The Bridgeport News

By Lynn Vance, News Staff Writer

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Following Monday night’s Bridgeport City Council meeting, the city is less than two weeks away from adding an additional 1,057.8 acres to the city. The highly developable acreage is located in the Charles Pointe Development. The developers of Charles Pointe, Genesis Partners, have said that once the land is annexed into the city, it will be the beginning of anticipated major development.

The first reading of the ordinance that would allow the acreage to be annexed was passed by Council unanimously after city attorney Dean Ramsey informed Council that all the names on a previous submitted petition in support of the annexation were legitimate. The first reading had been previously delayed until all the names on the petition could be verified. The petition included signatures of more than 50 percent of all freeholders (property owners, including those with mineral rights for more than 30 parcels in the annexation).

It also included a separate petition that had been signed by 50 percent of all qualified voters.

A second reading of the ordinance is expected at the next council meeting June 26.

Council also approved the second reading of an ordinance that will limit the areas where video gaming establishments can be located in the city. The ordinance will immediately go into effect limiting the establishments to Business-2 areas. Those areas are areas that allow large-scale commercial business.

Areas along U.S. Route 50 from Lodgeville Road to State Route 279 are B-2 areas included in the banned areas as part of the ordinance, as is most of Johnson Avenue. Developers of businesses at the Meadowbrook Mall, United Hospital Center and Charles Pointe have the option of allowing these types of businesses. Existing businesses of this type will be allowed to remain under a grandfather clause.

"I think Council understands the intent of this ordinance and what it will represent," said city manager Kim Haws prior to the ordinances approval.

Among the areas in B-2 zones where the gaming would be allowed are the Meadowbrook Mall and Charles Pointe, if developers there wish to include them.

In other business:

• Neel’s Fence Company was approved to install an 8-foot high fence around Kovach Tank, located near the Wonder Bar. Cost of the project is $10,960.
• Approved handicap parking on Wyatt Street in front of the Johnson Avenue Methodist Church on Sunday’s only.
• Heard a report from Mayor Jim Christie on his earlier flight to Cleveland out of the Harrison-Marion (Benedum) Regional Airport on its new carrier, Regions Air.
• Christie reported on the status of improvements to the Airport Industrial Road. Property owners have until Nov. 30 to accept a proposal to have the city provide them with a development grant to help with road improvement.
• The matter has been brought to Council’s attention by one business owner multiple times during the past few years
• Approved the first reading of an ordinance to update the building codes.