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Development proposed for former country club site



Rosemont Greens in Fairlawn would include townhomes, luxury homes, ranches, apartments

The City of Fairlawn hosted a virtual informational meeting March 10 on the Rosemont Greens development proposed for the site of the former Rosemont Country Club and golf course. Its six components include: The Crossings, a subdivision of 98 two-, three- and four-unit townhomes on Rothrock Road; The Reserve, a subdivision of 25 single-family luxury homes; Rosemont Preserve, 62 acres of greenspace; a mixed-use four-story building on South Cleveland-Massillon Road with businesses on the ground floor and apartments and offices on upper floors; The Links, a subdivision of 115 two- and three-story townhomes; and The Retreat at Rosemont, a subdivision of 83 single-family step-free homes designed for aging in place. For more information on the presentation and project, visit www.fairlawn.us/rosemontgreens. Graphic provided courtesy of the City of Fairlawn

FAIRLAWN — The City of Fairlawn hosted a virtual informational meeting for the public March 10 on the Rosemont Greens development proposed for the site of the former Rosemont Country Club and golf course.
Fairlawn Mayor William Roth opened the meeting, saying the city “wanted to get the word out” to the public regarding the proposed development.
Roth said the 149-acre property is bisected by South Cleveland-Massillon Road and is directly south of the Montrose commercial district on state Route 18. He said the property, whose unique shape offered a challenge for development, was originally purchased by Rosemont County Club in 1920 and was home to a clubhouse and golf course until the country club closed in 2019.
Roth said the property is in the process of being purchased by the Osborne Capital Group through a private sale.
Roth emphasized the city’s goals in the development of the property are to maximize open space and ensure quality housing. He noted the proposed development of the property would adhere to the city’s Planned Unit Development (PUD) criteria to ensure a coordinated plan for the property.
“I believe this project makes sense and will be a benefit to the city both in the short and long term,” said Roth. “It will be a good mix of the types of housing we want to have.”
Roth emphasized a major benefit of the development will be the preservation of over 50 percent of the property as open space. He said Osborne Capital would donate 62 acres to the city, which the city will set aside as a natural preserve that will be reforested and will provide storm water management, as well as passive use for the public with walking trails.
Bill Arnold, the city’s commissioner of zoning, housing and residential building, followed with a review of the approval process for the proposed development.
Arnold said the 308 surrounding property owners will be involved in the process, and Fairlawn residents will be able to sign up for development updates through the city’s website at www.fairlawn.us/rosemontgreens.
Arnold said the next step will be a Fairlawn Planning Commission virtual special meeting set for March 24 at 5:30 p.m., when the commission will consider the Osborne Capital application to rezone the three parcels that make up the property for the PUD, and then consolidate them to split into six parcels that would be developed as six components of the Rosemont Greens project.
Arnold said the following step would be with Fairlawn City Council, which would hold a public hearing and then decide on whether to approve the PUD rezoning. He said if the PUD is approved by Council, Osborne Capital then would have to present the development plan with final details to the city’s Planning Commission for approval.
Robert Konstand, an attorney for Osborne Capital, provided an overview of the six components making up the Rosemont Greens development:
• The Crossings, a subdivision of 98 two-, three- and four-unit townhomes on Rothrock Road;
• The Reserve, a subdivision of 25 single-family luxury homes patterned on the Rosemont Ridge development;
• Rosemont Preserve, a 62-acre greenspace donated to the city;
• a mixed-use building of four stories located on South Cleveland-Massillon Road directly south of the Giant Eagle supermarket. The building would feature businesses on the ground floor, with apartments and offices on the upper floors;
• The Links, a subdivision of 115 two- and three-story townhomes; and
• The Retreat at Rosemont, a subdivision of 83 single-family step-free homes designed for those seeking homes designed for aging in place.
Konstand said there would be deed restrictions in place for every home in the four subdivisions, and the goal is to begin the project in 2021, with the first homes expected to be available in spring 2022. He added the communities would be built in phases, based on public demand, with each community growing independently.
The informational session continued with brief presentations by the developer/builders of the four subdivisions and the mixed-use building. The developers provided additional details of their projects focusing on the types of homes, square footage, price ranges and special features.
The developers noted the communities would have homeowners’ associations, with the exception of The Reserve, and the overall project has been specifically designed to limit access on South Cleveland-Massillon Road.
Service Director Ernie Staten provided information about the city’s plans for Rosemont Preserve. He said the conceptual plan calls for the preserve to be natural, not manicured. He said the land would be reforested with an arboretum and native plants and include meadows, wetlands and walking trails.
Staten explained the walking trails would connect all four subdivisions and combine with the new 10-foot-wide trail being constructed alongside the newly widened South Cleveland-Massillon Road. He noted the preserve’s trail system would connect with existing city trails to form a continuous trail system from Bicentennial Park to Rothrock Road.
Staten also said the city will work to create an improved ecosystem with improved water quality in Schocalog Creek, which flows through the preserve. He said the city would be able to use tax increment financing to improve flood plain and storm water issues, and added each of the subdivisions would have its own storm water sewers and retention ponds.
Staten said the city intends to work around all current trees in the preserve and would retain all healthy trees.
After the presentations, the meeting featured a question-and-answer period with questions previously submitted by residents or electronically submitted during the presentation. While most questions were answered during the presentation, other questions evoked the following responses:
√ All streets will be private but built to city specifications.
√ All homes will be fitted to be able to accept electric-car charging stations.
√ Each of the developers reviewed energy-efficient features and green energy standards.
√ All stormwater plans in the subdivisions must be reviewed and approved by the city engineer and will be inspected by the engineer upon completion.
√ All utilities will be underground, but the current Ohio Edison transmission lines must remain.
√ Unit density will be in line with R-5 (Residential) zoning district requirements and has been designed to conform with density in surrounding developments.
√ The preserve will be available only for passive uses such as hiking, with no parking available in the preserve and access only from the South Cleveland-Massillon Road trail or the four residential subdivisions.
More information and presentation materials are available at www.fairlawn.us/rosemontgreens.