GREEN: A small bar with golf simulators for year-round play is coming to the Massillon Road corridor, but not without opposition.
By a 3-2 vote, the Planning and Zoning Commission last week approved a conditional-use certificate for a 44-seat bar and golf simulator business on the west side of the former Green fire station, library and the city’s Parks and Recreation Division on the northeast corner of Massillon and Greensburg roads.
Objections came from a next-door neighbor and commission members Bob Garritano and Dave Plum.
Garritano said he opposed the project for two reasons: The bar would be the sixth in a two-mile area along the Massillon Road corridor; and teens would be permitted in the facility to use the proposed golf simulators.
“A bar is a bar is a bar,” Garritano said following the meeting. He also voiced concern about what would become of the business if the golf portion should fail.
Plum said he opposed the measure because he doesn’t believe the business complies with several city codes.
Carol Baab, whose home is next to the building that also houses the KOG Drive-thru on the east side, told commissioners, “I don’t want a bar in my back yard.”
She said she has nothing against golf or the drive-through approved last October, but she is highly opposed to the bar because it is to be open from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
Massillon Road resident Julie Martinez made the proposal. She said the golf simulators would be the primary use of the business within the building, which James Alstrom owns. He also owns the drive-through on the east side of the structure and is a member of the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
Martinez said that anyone under 18 would not be permitted in the golf area after 9 p.m. without a parent and won’t be permitted in the bar, which will have 33 seats in a 953-square-foot area. Beverages and snacks will be sold in the bar. She said 11 seats are planned for the golf area.
She said building improvements are estimated at $50,000, while the simulators would add another $100,000 expense.
Martinez said the simulators would permit golfers, including high school players, to practice inside throughout the winter rather than outside only in nice weather.
The commission also granted conditional approval for a new CVS Pharmacy proposed at the northeast corner of Massillon Road and Franks Parkway.
The final site plan for the proposed $28 million Acme Fresh Market in the Heritage Crossings of Green received a favorable recommendation for City Council approval.
George W. Davis can be reached at mediaman@sssnet.com.