Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Weblog

Local housing news:

• The City of Berea will work with the Cuyahoga Land Bank to demolish three vacant houses.
• Chagrin Falls Village Council approved plans for phase two of the River Walk condominiums on West Orange Street.
• An Ohio City developer plans to rehabilitate the former Jay Hotel as market-rate apartments.
• The City of Highland Heights authorized the construction of 18 additional houses in the Aberdeen development.
• Construction of the Clifton Pointe townhouses in Lakewood is on schedule. The 17-unit first phase sold out, and developer Abode intends to proceed with plans for a five-unit second phase. Lakewood City Council is considering a request for a 10-year tax abatement. Some neighbors have concerns about the project.
• A Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge upheld Olmsted Falls' zoning regulations, ruling that the City's refusal to rezone a 54-acre site from industrial to residential did not constitute an illegal taking. The property owner is considering his legal options.
• A New York developer plans to build a 125-unit apartment building for seniors on Huffman Road near Stumph Road in Parma. The Parma Planning Commission approved a rezoning for the property.
• The City of Parma plans to raze nine vacant houses that City Council recently designated as nuisance properties.
• The City of South Euclid and the One South Euclid community development corporation started three programs intended to address distressed housing issues.
• The Strongsville Planning Commission approved plans for 15 single-family houses in the Westwood Farms subdivision.

The developer of the planned Edgebrook subdivision in Strongsville hopes to begin construction soon. The 80-unit cluster home development off of Westwood Drive across from Hollo Oval will include a variety of housing styles.

Civil engineering consultants for the City of Strongsville are updating plans for the second phase of the Foltz Parkway extension project. The project would open about 137 acres in the Strongsville Business and Technology Park for development.

Update: ODOT awarded a $215,000 grant to the City for the extension project.

Election recap

This month's election included the following issues (PDF):

• Brecksville
  Issue 26 (institutional rezoning): passed
• Broadview Heights
  Issue 29 (prohibit oil and gas drilling): passed

  Activists celebrated its passage, while City officials said it wouldn't stop drilling and could lead to lawsuits against the city.

• Fairview Park
  Issue 52 (church rezoning): passed
• Garfield Heights
  Issue 55 (commercial rezoning): passed
• Highland Heights
  Issue 57 (parking lot rezoning): passed
  Issue 58 (retail rezoning): failed

  City officials and the developer are considering next steps.

• Moreland Hills
  Issue 68 (retail rezoning): passed
• North Royalton
  Issue 73 (planning commission referrals): passed
• Pepper Pike
  Issue 82 (procedures for zoning code revisions): passed
• Solon
  Issue 87 (zoning charter amendment): passed
  Issues 89 & 90 (zoning code changes): passed
• Strongsville
  Issue 97 (senior housing rezoning): passed
• Westlake
  Issue 102 (mixed-use rezoning): passed
• Cuyahoga County
  Issue 108 (Port Authority levy): failed

  Port Authority leaders said they need some time to review their options, and a Plain Dealer editorial said that they "must do a far better job convincing voters it's a good investment."

In Summit County, Green residents voted to ban casino gambling and horse racing.

Visit the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections for complete results.

The Strongsville Planning Commission approved plans for a 110,000-square-foot Market District supermarket on Pearl Road. The City's Architectural Review Board also approved the plans. Giant Eagle intends to break ground in September or October and open the store next summer.

Greater Cleveland residential projects in the news:

• Forest City Enterprises is considering a plan to convert the Halle Building in downtown Cleveland to 200 apartments.
• The City of Cleveland Heights selected the Orlean Company to redevelop the vacant lot at Lee Road and Meadowbrook Boulevard. The proposed $11.4 million project calls for a four-story building with apartments over retail. The City is seeking an 11-year, 80% tax abatement agreement from the school district.
• Lakewood City Council heard an update on the Rockport Square development. The future of the project remains unclear. Meanwhile, the Lakewood Architectural Review Board approved small changes to the Clifton Pointe townhouse project.
• The developer of the proposed Quarry Park subdivision withdrew his plans after the North Royalton Board of Zoning Appeals denied a request for a zoning variance. The project had been tabled indefinitely last year.
• The Rocky River Planning Commission approved preliminary plans for a 274-unit apartment building on the site of the former Giant Eagle store at the Rockport Shopping Center. Wald & Fisher plans to redevelop the other half of the shopping center.
• The Solon Planning Commission approved plans for the Lake Neptune Estates subdivision, a 13-house development proposed for the southwest corner of Neptune Drive and Miles Road. City Council is considering the plans.
• In Strongsville, work on the Cedar Creek Estates subdivision continues and City Council approved plans for the seven-house second phase of the Siedel Farms subdivision.
• Westlake voters will decide a rezoning issue on a proposal to build 22 apartments above the former Borders store at The Promenade.

