Twinsburgbulletin.com - Township residents want retail project to move forward

by Andre Clayton

Reporter

Twinsburg Township -- Residents hope the township doesn't "lose" a proposed $100 million retail development and all its potential income tax dollars to the city.

That's what some residents told the zoning commission and project developer B&G Sons at an April 7 public hearing.

The hearing was to "try to get a feel of what the residents want" out of the planned 803,731-square-foot retail development east of Hadden Road and south of Interstate 480, said zoning commission Chairperson Dan Richner. The project is planned for 90 acres of land in both the city and township.

Eaton Street resident Christa Hill said she was concerned with land control.

"I want the township to maintain control of the ... property, so we can dictate what goes on the land," she said.

Making sure the township maintained control over the land was not a factor for the Rev. William Smith, a Twinsburg Heights resident.

"I would like to see something state-of-the-art," he said.

Smith said he did not want the project to be "lost to the city like the Twinsburg Chrysler Stamping Plant."

"Chrysler was going to be built in the township, but somehow it got built in the city," he said.

Heights resident Readie Shelton agreed.

"I know what happened to Chrysler, I don't want the city to have the [retail] project," Shelton said.

According to Larry Finch, who is the city's director of planning and community development, the Chrysler plant was built in Twinsburg in 1956 because it needed access to water and sewer lines that it couldn't get in the township.

Project planner George Smerigan assured the audience that the township and the city will share the revenue generated by the proposed retail development.

"Our intent is to establish a joint economic development district to allow the city and the township to benefit," Smerigan said. "Currently the township can't levy income taxes, but a JEDD can."

Smerigan estimated the city and township would bring in a total of $570,200 a year from income taxes generated by the proposed retail development.

It was not yet known how that revenue may be divided between the two entities.

The zoning commission voted to have another public hearing April 21.

On April 17, Smerigan and township planning consultant Rob Kagler will meet with the zoning commission to discuss details of their proposals for updating the 2003 zoning ordinance, which governs the township property on which the development is planned.

The results from the April 17 meeting will be shared with the public at the April 21 public hearing, even though the public is welcome to attend the April 17 meeting, according to Richner.

Residents like Smith said they agreed with the zoning commission's decision to hold another public hearing.

"Meet with them [the developers] and then get back to us," Smith said.

E-mail: aclayton@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3172