Rezoning moves forward to make way for south Lorain redevelopment

LORAIN — Parcels throughout South Lorain could be rezoned to make way for housing under a joint venture between the city and Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority. The city and housing authority were awarded a $500,000 Choice Neighborhood Initiative planning grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development about two years ago, with the goal redeveloping the city's south side between Livingston Avenue, East 28th Street, Grove Avenue and East 36th Street. At the core of that development is Southside Gardens, an aging housing project in South Lorain. The 111-unit complex with a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom townhomes and a number of five- and six-bedroom single-family homes was built off Vine Avenue in the early 1970s. The project area will eventually boast 430 mixed-income rental and home ownership units from East 36th to East 28th streets between Broadway and Grove Avenue. Now down to the final months of planning before vying for a $40 million implementation grant from HUD to make its plan a reality, the city submitted its request to the Planning Commission for rezoning for properties at East 28th Street and Pearl Avenue, near Oakwood Park and Clinton Avenue; East 28th Street and Elyria Avenue; East 28th Street and Fulton Road; and East 35th Street and Broadway to mixed use, and Repko Field to R3 high-density residential. Most of the mixed-use developments are currently zoned commercial and industrial, while Repko Field is light industrial. Building, Housing and Planning director Matt Kusznir requested the rezoning be made with the caveat that properties must be transferred to the housing authority or city for the rezoning to take effect. "We don't want to rezone properties that don't move forward with redevelopment," he told commission members Wednesday morning. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the measure, which will now go to City Council for final approval. The city and housing authority will submit the Southside Gateway redevelopment plan to HUD at the end of the year. Kusznir said the goal is to redevelop properties within the project area to create housing options, whether or not the plan is awarded federal implementation dollars. Safety/Service Director Rey Carrion said the area targeted for redevelopment was once a thriving community on the city's south side, until Urban Renewal in the 1970s destroyed the mostly working class, Hispanic community. After 50 years of blight, neglect and disinvestment, the Southside Gateway project is a chance to reverse that, he said, while promoting homeownership and community building in the city's 5th and 6th Wards. At Tuesday's City Council meeting, members approved an additional $200,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds for the project's Early Action Activity — a requirement under the implementation grant application. Southside Gateway's early action activity is a $1.1 million park at East 30th Street and Vine Avenue aimed at Southside Garden residents. The park will include space for community partners like Lorain County Community College or local health care providers to bring services to the space, and an outdoor theater space and custom playground equipment. It will have a gate and cameras for security, and the housing authority will maintain the property. The city previously allocated $100,000 to the project, and housing authority provided about $300,000, Kusznir told Council. The other funds have been raised through private investment— with the city's additional $200,000 bridging the final gap to see the project break ground this year. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.