Update 2: Cleveland Heights Patch has more information about the plans for the Meadowbrook-Lee development.

The Cleveland Metroparks celebrated the opening of Royalview Trail, a 10.1-mile mountain bike trail in the Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville. The trail cost about $50,000 and took nine months to build.

Southwest General broke ground on its $128 million expansion project. It includes a new emergency room, a critical care unit, and an underground parking garage. Construction is scheduled for completion in late 2015. Meanwhile, MetroHealth began construction of its Middleburg Heights November Family Health Center. When its first building opens next year, the 57,000-square-foot facility will replace the Strongsville Health Center.

Solon City Council approved plans for the redevelopment of Solar Shopping Center and its Giant Eagle store. In Strongsville, City Council approved a rezoning for the planned Market District supermarket on Pearl Road. Some Strongsville residents said that they would like to be more involved in the planning process.

Strongsville residents approved a rezoning issue for a proposed Market District supermarket on Pearl Road. Construction of the 110,000-square-foot store could begin as early as July. Opponents said they lacked the time to properly organize. Voters also approved a rezoning for a potential expansion of Strongsville United Church of Christ on Royalton Road.

Plans for several local housing subdivisions have been in the news:

• The developers of the proposed Woodlands of Snowville in Brecksville have withdrawn their plans due to financing issues.
• On March 8, the Ohio EPA will hold a public meeting (PDF) to discuss the potential environmental impacts of the proposed Chestnut Woods subdivision along Great Oaks Parkway in Independence.
• Developer Randy Kertesz hopes to build a 13-lot subdivision on a 22-acre site at Miles Road and Neptune Drive in Solon.
• A local builder wants to develop a new subdivision in Strongsville at Westwood Drive and Hollo Oval. The Edgebrook development would include 74 cluster houses.

Giant Eagle modified its plans for a Market District store in Strongsville, increasing the size of the proposed buffer adjacent to neighboring houses. Councilman Matt Schonhut favors the project. The Sun News endorsed the rezoning issue, calling it "a development Strongsville residents can live with." Company officials said they would not come back to voters if the rezoning issue fails.

Update: proponents and opponents of the project are debating its merits.

Giant Eagle increased the size of its proposed new Strongsville supermarket from 92,600 square feet to 110,000 square feet. It would be the first Northeast Ohio store to carry the retailer's Market District name. The first of three public meetings about the plans will be held on January 18 at St. John Neumann Church. Giant Eagle also may be interested in building a Market District store in Lakewood.

Update: more than 200 people attended the public meeting.

Giant Eagle wants to build a 92,600-square-foot supermarket and a gas station on the 13.5-acre Strongsville Golf property on Pearl Road. The new store would replace the existing Giant Eagle next to SouthPark Center. The site's zoning is currently spit between residential and recreation/restaurant classifications, and City Council voted to place the rezoning on the March ballot.

Update: Rust Wire criticized the project, calling it a prime example of urban sprawl.

Leaders in Berea anticipate adopting Cuyahoga County Executive FitzGerald's anti-poaching agreement, while Highland Heights City Council rejected the agreement. Strongsville officials are considering the proposal.

Update: the Sun Messenger says that Highland Heights City Council wants more information on the plan before deciding.

Several local residential projects are under construction or being planned.

