Falls City Council expected to vote on Heritage Ridge
By Kathleen Collins
NORTHAMPTON — Cuyahoga Falls City Council members are expected to vote May 14 on a regulatory plan for a controversial proposed housing development on Quick Road.
After more than an hour of discussion with residents, city officials and the developer, Heritage Development Co., members of Council’s Planning and Zoning Committee decided May 7 the plan should go before Council for a vote.
“I do think we need to vote on this,” said Councilwoman Kathy Hummel (at large), chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee. “We’ve been discussing this for months.”
The proposed development, the Heritage Ridge Subdivision, would be the first of its kind in the city and rare to Northeast Ohio, according to city officials, as the development would be located in the Green Overlay District, a district intended to promote sustainable and energy-efficient single-family development. In R-1 (Residential) zoning, the code calls for one home per 1.5 acres. In the Green Overlay District, developers can propose to build one home per an average of .77 acre. It would be located near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and within the Woodridge Local Schools District.
The plan, which was given preliminary
approval by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission,
calls for a 110-unit subdivision
— 34 cluster homes and 76 single-family homes
— to be built on 49 acres of the 85-acre site.
The remaining 36 acres are to be preserved as green
space. The homes, which would be built by Drees Homes,
are to be constructed with a 5-Star Energy rating.
During the meeting, before the
Planning and Zoning Committee decided whether it would
put the plan before Council at next week’s meeting,
Stephen Funk, an attorney with Roetzel & Andress
representing Heritage Development, asked the committee
to amend the regulatory plan to allow the development
to be built with a 3-Star Energy rating. He said if
the plan is amended, the density, which has been a sticking
point with some Council members and residents, could
be reduced to 96 units.
“It’s really not realistic
to have all homes have a 5-Star rating,” said
Funk. “Cuyahoga Falls is on the cutting edge with
this development. A 3-star rating is very aggressive.
We started at 150 homes, then brought the density down.
Approving a 5-Star rating would kill the project.”
Richard Bancroft, of Drees Homes,
said it is not possible to meet a 5-Star rating with
this project. He said 5-Star homes wouldn’t sell.
“To meet a 5-Star rating,
you have to score points on a table,” said Bancroft.
“For example, you get points for no carpet and
for certain types of pavement, which are more expensive.
You’d have to have composting drains and toilets.
I don’t think we want to be recycling water in
these communities. You can’t have turf grass.
“The bottom line is the
market is economically challenged,” he added.
“It is too hard to do a 5-Star home in this market.
There are few developers out there who do them.”
Several of the more than 40 residents
who attended the meeting in opposition of the proposed
housing development said even if the density was reduced
to 96 units, it still would be too high. The residents,
who mostly reside in the former Northampton Township
area (now Ward 8 in Cuyahoga Falls), are also concerned
that the cluster homes proposed for the subdivision
will negatively impact the
property values of their homes. The residents also said
they are concerned about the impact the development
could have on the school district, as well as an increase
in traffic and storm water runoff.
“The developer has no intention
of reaching the 5-Star rating,” said Quick Road
resident Mike Battaglia. “Do not permit homes
to be built on one-seventh of an acre in the name of
conservation.”
Bellaire Lane resident John Weniger
submitted 75 letters written by residents opposing the
development.
“I and some other residents
went house to house on the streets surrounding this
development, and I didn’t find one person who
would support this development,” said Weniger.
“We’re not against the Green Overlay [District];
we’re against the density.”
Robert Benjamin, vice president
and director of real estate for Heritage Development,
said the company has followed the advice of city officials
in getting this plan approved.
“We believe our company
is operating on good faith with this project,”
said Benjamin. “This is a new thing for Northeast
Ohio, and we are taking a huge risk. This has been close
to a two-year project, and we’d like to get this
moving forward.”
After hearing from the residents
and Heritage Development, Councilman Terry Mader (Ward
8) said he would like to see the plan go back to the
Planning Commission for review.
“I think it might be conducive
to send it back to the Planning Commission and they
can [go over] what they feel would be the appropriate
density,” said Mader, who indicated he would not
vote in favor of the plan as it is.
Hummel said she wouldn’t
vote for the development unless the density was reduced
to 74 units. She said she would be in favor of lowering
the energy rating to 3-Star. Several other Council members
also said they would like to see the density reduced
in order for them to vote in favor of it.
“I don’t think any
Council member wants to approve it as it is,”
said Hummel. “We will either have to approve it,
deny it, amend it and then approve or deny, or send
it back to the Planning
Commission to look at.”
The Cuyahoga Falls City Council
meeting will take place May 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the conference
room at the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium, 2345 4th St.
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