Berea, Ohio
Berea City Council scraped Omni’s plans to build a five-story, 200,000 square foot, senior living facility on the banks of Coe Lake.
Community Organizer Erika Coble contacted and encouraged concerned Bereans to voice their concerns at Berea’s City Council meeting in May. Because of Erika’s work, almost 50 Bereans attended the meeting. No one spoke in favor of the project.
Omni struggled to make the case that its $30 million project would benefit the Berea community. The project would increase traffic, reduce parking, and strain city resources. The proposal also included 10 years of tax abatement, limiting tax revenue received by the city.
At the meeting, Ward 4 Council Member Kim Smith
was asked if she had any dealings with Omni. Smith said Omni had approached her and offered to purchase her house. Smith stated she recused herself from involvement with the project because of this conflict of interest. Smith’s house is located in ward 4 directly across the street from the proposed project.
The terms offered to Smith were not disclosed, but the offer undercut Omni’s argument that its project would increase housing values.
An anonymous source from the city indicated other members of the city council were unaware of why Kim Smith had recused herself. It was not until after the council meeting a memo surfaced from Berea City’s Law Department recommending Smith recused herself. This memo was not provided to the other members of the city council until after Smith was confronted at the council meeting.
Despite Smith’s agreement to recuse herself, she continued discussions with Mayor Kleem about the project. The day after the council meeting (May 28th) Mayor Kleem posted on his Facebook page, “I had further conversations with Councilwoman Kim Smith, and we decided to reach out to the developer and ask for the project to be withdrawn.”
Berea requested Omni to withdraw its proposal. Omni has withdrawn and will no longer pursue acquiring the location at Coe Lake.
