Carlin Street plan reignites West Park opposition

FINDLAY — Details of a plan to sell Findlay's Carlin Street property, which includes requirements for residential development, were made public for the first time on Tuesday, meeting with both approval and criticism. Mayor Christina Muryn reviewed the plan at a meeting of Findlay City Council's Strategic Planning Committee. The committee voted to recommend the sale to council after a tense exchange with the neighbors, residents from the West Park Subdivision. They still oppose the development of the land. Several residents attended the meeting and addressed the committee. The Carlin Street property was a subject of intense debate in 2023, after the Findlay-Hancock County chapter of Habitat for Humanity approached council asking the city to donate the land. The property would have been transferred through the Blanchard Valley Port Authority. The chapter was interested in building an addition, named Hope Springs, including 68 homes built over 10 years. The request immediately met with vocal opposition from the "Our West Park" neighborhood group, which opposed any new houses being built in the subdivision. Organizers argued that the subdivision can't accommodate so many new homes. Subdivision residents said West Park sits atop shallow bedrock, lacks storm sewers and must rely on the green space provided by the property for natural drainage. "Our West Park" also opposed more low-income housing in their neighborhood. Instead, the group supported an idea of developing the acreage as wetlands. Last week, Muryn said drainage from the site will not impact the subdivision because the area drains away from the neighborhood. Multiple infrastructure projects in the area in recent years have also been geared towards improved sewers and water pressure in West Park. She said the proposal also has a home value threshold built in, which also addresses concerns raised by "Our West Park." Findlay purchased the tract in 2008 for $150,000, with the idea of building the city's Public Works Department shop on the site. However, the idea was abandoned in favor of a more centralized site. The land is currently leased for farming, generating about $4,500 in revenue for the city each year. There are two parcels: 5.7 acres zoned "R2 - single-family, medium density residential," and 20 acres zoned "R3 - single-family, high density residential." Muryn said commercial development of the land doesn't make sense due to its location near residential neighborhoods. She said housing is the best fit, and it could help address the need for housing in the city. Muryn proposed rezoning the R2 parcel to R3 to allow for greater density and selling the land through a sealed bid or auction. Deed restrictions on the sale would require a minimum of 20 single-family, owner-occupied homes, with property values ranging from $140,000 to $250,000, with the project expected to be completed over a 10-year timeline. To ensure progress, a reversion clause is included that would return any undeveloped land to the city. Interested bidders would be required to submit a minimum bid of $25,000 and be licensed contractors in good standing with the city. On Tuesday, Muryn said the minimum bid or the method of sale is still up for discussion. The goal, she said, was to address some of the neighborhood concerns about development of the property and to get it "back out for potential development." "The primary goal is to have this developed by someone to meet a need within the community, not necessarily for the city to make a buck off of it," she said. "... We've slowly recouped some of our money, but it's kind of a balance between getting it developed versus the city making money off of it." On Tuesday, West Park residents objected to the land sale due to concerns about inadequate infrastructure and potential damage from dynamite blasting on bedrock. Questions also arose about the fairness of limiting the auction to residential development and whether the proposed housing fits the neighborhood's needs. A resident who lives next to the city's property on Carlin Street said she has an old home. "That dynamite could actually knock the whole house down or break a lot of things," she said.