Published Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Herald Staff Writer
It's doesn't look like Shenango Valley residents who were looking forward to eating Bob Evans "down on the farm" cooking are going to get that cooking in Hermitage.
The Hermitage Zoning Hearing Board Monday denied a variance for the Columbus, Ohio-based business to build in front of the Hermitage Square Plaza, fronting South Hermitage Road. Bob Evans Farms Inc. asked the board to grant a variance to allow the building to be situated 25 feet from the center of Hermitage Road, instead of the required 50 feet.
Mike Concilla, senior real estate manager for Bob Evans, said the restaurant chain hoped to spark development, but needed the variance to carry on with the project.
The board voted unanimously not to grant the variance, despite the fact that Concilla said the project couldn't move forward without it.
Zoning Board Chairman Eric Werner said the restaurant didn't prove a hardship; therefore he didn't see why the board should grant a variance. Werner said the restaurant wanted, but didn't need, the variance.
What does the no vote mean?
"It means Bob Evans does not come to Hermitage, Pennsylvania," Concilla said after the vote. He said Bob Evans struggled to find a site in the city that would benefit community business and economic development.
Concilla said every Bob Evans restaurant in the country is built to the same specifications and those cannot be changed. If the restaurant were to be built any farther back from the road, it would put the back of the building -- including the restaurant's Dumpsters and delivery area -- directly in front of, and very close to, the currently vacant shopping plaza.
Steve Grabowski, director and property manager of the plaza's owner Hermitage Development, said the plaza is being renovated. He said once people heard Bob Evans was coming to town, he started getting calls from businesses interested in moving to the plaza.
Grabowski said the property is unique because it's landlocked on one side by South Hermitage Road and on the other side by East State Street. There are also driveways and existing buildings on both sides of the property.
"You have not looked at this from any other perspective," said David Panin, zoning board member. He said the developers should look at different ways to shift the building on the property.
Concilla said Bob Evans officials looked at other sites in the city, including the Wal-Mart parking lot, but the Hermitage Square Plaza lot is the only place they consider a desirable place to build.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at:
kgarrett@sharonherald.com