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Senior housing considered for Chardon acreage
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - May 06, 2010)
Senior housing considered for Chardon acreage
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Chardon City Council will consider whether to send a rezoning issue to the November ballot to allow for construction of a 55-and-older housing development.
The city's planning commission passed the matter to council with an unanimous vote Monday, after hearing from developers Enzo Perfetto and Sam Cannata.
The developers, who have proposed the Heron's Glen development, are seeking voters' approval for rezoning a 50-acre parcel off South Street (Route 44), just to the east of commercial buildings.
John Sheehan, the city's planning and zoning administrator, said the land currently is zoned for industrial use. The rezoning would change the property to an R-4 classification, which allows for high-density development, including multifamily housing.
Developers had gone before the planning commission Jan. 18 for an informal discussion on the development with the hope of bringing the rezoning issue to voters in May. However, developers later asked that the matter be delayed and now are seeking to get to the November ballot.
Since that January meeting, plans for the development have been revised.
Architect Daniel Neff, with Neff and Associates in Parma Heights, said much of the infrastructure included in the first proposal has been eliminated for a less expensive and more streamlined version.
He said the northern end of the development would have single-family detached homes with small lots. That type of development will better match its neighboring development, the Woods of Burlington, he said.
An assisted-living development would be at the western edge of the property, closest to South Street, he said. At the southern end of the property would be independent-living residences, Mr. Neff said.
Public common space also would be part of the development, he said, including stream corridors through the property.
Mr. Neff said the development is better suited for today's economy as industrial development has slowed to a crawl. "This type of project is a better economic fit for the community than its development as industrial," he said.
Councilman Robert Cromwell said he is "very fascinated" with the idea of the development, particularly because it is expected to have no impact on the schools in terms of adding students.
However, he said, he could not find anything that limits those living there to be 55 and older.
Mr. Perfetto said developers will follow rules that provide for 80 percent of those holding titles for property to people 55 and older. Some exceptions must be allowed, he said, because one spouse may meet the 55-and-older requirement, while the other may be younger.
He said there's not an opportunity for a grandmother to bring six grandchildren to live with her and thereby add to the schools' enrollment. He said the grandchildren would be denied under a "permanent resident" requirement.
The commission also invited David Hartt, the city's planning consultant, to review the proposal and give his opinion.
"The bottom line is we support the rezoning," Mr. Hartt said.
He said, from the community's perspective, the development would have less impact than industrial development and would likely generate more in taxes over a 20-year period than industry.
Mr. Hartt said there also would not be a burden on the utilities. He said the city would have to allow more than eight units per acre to exceed industrial usage of utilities. That is not the case here, he said.
Citing Mr. Hartt's statistics, Randy Sharpe, assistant city manager, said a residential development would provide $8.5 million over 20 years in property taxes, while an industrial development would pay about $916,000. Of the $8.5 million, he said, the schools would receive $5 million and Geauga County $1.8 million, compared with $560,000 and $183,000, respectively.
Mr. Hartt recommended that the city consider a development agreement that would spell out the "principles and parameters" of the project. He said maps, graphs and text of the agreement would provide guarantees of how the development would proceed. If council gives its support for the ballot, officials could begin working immediately with developers on the agreement, he said.
Mr. Hartt said the development agreement would then become deed restrictions for the property. If voters then approve the rezoning, developers would go with the development agreement to council, which would consider it as a planned-unit development.
Commission chairman Kenneth Miller said the development agreement may go a long way in convincing voters that developers will do what they say. Historically, he said, voters have been wary of high-density development because of past projects in which they felt they did not get what they were promised.
Mr. Perfetto said he and Mr. Cannata decided to go with the 55-and-older development after talking with several area residents. He said they support a local development of this nature to allow longtime residents to stay in the community. "There was a real need for this," he said.
Mr. Perfetto said the development could also provide more estate-tax money for the city.
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