There is a plot of land south of Oberlin, near Ames department store on Route 58 that looks like any other farm field. An equally typical discussion surronds this land as wel.l This land is on line for redevelopment as a superstore, known as a “big-box”, which could potentially turn into a future strip mall.
A family farm in the Pittsfield Township, the property targeted for development, has been the object of contention for months. This past summer, Pittsfield re-zoned the land from agricultural to commercial use. According to Mark Mittler, owner of Hart Asphalt, there was a public outcry among Pittsfield residents against the change in zoning. “All the zoning changes can be petitioned... Getting signatures is the easy part,” Mittler said.
Mittler and several others petitioned the board of elections to add the zoning issue to the ballot, but due to a technicality their petition was discarded. The Pittsfield group successfully sued on the grounds of “lack of public information” and got the zoning changed back, only to witness a new board vote to again re-zone the property for commercial usage.
With this move, only one obstacle stands in the way of development: sewage. According to Environmental Protection Agency regulations, the necessary sewage facilities cannot be installed there by someone other than the City of Oberlin. The EPA will not let sewers be built within 200 feet of another municipality’s pre-existing sewage lines, such as Oberlin sewage lines to Ames and the Norris residential development.
Annexation of the property to the city of Oberlin might solve this problem. According to City Manager Rob Dispirto, a permit application for a sewer tap-in has been submitted by the developer to the Public Works Department. Public Works and Oberlin City Council are in the process of evaluating the application. “The Council has a policy…that says the City will not provide [underground] utility service outside the boundaries of the City…without annexation,” Dispirto said.
It’s now up to the City to “decide whether to continue present policy or decide that it’s prepared to extend utilities,” City Planner Gary Boyle said. There is a Council work session tentatively planned for January.
In other words, according to Director of Public Works Jeff Baumann, “[there will be] a public meeting of elected officials and interested parties [to discuss current policy]”.
If the policy is approved, there is great concern among downtown storeowners that a big box on Rt. 58 would draw too many customers away from local business. “Big boxes are big boxes and I think basically they destroy whatever business is in the downtown area,” Charlie Watson, owner of Watson’s Hardware, said. “One and a half years is generally the timeframe [for a small store to be forced out by a big box]. Two and half years at the most.”
Most of the revenue earned by the new superstore would be money once spent downtown. “If you don’t significantly increase the traffic, then you’re robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said the owner of Dave’s Army Navy store in downtown Oberlin. There is substantial concern among Oberlin merchants and residents that the Oberlin of 10 years from now will be empty storefronts, struggling businesses and traffic headed for the strip mall beyond town.
Just north of Oberlin on Rt. 58, the town of Amherst has faced a similar problem in the past decade with the development of a Super KMart. “The total economic impact on Amherst was kept in check with a good economy and an aggressive mayor,” former councilman Mark Kocak said. “But every person in Amherst lost out,” he added.
There are certain obvious benefits to a big-box store near Oberlin. The downtown stores serve a certain market but do not completely supply everyone’s needs. The cheap prices and large selection of a Wal-Mart would appeal to both lower-income Oberlin residents and students, as well as residents from the surrounding area. The potential market for the store is huge.
“Is there anything I can do to increase the chances of a Wal-Mart?…Sign a petition, get some students together and picket?” College first-year Vorris Mayes said. He’s not alone; many people feel there are items available at a big-box store which can’t be found downtown.
Another benefit, despite marked ambivalence, is the way big-box stores attract shoppers. “You can look at it as drawing people into town… It’s drawing people up from South Lorain County to here.” the owner of Ben Franklin noted, despite her reservations.
Critics of the big-box fear that development breeds more development. “Big boxes never just stay alone,” one merchant said. “There’ll probably be more than one store.”
With the proposed site outside the Oberlin’s jurisdiction, some feel that the direct financial benefits to the community are smaller than they first appear. With the competition the store would bring to downtown, significant amounts of income could be lost.
The Pittsfield Township and the City of Oberlin have worked together in forming a temporary steering committee this past year to draft the Rt. 58 Corridor Study. At some point along the way, there will likely be a push for the formation of a more lasting partnership between Oberlin and Pittsfield. “Nobody likes to get surprised. The need to improve, if not mend, relations between the jurisdictions is critically important,” Oberlin resident Elizabeth Rumics said.

The sewage proposal, however, is a different story. “We’ve worked and would like to continue to work with the Township,” Dispirto said. “But the Township is not directly involved in this regard…. It’s between the developer and the City.”
According to the Corridor Plan, which was drafted last February, “substantial” development could take several years. But the proposal for commercial development has been submitted and change could happen much sooner than the report predicts.