Even If Nestle Vote Passes, Company Faces Long Administrative Road
A vote in favor of rezoning Nestle's land does not mean Nestle can automatically build its new facility. The company must still go through the administrative process with the city and have the project approved by city council.
Even if Solon residents vote in favor of rezoning land for Nestle's proposed research and development facility, the company still has a long road through the city bureaucracy before it can build.
The vote on Nov. 8 does not give Nestle permission to build the facility. It only rezones the land from residential to industrial. If Solon voters vote against the rezoning, then Nestle won't be able to submit plans because the land will remain as residential property.
But if voters approve the rezoning, that's when the process really begins, said Solon Planning Director Rob Frankland.
What do you think about Nestle's plans? Take our Poll!
Nestle will have to submit a variety of plan to the city for approval, ranging from design plans to landscaping to stormwater runoff.
The project would be vetted by city planners as well as a number of city commissions, including planning and public works.
Public hearings will be held on the project, both at the planning commission level and, ultimately, at city council, which will issue a final decision.
Frankland said that Nestle officials want to start construction in spring, which means the process will have to move quickly considering the scope of the project.
"It will be a pretty comprehensive review," he said.
Greg Crough
2:46 pm on Thursday, October 27, 2011
A long road through city bureaucracy…….vetted by city planners and city council…public hearings….and start construction in the spring. In the spring? That is hardly a long road through city bureaucracy. You don’t start construction with an idea or a concept. You do it with finished plans. Am I to believe that plans for a 150,000 square foot research facility to be build on a wetland area next to the metro park will be developed and scrutinized by both the city and the residents in a few short months? It would take that long to start construction on a new home and we are talking about a major industrial facility. With other property already zoned industrial manufacturing sitting vacant and unused, ward 5 residents are being taken advantage of. The city is promoting the benefits to Solon and sacrificing ward 5 in the process. This will change the neighborhood forever and not for the better.
Vote no on Issue 95!
Jacki Calavitta
10:47 am on Friday, October 28, 2011
This indicates either incompetence or collusion on this entire situation between Nestle and city officials.
Let me sum it up succinctly:
1) They are just coming to the realization there are some Solon residents smart enough not to buy into the vague promises and underhanded dealings, who realize they are getting the short end of a very long-standing dealing behind the scenes.
2) Their latest assertion that this project would endure extensive bureaucracy and scrutiny by the same city administration that has openly promoted this project, much to the detriment and objection of Ward 5 residents. I could give numerous other examples just in the last few years where Solon promoted undertakings of private developers at the expense of local residents. This Judas-style short-term money grab is way too apparent. Voters, at least some of them, are smarter than that, thankfully.
3) As Greg pointed out, their statement about starting construction in spring just proves my point about the inconsistencies and omissions of facts on this entire situation.
So which is it - incompetence or collusion? How about we start a poll on that question?