Nestle Holds Open House To Talk New Facility, Rezoning Vote

Residents at Thursday's open house had a mixed bag of emotions about plans to expand on a property off Cannon Road.

The open house was the first of two scheduled before the Nov. 8 election. Nestle hopes to on property the company already owns. However, before anything can be built, the property must be rezoned from residential to industrial.

Nestle officials were clear that Issue 95 will not add new taxes.

The new facility will be approximately 120,000 to 150,000 square feet and have three stories, said spokeswoman Roz O'Hearn. It would add between

"We're very excited," O'Hearn said. "It's an honor to take a small center and grow it so that it has global prominence. And it's all right here in Solon."

Resident Pat Fenoglio wanted to get more information before she makes her vote, which is why she attended the open house.

"I don't disagree with it, I just wanted to see how it would impact the area," Fenoglio said. She was concerned about green space being destroyed for parking, but Nestle reconfigured the new facility for minimal damage, officials said.

Jessica Fugate said she would vote against rezoning because the new facility would be her next door neighbor.

"It's hard to vote for something that's only conceptual," she said of the renderings. "It's OK now, but what if they have to change them and then there's a huge parking lot across from my house?"

Resident Greg Crough said he would vote no because there is no need for the facility to be built on Cannon when it could easily be built somewhere else in the city or in another state. He also said that once the property is zoned industrial, if Nestle were to leave, any company could move in there and become disruptive to the residents in the area.

"They pushed this issue onto the ballot so fast that we didn't have time to digest it," Crough said. "This will have a serious impact on the area in the next decade."

Carol Caruso attended to show her support for the issue.

"This is a fabulous project," Caruso said. "It's so important for Ohio and I see no downside. Nestle is a great corporate citizen."

Jim Pfeifer agreed and said, "This is additional income for the city."

The will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 20 at 30003 Bainbridge Road.

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