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Geauga Lake eyed for big-box sprawl
(by Joan Demirjian - November 12, 2008)
Geauga Lake eyed for big-box sprawl
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
One of the first proposals for the use of the former Geauga Lake land in Bainbridge is being reviewed by the township.
The Richard E. Jacobs Group has an option to buy about 30 acres of the former Geauga Lake Park land, according to Bainbridge Trustee Jeffrey Markley. The group has shown a concept plan for a shopping center to the township zoning department, but it has not made a formal application.
The parking lot area of the former amusement ride side of the lake, fronting on Aurora Road (Route 43), is being considered for the development.
"It's a very intense shopping center," Zoning Inspector Michael Joyce said of the concept. It calls for big-box stores, as well as smaller ones and high-end restaurants in the parking lot area, he said. The area is zoned for commercial recreation, which includes retail.
The plan calls for 70 percent lot coverage on the 30 acres. Township zoning permits a maximum of 40 percent for commercial uses. And the 70 percent does not include the retention ponds, which may be coverage, Mr. Joyce said.
Cedar Fair Entertainment, of Sandusky, is seeking to sell off more than 500 acres around the lake, most of it in Bainbridge. There also are parcels off Treat and Aurora roads in Aurora. The Colliers-Ostendorf Morris brokerage firm in Cleveland is handling the sale of the properties.
Mr. Markley said he spoke with representatives of the development group. "I met with them to understand what they intend to propose," he said. "As a trustee, it is my obligation to understand what they are trying to do."
His concern is that it is only 30 acres out of hundreds of acres, he said. "I need to see how it all plays together," Mr. Markley said of an overall plan for Geauga Lake.
A meeting is being planned with the developer, the zoning inspector, Geauga County Planning Director David Dietrich, the Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District, the Chagrin River Watershed Partners and other township representatives, Mr. Markley said.
"Let's get everyone to the table and see what everyone wants." He said he would like to see a master plan for the 500-plus acres. "We have one chance to do this the right way," he said.
"To me, any development should be to maximize the opportunity for residents and the income potential for the township." It should minimize the impact on township services, he said.
Possibilities include working with neighboring Reminderville and Aurora to provide fire protection and utilities and to establish a joint economic development district with the municipalities, he said. They would all agree that there would be no attempts at annexation as well, he said.
To maximize the income from development on the Geauga Lake land, it has to be development other than all houses, all retail or all senior housing, Mr. Markley said. "We should be looking at mixed uses. I'd love to see a top-notch hospital located on that property. There is plenty of space. We have one shot at doing this right," he said.
"I don't want more retail and big boxes, because they close and move to other locations," Mr. Markley said. "I don't want a situation with a number of empty shells over the long haul."
Mr. Joyce said he is concerned that, if the plan is built as shown, it would encourage others to seek the same intense lot coverage. There are wetlands and other natural areas around it that should remain that way, he said.
He said that there are many shopping centers, including in nearby Solon, and, at some point, the area will become saturated. The communities are then left with empty stores, he said.
"We'll try to work toward something that makes sense," Mr. Joyce said. A mixed use would require a change in the zoning, he said. "We're trying to meet and plan for the future."
Carmella Shale, district engineer and administrator of the Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District, said the district will look at erosion and storm-water control on the site. The meeting with the developer will be a fact-finding session, looking at how the plan fits into the township's regulations, she said.
Township Trustee Matthew Lynch said he believes that any development proposed for the land "should be strictly held to our zoning regulations. My position is any developer should conform to zoning." There should be no grandiose plan to redo it into something else or to step outside the zoning, he said.
Bainbridge Trustee Linda White said the township has empty stores in Tanglewood Square shopping center and at McFarland's Corner. "And some of those have been empty for years," she said.
"At this point, with this economy, it doesn't make sense," she said of more shopping centers. Two large developers have pulled out of Solon, and there are empty stores at Marketplace shopping center next to Geauga Lake in Bainbridge, Ms. White noted.
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