Solon Headlines

Boosting business

By Kristine Leffler - Photo

Chambers of commerce in Solon, Twinsburg and Aurora held a business-to-business show at Signature of Solon, featuring close to 100 exhibitors, free health screenings and areas for networking opportunities. Jen Williams, of Aurora, watched as Dan Hershman, of Bainbridge, spun the wheel at a booth.

Legal counsel hired for redevelopment talks

By MIKE KLIMKO

Solon officials hired special legal counsel last week to aid them with negotiating a development agreement with the Coral Co. for the SOM Centre shopping plaza.

Anthony Coyne is the lead attorney for the legal team provided by the firm Mansour, Gavin, Gerlack & Manos Co. City Council retained the firm to assist city Law Director David J. Matty on matters relating to the Coral project. Council approved a billing rate of $200 per hour for Mr. Coyne and three other attorneys and $85 per hour for two paralegals.

Mr. Coyne, a land-use attorney who is chairman of the Cleveland Planning Commission, attended last week's work session. He will work in partnership with Mr. Matty, Councilman Edward H. Kraus said.

"It's going to be a great asset in our negotiations with the Coral Co.," Councilman Lon D. Stolarsky said of the legal team. "Mr. Coyne's background and reputation are impeccable. I am looking forward to working with him."

The special counsel is very experienced, especially on projects involving tax-increment financing, and he has worked with the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Councilman John T. Scott said. "He will be working with our bond counsel. He has a lot of practical experience. He will be very valuable in helping us with our negotiations with the developer," Mr. Scott said.

"This can help us save money in the long run. You don't know what you don't know. This is not a reflection on Mr. Matty. We have to have someone who knows where the bodies are buried. We have to make sure we can protect the city, he said.

"We are at a crossroads. Depending on how the traffic comes out, this will be a boon to the city. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The economics will be looked at. On everything that is brought up to council, we will have an expert opinion."

The results of a pending traffic study and resolution of drainage issues are key factors in moving ahead with the project, Mr. Scott said. What has been proposed to deal with sanitary-sewer flow from the project is a "home run," he said.

Solon would realize an estimated $1 million in tap-in fees to connect the project to the existing sanitary sewers and an estimated $1.5 million in user fees, he said. Those estimates could eliminate the need to raise sewer rates, Mr. Scott said.

"It's still in the infant stage," Mr. Scott said of the project. "A lot of people are not paying attention. We don't have all the answers. I like a lot of the answers to the questions we're getting. There will be a lot more answers to come."

• Boosting business
  By Kristine Leffler - Photo
  
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• Connector road OK'd for new dealership
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