01/06/2026 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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TO: City of North Olmsted Officials. During a meeting of the City Council it was stated the Stearns Row development project may be consistent with the 2025 Master Plan. It seemed as if this Plan was largely used to justify the appropriateness of the development proposal. In response, the plan was studied and it was surprising to discover, in my opinion, quite the opposite is true. Chapter 3 which deals with Land Use and chapter five which with deals with Housing were the areas of focus. In the Executive Summary under "What the Public Had to Say" section, point seven is of particular significance. It indicates the public wanted to promote historic preservation! This in itself should end the discussion if the people who have invested their lives and money in this City matter. Since public input was sought, it would seem reasonable their interests would be reflected in the formal plan. Point eleven states historic areas are emerging priorities. Point twelve indicates there should be encouragement to preserve and renovate historic homes. Who would want to follow these guidelines if their district becomes unstable? Old homes are expensive to maintain and the people on Butternut accept this because of the character of the Historic District. Point thirteen indicates residential development should occur in appropriate , defined areas. Not in the middle of a Historic District. In the "Key Findings: section, point seven indicates neighborhood identities are important to solidify a sense of place and community pride. This point is repeated in chapter 3, point seven, Core Principles of Smart Growth. A profound sentence for sure. The sense of place on Butternut is like no other within the City. A walk down Butternut and Canterbury almost allows one to forget they are in a modern developed City. Every house is different. People have bought their houses on Butternut for a specific reason that is not compatible with the inclusion of new housing stock along with a zoning change. We fear a cascade of development will follow. The introduction to chapter three, Land Use, states zoning is used to regulate land uses to ensure harmonious and compatible development in the City based on land use patterns adopted and incorporated in its comprehensive plan. The proposed development in the middle of the Historic District is neither harmonious nor compatible. In chapter three, Land Use, when the plan does reference development, it points to open areas at the west end of the City. Section 3.1 c states work to assemble vacant parcels in the western limits of the City near existing industrially zoned land for future development. Developing parcels on Butternut does not appear anywhere in the plan. The future Land Use map shows no such development on Butternut Ridge Rd. This