Residents of Orange Township, north of Columbus, say they won't relent their fight to stop a proposed hotel from being built in their midst.
"It's frustrating that [local zoning officials] haven't stepped up more to try to stop this from happening," Missy Howard told 10TV Saturday following a rally of concerned residents. Their worry began in the first half of 2013, when they first heard that John Kranjec, the operator of Belamere Suites near Toledo, wants to build a similar property in Orange Township. The property's Web site describes it as a "romantic getaway," a "child-free zone" open only to those 21 and older.
Guest speaker Charles Powell of the Atlanta-based "Mercy Movement" told 10TV he's seen this kind of thing before in other parts of the country, and such facilities attract questionable clientele, among other things.
"You've also got the problem of the women who are being exploited, and that's devastating on every level possible in a community," said Powell. Folks at the rally specifically mentioned the specter of human trafficking, a problem well-documented throughout the United States, including in Ohio. Howard said an adult resort inevitably would bring a host of problems.
"Not only the adult business that wants to come here, but things that can happen at establishments like that," she said.
Attorney David Squillante, who declined to speak on-camera, gave 10TV a press release indicating that the Toledo area Belamere Suites facility "has received unqualified support from both elected officials and area civic organizations for its many contributions to the community" since it opened in 2003. The release also claims that the resort has boosted revenue for other businesses in Perrysburg, where it is located.
Nevertheless, opponents in Orange Township are standing firm, saying part of their bone of contention is the proposed location along U.S. Route 23, in close proximity to a community pool, a daycare center, a pediatrician's office, a community park, and residential neighborhoods.
"[Residents are] going to just feel uncomfortable all the time," Howard claimed, "and, not to mention, having something like that right there will hurt property value," she continued.
Ann Arline of Orange Township Community Watch weighed in similarly. "We don't think [the developer and others are] bad people, we just don't agree with having that kind of business in that specific location."
A recent lawsuit between Kranjec and the land owner was recently dropped, possibly paving the way for the proposal to go before zoning officials. For his part, Powell says he thinks locals should build awareness and resolve, as opposed to bending to fear, but he made this observation based on his experience:
"One of the things I never see [zoning officials] do is actually put one of these businesses in their neighborhood; it's usually in somebody else's."