Alliance City Council discusses DORA, cannabis and future for the Value City site

ALLIANCE ‒ The former Value City property, across from College Plaza on East State Street, reportedly has a new owner and major plans.

Mayor Andy Grove told City Council on Monday night that the plans include a controlled-climate storage facility, a gas station and retail stores.

The property at 1425 E. State St., adjacent to St. Joseph's Cemetery, currently has some demolition and cleanup efforts going on. Grove said the storage facility would be in the back end of the property. The gas station and stores would be near East State.

"It's a nice-sized lot," Grove said.

The new owner is Rhino Storage Group − doing business as RSS 1425 East State Street LLC − out of Racine, Ohio, and the property was bought for $637,000 in May, according to Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce and Stark County Auditor's Office.

Grove said the plans should enhance the East State corridor, along with the revitalized College Plaza, which he added: "They've done a nice job."

Preparing for the cannabis business in the Carnation City

In other economic news, city officials and City Council are amending part of the city's zoning code to allow state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to open.

Stark County locations: Cannabis Dispensary Map

Safety-Service Director Mike Dreger said the proposed changes would align with state regulations and shorten the distance from 1,000 feet to 500 feet between a dispensary and a public place, like a park. At least two groups have expressed interest in putting a dispensary in the Carnation City, he said.

Because of that, Dreger said stretches of State Street would be the only place a dispensary could open. He said this allows city officials only one street to monitor, and none of them would be in "any neighborhood."

The marijuana dispensary legislation − Ordinance No. 031-24 − has been scheduled for a public hearing at 6:10 p.m. Aug. 5 before council likely votes on it.

Is DORA in the city's future? Maybe.

In Stark County, communities such as Canton, North Canton and Louisville have Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas in or near their downtown area.

Could Alliance, be next?

Councilman Phillip Mastroianni told his fellow members that he plans to explore establishing a DORA in downtown Alliance after several people, including merchants, approached him about it recently.

"I think it'd be a good piece of the puzzle," to get more people downtown, Mastroianni said.

In other business, council:

• Heard the city's income tax revenue collection is down 2.88%, or about $200,000. City Auditor Kevin Knowles said he is hopeful those numbers will turn around.
• Heard state auditors could decide if the city should be removed from fiscal watch by August or September, Knowles said. It has been on the list since May 2018.
• Heard Finance Committee has recommended reimbursing a Webb Street resident who said blockages in city-maintained sewer lines caused backups in her basement. Damage was listed at $1,500.
• Heard Dunkin' Donuts at 1041 W. State St. is expanding to create two drive-through lines.

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com . On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Alliance City Council discusses DORA, cannabis and future for the Value City site