs for every building that we can look to reduce our foot print by. You know, we also heard from our community that they love our neighborhood elementary schools and they really didn't want to see those go away. So this was, we felt, was our compromise to the community to say, yes, we still need to have a new facility here in Avon Lake. We hear you with your neighborhood schools and so let's put a package together or a bond together that can address the need for a new facility as well as do some necessary repairs that need to get done at those three remaining buildings [Eastview, Redwood and Westview elementary schools].

Amy: Does that include air conditioning?

Magyar: "It does include air conditioning."

Amy: And what other repairs are expected for these elementary schools?

Magyar: "We've got some roofing issues and some plumbing issues we need to address at all of our buildings."

Amy: The bond issue's margin of victory qualifies it for an automatic recount at this point, but the Lorain County Board of Elections finished counting absentee and provisional ballots Saturday. They could alter the results. What happens if the levy passes in the official count and the construction bonds do not?

Magyar: "The emergency operating levy ask was based on the fact that we would be able to have a new building. And so while we're very appreciative of our community for passing the emergency levy, it's probably not going to be enough if the bond issue does not pass because we won't be able to do those needed repairs at our elementary school or build one of those buildings. So, it would be a situation where we would have to come back out to our voters to look at monies to do the things that were included in that bond ask. Those two things very much went together, meaning that the amount that we asked for the operating levy was contingent upon the bond issue passing as well, because that's what we would need moving forward to maintain five buildings versus seven.

Ohio's May 6 primary election will be certified on May 20. If a recount is required or requested, Lorain County elections officials will have ten days to complete it.

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AVON LAKE, Ohio -- City Council voted 4-3 to change the zoning on a stretch of property near the intersection of Avon-Belden and Walker roads.

The rezoning clears the way for Pulte Homes to begin the process of creating a new subdivision that features higher-density townhomes in the area commonly referred to as the Town Center.

Pulte Homes provided council with a presentation laying out their proposed Harbor Crest Townhomes -- a plan that has left residents and council members alike with some mixed reactions regarding adding more human and car traffic to the Walker/Avon-Belden area.

Council President Jennifer Fenderbosch, along with fellow council members Zach Arnold and Karl Zuber, voted in favor. After a long pause, Amy Gentry cast the final and deciding “yes” vote.

Council members Dave Kos, Geoffrey Smith and Robert Shahmir voted no.

During the council meeting, Gentry said she has received several correspondences regarding general traffic issues related to the area. She has forwarded those to the mayor.

She appeared torn in casting her vote, ultimately voting to pass the ordinance, but not before expressing concerns about the state of traffic in the area.

She called the traffic issue “a city problem, not a Pulte problem.”

“The problem I have is we’re going to add more traffic to an existing problem without being able to address (it) -- that’s my concern,” Gentry said.

“We need to take a take a step back and look at the data. I’m an engineer. I’m data-driven, but when there’s a conflict between my gut and the data -- that’s where I am right here today.

“Adding more traffic is going to compound that regardless of what the traffic study says,” she continued.

“I’m having a hard time reconciling, so I understand we need to look at the data, and unfortunately this has nothing to do with Pulte -- this is a city problem.

“That’s another struggle that I have ... how do we address the city problem when the zoning is for Pulte to be able to build.”

Mayor Mark Spaetzel agrees that the existing traffic situation shows that there is a need for the city to design a longer stack for drivers going into the northbound left-turn lane.

This is the busiest intersection in Avon Lake. However, the recent traffic study showed that even with the proposed development, traffic there would not see a significant increase.

Spaetzel added that if a developer moves forward with a more commercial project -- as the land was previously zoned -- that would most definitely increase traffic.

He agrees, however, that the city must do something to address traffic concerns in that area.

Zuber said the proposed development fits in exactly as planned with a step-down approach from commercial to multifamily, then to single-family homes.

“I think that this has become what Avon Lake is going to become in the future -- every piece of land is going to be fought about because there’s none left, and this is just the beginning,” Zuber said.

“People are going to be upset because there’s basically no more land left.

“I think the traffic study shows that you’re just not going to have that many more cars on this. I think this is our best alternative. That’s just good planning from our end.”

Spaetzel gave the final words before the vote, stating that he fully appreciates and understands the concerns and issues expressed by council members and residents alike.

He added that the proposal has been recommended for passage by the Avon Lake Planning Commission and fits well with the comprehensive plan and the city’s future plans for zoning and development.

“Town Center is one of the three identified focus areas that are meant to provide opportunities to guide new growth in a way that will most effectively promote new sustainable economic development, provide alternative housing options for residents, improve the image of the community and create new mobility connections,” Spaetzel quoted from the comprehensive plan.

