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Hunting Valley may create scenic corridor
(by Sue Reid - October 22, 2008)
Hunting Valley may create scenic corridor
By SUE REID
The Village of Hunting Valley has taken another step to preserve its scenic beauty, focusing on a stretch of Chagrin River Road.
Village Council placed on first reading last week an ordinance to provide for the creation of a scenic corridor overlay district.
An initiative of Mayor John D. Wheeler, the ordinance was referred to the village's planning and zoning commission for review.
As drafted, the ordinance would include all of the properties along Chagrin River Road, between Fairmount Boulevard and South Woodland Road (Route 87).
"Whenever we're debating our conservation initiatives, historically, there seems to be universal agreement that the essential part of the character of the village is scene-scape and a feeling of country," Mr. Wheeler said. "That is a very important part of the village."
This corridor "contributes a great deal to the quality of the village and its inherent value to the community and its residents," Mr. Wheeler said. "Thus, I think, for those reasons, it's more worth preserving at any cost." By preservation, he said, he refers to the view that is experienced when driving along Chagrin River Road.
Village Law Director Stephen L. Byron explained that the ordinance is an attempt to regulate development within that area so that it's compatible with the traditional appearances of the village.
The village has a lot of other ordinances which are environmentally sensitive, Mr. Byron noted. "This is just an additional method of protecting the scenic beauty of the village."
Among other purposes, the ordinance would protect scenic vistas and minimize viewed impacts and encourage the permanent preservation of woodland resources and natural amenities. Among development standards addressed by the ordinance, dwellings and accessory structures shall be designed in adherence with classic Western Reserve architectural style. It refers to white frame dwellings and accessory structures which complement the design and materials of the dwelling.
"There are unique characteristics of Hunting Valley in terms of its natural beauty and open space," Mr. Byron said. "This is a tool of the community to regulate the development to ensure the continued beauty of the village."
He said all of the village is subject to existing zoning. "This ordinance identifies this area as being especially open and having an unobstructed view," he said.
Councilwoman Mary Weber said, "While I favor the scenic overlay of the Chagrin River corridor and feel it would help to preserve its beauty, rural character and ecology, I would not want this overlay to infer it is the only land in Hunting Valley that is important to protect.
"What we see from the road is only part of some very large tracts of land with incredible beauty and biological significance," Mrs. Weber said.
Mr. Byron said, unquestionably, there are other beautiful areas of the village, but, in terms of sight lines, development on the Chagrin River Road corridor would be very visible. Therefore, the ordinance "regulates the nature of what a house could look like," he said.
Mr. Byron said the preservation of scenic vistas or corridors is aggressively being pursued in California. "There have been some communities that have attempted to prohibit construction," he said, "but this ordinance merely regulates construction within the scenic corridor."
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