Issue 31 is a direct response to the City’s failures to follow its own codified ordinances, rules, and policies. One such example is the City’s April 2017 approval of the third application for a lot split at 1000 Elmwood Avenue after 2 prior unsuccessful attempts (in 2011 and 2016) and after the applicants increased their threats of litigation.
The Mayor and a handful of residents have opposed Issue 31 suggesting that no change to the original 1989 Green Space Ordinance (Ord. No. 89-20, codified at City Code §1151.04) is needed because the goals and policies behind the original Ordinance have been and will continue to be maintained and are not in jeopardy of being eroded. These statements are far from accurate.
When the City created the Green Space in 1989 and set zoning standards for future development on the West end of the Goodale Boulevard corridor in Ord. No. 89-20, it recognized the Green Space needed to be protected because:
(1) there would be “pressure for further development and re-development”;
(2) “development and re-development in the Green Space affects the character of the City as a whole and property values throughout the City and therefore it is of interest to all residents of the City, not just those of the affected area”;
(3) it was “imperative that such development and re-development proceed in a planned way so as to maximize property values and the unique character” of the Green Space.
The 2011 and 2016 Staff Report prepared by the City (obtained from the City via a Public Records Request) reflects that the City was opposed to the first 2 lot split applications for reasons that were consistent with the goals of the 1989 Ordinance and zoning standards:
(1) The lots along Goodale Boulevard consist of large single family home lots, and splitting 1000 Elmwood would result in a “non conforming condition, and that the proposed lot is too small to be compatible with the existing development.”
(2) “An unconventional lot is proposed in what is otherwise a historically traditional neighborhood setting.”
(3) Putting a driveway on the Elmwood Avenue hill at its steepest point “presents a very unsafe situation, a condition that has been historically and consistently avoided there as there are no driveways on the steepest slopes of Wyandotte, Westwood, Elmwood, Broadview, and Grandview Avenues.”
On April 19, 2017, however, the City did an about face under the threat of litigation. The City disregarded its own Staff Report, the 1989 Ordinance, zoning standards, and the safety of residents when it approved the third appliation for the lot split. The City’s actions had an adverse effect on the Community as a whole, but also on property owners along Goodale Boulevard who had a right to expect that the City would follow its own rules and would not permit a “small,” incompatible, “non-conforming,” and dangerous lot to be created as the City stated in its own 2011 and 2016 Staff Report.
Issue 31 arose in response to the City’s actions and the trend toward abandoning City Code and Design Guidelines in favor of the increasing pressures of some property owners and developers. Issue 31 reinforces and strengthens the Green Space by increasing the front yard setbacks of single-family home sites along Goodale Boulevard so that these sites remain single-family home sites. It protects the Green Space from overdevelopment and from a City’s willingness to sacrifice the character of the Community under the threat of litigation.
Preserve and Protect the Green Space
Vote YES on Issue 31 on November 6, 2018
Join Grandview 
Upon further reading of what this is all about, I have become confused. Is it true that if 31 passes, we will lose some of the presently protected green space? Like most political issues, there are two (or more) sides and it is somehow difficult to discern what is truth. Any clarification would be appreciated. Respectfully, Polly Kenneth
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Thanks for your question. Understandably, the opponents of Issue 31 are attempting to cause much confusion as possible in an effort to defeat Issue 31. If Issue 31 does not pass, the existing 100 foot setback will remain in place, at least initially. The concern is that if residents do nothing to strengthen the Green Space Ordinance, at least one other property owner who has previously indicated an intention to build more than a single family home on the largest site along Goodale, will attempt to set aside or repeal the existing 100 foot setback. At a recent BZA Meeting (August 8, 2018), he stated that the existing 100 foot setback was a detriment to the value of his property (and actually its not his property, it is his in-laws property). Of course, that coupled with his prior statements to overdevelop the property is a cause for concern. The Elmwood Avenue situation, as well as the statements made by the other property owner, and the City’s failure to follow Code will set precedent for the Green Space area, and if residents do nothing to enforce our property rights to live in a an area always intended as a single family home site area, developers and property owners looking to capitalize on this area will continue to attempt to push the limits and build on as much green space as possible. The Residents for A Greener Grandview hope you will support Issue 31 and the City’s Green Space. Thank you for your question, and please vote YES on Issue 31 on November 6, 2018.
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