City of Uhrichsville Mayor Jim Zucal expresses concern over the potential rescinding of the Downtown Design Standard ordinance.
Chaired by councilman Bob Baker, the Downtown Development Standards Committee met earlier this month to discuss ordinance 13-23.
“Our recommendation is to rescind ordinance 13-23 which is the present ordinance and further recommendation is we do not have a downtown development standard for the city of Uhrichsville. We already have the IMPC (International Property Maintenance Code) for construction, but this means that if somebody wants to paint there building the color they want to paint it, the government doesn’t have the right to say they don’t like that color.”
Mayor Zucal was in disagreement of getting rid of the downtown rules.
“There’s more than just that involved with the downtown design standard. It could be the front facade, all of that. Realize that’s a detriment to the community when someone can come in and do anything they want downtown.”
Zucal says the standard was originally adopted to ensure cohesion in the downtown district under a ‘clay theme’ as a nod to when the city was known as the Clay Capitol of the World.
“We wanted clay brick and clay orange, clay brown, and we wanted facades dated to the time frame. We’re going to have our new Clay Capitol Heritage Center. Why would we want buildings that are yellow, blue, pink, red? Doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Baker presented council with an ordinance to rescind 13-23. There will be two more readings before a potential vote.
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