07/11/2007 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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strategy. She reviewed the various public meetings. The corridor was broken into three areas including Stearns Road from I-480 to Lorain Road, the Lorain-Stearns intersection, and the sound walls north of Lorain Road. Once the Commission and City Council adopt the plan the implementation will begin. She introduced Terry Schwarz who reviewed the recommendations. Ms. Schwarz said that the plan is the outcome from various steering committee and public meetings. The land use along Stearns Road will likely change and the City wants to avoid a piecemeal rezoning approach. One goal of the study is to recommend future zoning classifications for the area. Once the plan is adopted the city will work towards an overall land use strategy for developing the area. The types of zoning which were looked at south of Lorain were higher density housing, commercial uses, hotel, office and green space to enhance the residential environment. The Stearns and I-480 interchange appeared to be the best area for commercial development, not general retail, but office or hotel uses which would accommodate heavy traffic and the quiclcest access to the highway. At the intersection of Stearns and Lorain the focus was traffic volume and community orientated retail to enhance the existing shopping center at the southeast side of tlie Lorain. The southwest corner of the intersection could also accommodate a small amount of community retail. As a new gateway into North Olmsted the Lorain Stearns intersection should have some retail to serve the residents in the neighborhood and act as an enticement to those traveling the corridor to turn onto Lorain into North Olmsted instead of traveling elsewhere. The two uses along the north side of the intersection are both fixed with Rite Aid and the funeral horrie, although there is an opporiunity to enhance both sites with landscaping and greenery. A section between the interchange plan and corner development could be a housing development to accommodate those residents wishing to stay within the corridor and provide new housing developments which could be developed over time and set back from the roadway, incorporating axeas of greenspace along the corridor and limiting the number of curb cuts along the street. The plan shows possibilities for senior housing, multi family housing, condominiums, townhouses and cluster style housing to demonstrate the variety of housing which could be developed in the area. The sound wall was looked at for ways to soften the impact and it was found that the walls would best be buffered by plants evergreens or vines. The tree lawn along the sound wall would also include street trees to absorb sounds as well. Mr. Lasko clarified that what was being presented was not a specific development proposal nor was there a developer waiting to break ground. The plan being presented is a concept which the city"is looking at in a manner to ensure that there is a goal when addressing the area in the future. It is the Planning & Design Commission's charge to look forward for the best possible solutions for the city's future development. Mr. Lasko asked Ms. Wenger how the corridor plan addressed concerns from the 2005 Master Plan. Ms. Wenger reviewed that the Crocker Stearns area was a focus area in the 2005 Plan, as an area which should be further studied for possible redevelopment. Some of the recommendations of the Master Plan were to encourage community involvement and explore redevelopment opportunities in a unified manner. Mixed use was recommended to allow residential use to support community retail as well as provide a higher tax base such as office uses. Access management was recommended for traffic circulation and safety. Any future development needs to be compatible with those owners who wish to leave and those who wish to stay. Also, development requires appropriate buffering, open spaces for natural resources to promote connectivity with trails, pedestrian access and walk-able paths to connect the existing Bradley Woods Metroparks. She believes that the current plan addresses all the concerns 3