Former Franklin Elementary under new ownership

ELYRIA — Franklin Elementary has a new owner in Elyria, as it moves from being a school to a business. Elyria Schools traded the building, along with two others, with the city in exchange for some parcels of land near the new Northwood campus. City Council put the land into its Community Improvement Corporation. In September, Chyora Distribution bought the building for a price that has not been disclosed but what city officials said was basically closing costs and city fees. Jessica Rogers, an Elyria resident and businesswoman, owns the company. She said she worked for more than 18 months to finalize the purchase. She said the plan is to split Franklin Elementary into two separate sections. One side will have office space and processing for Internet fulfillment orders. The other part of the building will offer youth and neighborhood services under The Rogers Foundation. Rogers said she still is in the early phases of planning, so programs for the youth services will be announced in the upcoming months. "Engaged in our community, we are aware of the impact the youth portion as well as the potential for employment would have in that area of our city especially in an area of town where employment opportunities lack," Rogers said. "It was important to us to keep this growth within our city as opposed to taking it elsewhere." Since buying Franklin Elementary, Rogers said she has been working to deal with issues in regards to vandals and theft. Before moving forward with the next steps, Rogers said she wants to be sure the building is secure. Once that happens, Rogers said she expects renovations to begin in the spring and grand openings to happen in summer 2021. This isn't the first time Rogers has bought a former school building. In 2016, she and her husband bought Edison School on Lake Avenue and turned it into Elegant Assets, an event venue. Elegant Assets is a different division from Chyroa Distribution, Rogers said. One resident near Franklin Elementary has expressed concern about the changes happening in his neighborhood. Keith Cook lives across the street from Franklin, and he said he's worried a business could change the future of the south side neighborhood. To move forward, Chyroa Distribution would have to rezone the school property to commercial, or light industrial. Once a property is rezoned, it will stay that way even if it gets new ownership. In Elyria, schools are zoned for business-neighborhood, which also permits things like financial institutions, child care, offices and restaurants. If the Franklin property is zoned for light industrial, Cook said he's worried about what could happen if Chyroa Distribution moved out. That could make way for warehousing, truck terminals or any light industrial use. Although he's not opposed to Chyroa Distribution, Cook said he's worried that the residential neighborhood could become a business district. Cook said his house was in the process of being appraised when fencing started going up around Franklin, and in the report, the appraiser said his property value likely would be negatively affected by the new business at Franklin. When Cook let the city's building inspector know that there was fencing going up around the building, Cook said the city was able to put a stop to it until Chyora Distribution obtained a permit. "We are a community, and we're residential," he said. "This is the south side, we have a peaceful river flowing through and they're trying to change the ambiance of our neighborhood. It's nothing against this business; it's the rezoning of it. And we can't control it. If we can't reason with city officials now, we can't control the future of it." Cook has distributed fliers around the neighborhood, asking people to get involved to stop the rezoning. Rogers said she has fielded a couple calls from neighbors who have been concerned, but said she's been talking with neighbors and working with those in adjacent properties. She said there's always been a potential for Franklin to become a business, ever since the school district traded the building with the city. Rogers said the plans for the building do not include any semi or industrial traffic outside of a normal UPS pickup vehicle. In fact, Rogers said traffic would be far less than school with its food deliveries, supply deliveries and school bus traffic. "We were approached with multiple options and felt that Franklin was the best fit for us," she said. "We hope that we will be able to continue to grow within our city and be a good neighbor as we take on this project in a much needed area." Council President Vic Stewart, D-at large, worked with Rogers through the Community Improvement Corporation. He said he's excited that Rogers can turn a now vacant property into a place that will help youth and also offer local jobs. He said he's encouraged nearby residents to give Rogers a chance. They also can have a voice throughout the process, as Rogers will have to bring requests before Planning Commission and City Council. Stewart said it took a while to get through the conversations — about a year and a half total — and now he said the city is focused on helping her put up fencing and security cameras to prevent vandals from coming on to the property. Chyora Distribution and Rogers will have to go before the Planning Commission with a rezoning request before they can move forward. Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.