• Chagrin Falls residents are closely watching the development of the River Walk townhouses on West Orange Street.
• The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization is renovating the 22-unit Sylvia Apartments on Franklin Boulevard.
• Ohio City's landmark Franklin Castle was sold last month to a European artist. Plans call for renovating it as three residential units.
• A developer wants to fill 1.2 acres of wetlands and streams in Independence for a residential development.
• Lakewood City Council approved a community reinvestment area for the planned Metro Townhomes on Sloane Avenue.
• In Strongsville, work is underway at the Westwood Farms subdivision and at the Cedar Creek subdivision.

The first phase of the Pearl Road widening project in Strongsville is complete and the road was officially reopened last week. Mayor Perciak said it would open 500 acres off of Foltz Parkway for industrial development.

Strongsville City Council selected planner Robert Hill to prepare an update of the City's master plan. He expects to complete the work in three months.

Strongsville City Council is expected to approve the plans for the Cedar Creek Estates subdivision on Monday. The City's Planning Commission approved the development (PDF) in February.

Construction of the Renaissance Park shopping center in Strongsville remains stalled while its former developer's bankruptcy issues remain unsettled. The Timberstone Group of Toledo filed for bankruptcy in September 2009.

A developer hopes to build Cedar Creek Estates, a 12-house large-lot subdivision in northern Strongsville. In Rocky River, construction and sales of the upscale Eleven River condominiums continue.

Update: the Strongsville Planning Commission approved the plans for Cedar Creek Estates.

Strongsville City Council approved the creation of the City's third tax increment financing district, the second along Pearl Road. The TIF district is expected to help fund the second phase of the Pearl Road widening project.

The Strongsville Planning Commission approved plans for phase four of the Woods of Schneider Reserve subdivision at Whitney and Webster roads. Pulte Homes intends to build 35 single-family houses, and may begin construction as early as next month.

Strongsville officials are marketing a 169-acre property at the end of Foltz Parkway in the Strongsville Business and Technology Park. Another 300-acre site is adjacent to the city-owned property. The area is the largest greenfield site in Cuyahoga County.

Businesses in Strongsville are reusing formerly-vacant properties.

Issue 46 failed by 25 votes in Strongsville's Ward 4, according to unofficial election results. Developers will wait for an official tally on the rezoning issue before deciding their next steps.

Election recap

Fairview Park
Issue 29 (residential rezoning): passed

Solon
Issue 44 (industrial rezoning): passed

Strongsville
Issue 46 (retail rezoning): uncertain; apparently failed

For complete results, visit the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

Issue 46 in Strongsville is a proposal to rezone portions of a 1.4-acre site at the southeastern corner of Royalton and Prospect roads from residential to retail. Heritage Development Company wants to build a 25,000-square-foot drug store and a 25,000-square-foot strip mall on the wooded property.

The City of Strongsville is seeking approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the second phase of the Foltz Parkway extension project. It involves filling streams and wetlands for a planned expansion of the Strongsville Business & Technology Park.

The Ohio Turnpike published the results (PDF) of its noise mitigation pilot project. The study found that the T-top concrete noise walls installed in Berea were more effective than the median-mounted acoustic panels tested in Strongsville. The Turnpike Commission will consider the findings and decide its next steps.

Henry Ross, founder of Gardenview Horticultural Park in Strongsville, established an endowment designed to secure the 16-acre park's future.

The new 147,244-square-foot Costco in Strongsville is scheduled to open next week. Meanwhile, specialty grocer Chandler & Rudd in Shaker Heights closed earlier this month after 145 years of business.

Testing for the Ohio Turnpike's noise mitigation pilot project concluded on Friday, and nearby residents said that the sound barriers made a difference. The Turnpike Commission will now review the results of the study and identify next steps. Adding barriers where needed would cost an estimated $39 million.

After some delays, two types of noise barriers are being tested along the Ohio Turnpike in Berea and Strongsville through a noise mitigation pilot project.

The expanded Wal-Mart on Pearl Road in Strongsville opened on Wednesday. The renovation doubled the size of the store and converted it to a supercenter.

Update: the Sun Star Courier has more details.

Citing financial difficulties, Timberstone Group of Toledo dropped its plans to build to build more retail at Renaissance Park in Strongsville. The company's other project in Strongsville, a partially-completed outlot at SouthPark Center, is facing foreclosure.