“One of the things we talked about a lot of Town Center is making that commercial area viable and making people want to go there.

“And as you can see from this, ... providing alternative housing options is one of those criteria that will help our center of town thrive.

“Town Center is a significant space for Avon Lake that can serve as the primary hub of culture and entertainment, and function as a true mixed-use district,” he continued.

“It should accommodate a mix of retail office public space housing uses that are integrated both vertically and horizontally.

“If we’re acting asking for a mix, we don’t (currently) have a mix. All we have is retail to support that retail. We also need residential.”

According to Avon Lake Community Development Director Ted Esborn, more human traffic is precisely the appeal of this proposed development.

He said the understands both sides of the argument, calling it “two sides of the same coin.”

He noted that the possible addition of the townhomes does follow the current comprehensive land use plan the city developed in 2019 to guide its overall development strategies.

“The reason that our city planning called for that is because we want to support and indeed revitalize the central intersection of our city,” Esborn explained.

“We’ve got a retail plaza with a huge anchor space that’s been sitting vacant for almost 20 years.

“I think many folks in Avon Lake would agree that the intersection of Avon-Belden and Walker roads could be more vibrant than it is, so that is the reason that we as a city called for this in our planning.

“Sort of the planning principle that locating people and locating residences closer to the Town Center and making it and making those businesses walkable,” he continued.

“The opposition that some people have is they don’t want this many more people, and the biggest fear -- the biggest concern -- is traffic.”

Esborn acknowledges that the area indeed has its traffic challenges.

Pulte Homes plans to construct 73 townhome units in the location.

They are also currently constructing a 28-unit development -- Sand Ridge Run -- to the west of Avon-Belden Road. That land is approximately 12 acres and is now zoned R-3, multi-family residential.

“There are folks who are saying that they don’t want these additional residents, or they don’t want their cars and their traffic,” Esborn said.

“But the flip side of that is we do want them being able to walk back and forth to McDonald’s and Speedway and Romeo’s and all the businesses,” he said.

“My job is to quite literally be pushing for economic development, which by default means more stuff. But at the same time, there’s not that much room left in Avon Lake to put anything.

“We certainly don’t have big tracts of land to locate new retail and restaurant businesses, and I think what this Harbor Crest development will do is take our existing retail and support it with nearby residents,” Esborn explained.

“We have to make the most of the retail areas that we already have.”

Esborn said the new owners of Town Center Plaza have made it clear to the city that their top priority for the current large anchor vacancy is to fill it with a supermarket.

Esborn said the addition of the townhomes will make it easier for the owners to attract such a tenant, because they will have numbers to support the store.

Now that the land has been rezoned from B-2 business and R-1A single-family residential to R-3, the process of subdivision approval can begin.

Esborn emphasized that this process is highly scrutinized and regulated by the city.

He added that had the location not been rezoned, some entity would improve the property at some point, and the city does not want additional strip malls or single-family dwellings in that area.

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AVON LAKE, Ohio -- Voters here on Tuesday appear to have approved a tax increase that would send more than $118 million to Avon Lake City Schools.

However, the $88 million bond issue to build a new middle school and repair the district’s elementary schools appears to be headed for an automatic recount.

According to unofficial election results from the Lorain County Board of Elections, Issue 16 squeaked by just 19 votes, with a final vote of 3,497 for the issue and 3,478 against it, after all precincts had been tallied.

That margin falls beneath the 0.5% difference to trigger the state’s automatic recount laws.

Issue 17, the emergency operating levy that would generate about $3 million a year for 10 years, won by a more comfortable margin. The unofficial results showed 3,713 voters approving the levy, and 3,267 voting to reject it.

Both issues started the night trailing in early votes.

If the unofficial results from the night’s end hold, taxpayers would pay an additional $165 per year for each $100,000 of home value.

Election officials have 21 days after the election to complete canvassing of the results of the election.

Issue 16, the bond issue, would generate $88 million for the district to build a new middle school for grades 5-8 and repair the existing elementary schools. It would add $96 per $100,000 in value to homeowners’ tax bill passed.

Issue 17 is an operating levy that would raise about $3 million per year for 10 years.

Avon Lake voters rejected a larger bond issue that would have also resulted in new elementary schools in 2023 and 2024, along with a new operating levy in 2024. As a result, school officials cut 20 positions last year and, at the end of the current school year, will cut an additional 16 positions and close Erieview Elementary School.

The district said more cuts would be necessary if the issues failed once more.