A noise mitigation pilot project is underway at sites along the Ohio Turnpike in Berea and Strongsville. A final report on the effectiveness of the sound barriers should be ready in September. Meanwhile, the Ohio Department of Transportation is considering the installation of noise walls along I-90 in Tremont, and is gathering public feedback on the proposal.

The City of Strongsville is requesting proposals for planning and design services to assist in the development of an architectural identity.

Costco has received permits to build a 147,244-square-foot store at the new Plaza at SouthPark shopping center in Strongsville. The store is scheduled to open in November. When completed, the shopping center at I-71 and Royalton Road will have 300,000 square feet of retail space.

Leaders in Strongsville want the City to have an architectural identity, and may encourage one style for future construction and renovations.

The expansion of the Renaissance Park shopping center at Pearl and Whitney Roads in Strongsville is proceeding, but at a slower pace than anticipated. The expansion of the nearby Wal-Mart should be completed by late spring or early summer.

The Ohio Turnpike Commission will test sound barrier installations along the turnpike in Berea and Strongsville in as part of a noise mitigation pilot project.

Update: the Sun Star has more details.

Because of the changing financial climate, developers of the Renaissance Park retail development in Strongsville opted to use traditional financing instead of the TIF package approved last year.

The Shaker Heights Landmark Commission gave its 2008 Preservation Awards to First Baptist Church, Plymouth Church, and the Shaker Heights City Schools. In Strongsville, the renovated Old Town Hall was formally reopened.

Visconsi Companies announced that the Plaza at SouthPark will be anchored by a 147,000 square foot Costco. The shopping center under construction at I-71 and Route 82 in Strongsville will also include a Best Buy and a Bed Bath & Beyond. The stores are expected to open in fall 2009.

Update: the Sun Star has more information.

Achievement Centers for Children completed the purchase of a 4.3 acre site on Royalton Road adjacent to Camp Cheerful in Strongsville. A hotel had been proposed for the site, but the new owners will keep it undeveloped.

Demolition of the structures at Pearl and Whitney Roads in Strongsville is underway, and an expansion of the Renaissance Park shopping center will be built on the site. The first 6,200 square foot building in the 125,000 square foot development (PDF) will open in April.

Site preparation is continuing for the retail development at I-71 and Route 82 in Strongsville, although no plans have been officially announced. Developer Visconsi Companies may reveal its plans in July.

Strongsville was one of four Greater Cleveland communities to host National Center for Bicycling and Walking workshops aimed at finding ways to make the City friendlier for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Tecco's Next Level Sports Facility on Westwood Drive in Strongsville is being demolished and will be replaced by the Preserve at Westwood, a 90 unit residential subdivision.

The Tudor Arms in University Circle and Strongsville's Old Town Hall were recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Visconsi Companies has begun site preparation for the Plaza at Southpark, a retail development on 53 acres on Royalton Road near I-71 in Strongsville. The company would not comment on the project, but City officials say it will be anchored by a Costco.

The City of Strongsville purchased an undeveloped 25 acre site on Lunn Road. The land is zoned for industrial development, and while the City plans to use it for recreation purposes, officials hope that it will eventually be developed.

Construction of a 59,000 square foot addition to the Pearl Road Wal-Mart in Strongsville is expected to start this spring. When the expansion is complete, the store will become a supercenter.

Election recap

Broadview Heights
Issue 16 (residential rezoning): passed

Brooklyn Heights
Issues 17-25 (liquor law): passed

Fairview Park
Issue 31 (church rezoning): passed
Issue 32 (office rezoning): passed

Seven Hills
Issue 43 (Rockside Road rezoning): passed

Solon
Issue 44 (senior housing rezoning): failed

Strongsville
Issue 46 (Cook Avenue rezoning): passed

For complete Cuyahoga County results, visit the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections or Cleveland.com.

The existing structures at I-71 and Royalton Road in Strongsville will be razed within the next few months to make way for a new retail development. Visconsi Companies is expected to reveal details about the project by March 1.

Achievement Centers for Children, which operates Camp Cheerful in Strongsville, agreed to purchase a five acre property adjacent to the camp, effectively canceling a proposal to built a hotel on the site. The organization does not intend to develop or sell the land.

After withdrawing from the Senior Transportation Connection of Cuyahoga County last year, the Cities of Berea, Brook Park, and Strongsville reverted to their former municipal transportation systems. Middleburg Heights, on the other hand, will continue its participation in the Senior Transportation Connection.

The renovation of the historic Old Town Hall in Strongsville is nearing completion.

Supporters of Camp Cheerful in Strongsville are opposed to a proposed rezoning to permit construction of a hotel on an adjacent site. They say that it would destroy the natural buffer around the camp.

The Cities of Berea, Brook Park, and Strongsville decided to withdraw from the Senior Transportation Connection of Cuyahoga County and will revert to their former municipal senior transportation systems.

Developers are working to obtain municipal approval for the second phase of the Renaissance Park retail development in Strongsville. They continue to seek a TIF package for the 125,000 square foot project (PDF).

Strongsville City Council dropped plans to extend Marks Road between Royalton Road and Albion Road. Mayor Perciak said that if the City "opened up Marks Road, it would become the Medina Highway."

Renovations to Strongsville's historic Old Town Hall will begin soon.

Leaders in Strongsville are discussing the City's lack of sidewalks.

Construction of the first building on the Foltz Extension in the Strongsville Business & Technology Park has started. The CSC Group is building a new 48,500 square foot headquarters, which they plan to complete in about a year.

The Ohio Historical Society nominated Strongsville's Old Town Hall for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

The owner of a 5.5 acre property on Royalton Road in Strongsville revived plans for building a hotel on the site, and applied for rezoning the property from office building to motorist service.

The City of Strongsville did not receive a requested state grant to extend Foltz Industrial Parkway in the Strongsville Business Park, and City officials plan to apply for a $4 million Ohio Job Ready Sites grant next year.

The Ohio Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision and rejected a citizen group's lawsuit over a proposed retail development on a 49 acre wooded property at Royalton Road and I-71. The decision may mark the end of a 14 year legal battle. A 2005 agreement with the city calls for 17 acres of the site to preserved as a conservation area.

Strongsville's residential setback provision is the source of controversy among some residents, but City officials say they do not intend to change the zoning code.

The transportation budget passed by Ohio legislators includes $500,000 over the next two years for an Ohio Turnpike Commission study and pilot program on reducing traffic noise. Local officials credited the four-city "Working Together to Make a Difference" group with drawing attention to the issue.

As part of an effort to raise public awareness about the emerald ash borer, the City of Strongsville will mark about 50 ash trees with ribbons during Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week, May 20-26.

The City of Strongsville received a $100,000 grant from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission for the restoration of Old Town Hall on Route 82. Restoration of the historic building is expected to cost in excess of $400,000.

Strongsville officials approved expansion plans for the Wal-Mart on Pearl Road, and a groundbreaking is expected within weeks. A 60,000 square foot addition will constructed for the existing 125,000 square foot store, which will be converted to a supercenter. They hope to complete construction by late summer.

A year after a 4.5 acre site on Route 82 in Strongsville was cleared for the construction of a hotel, it appears that the development will not occur.

Three cities may work together to upgrade traffic signals along an 11 mile stretch of Pearl Road. Middleburg Heights and Strongsville have approved the project, but Parma Heights is worried about funding its $42,000 portion of the project. 80% of the $1.9 million project was funded by federal CMAQ dollars.

At the last of four public meetings, Turnpike officials, local leaders, and residents discussed the noise, flooding, and pollution generated by the Ohio Turnpike. Turnpike officials pledged to meet with community leaders within two months to discuss possible solutions.

Visconsi Companies plans to build The Plaza at SouthPark, a 300,000 square foot retail center on 53 acres at I-71 and Royalton Road in Strongsville, across the street from SouthPark mall. The Ohio EPA will hold a public meeting about its potential impacts on water quality on January 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Strongsville Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library.

(via Cleveland.com)

Some people in Northeast Ohio are leery of Maharishi's plans to build Peace Palaces in Brecksville, Mayfield Heights, Parma, and Strongsville because of poor experiences with properties he formerly owned in North Randall and Avon Lake.