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Route 8 study moves forward JEDD board, county contribute $20,000 each

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January 30, 2008

by Jeff Saunders

Reporter

North Summit County -- With $40,000 in financing in place, Summit County and two area communities are set to commission a study to determine with the most economically and environmentally friendly plans for more than 900 acres on the east side of Route 8.

The Macedonia and Northfield Center JEDD Board on Jan. 23 unanimously approved $20,000 to pay for the study of the property, which includes 66 acres in the township that lies within the Joint Economic Development District.

City Finance Director Steve Brunot, who is also the JEDD's fiscal officer, said an additional $20,000 is being paid for by Summit County through the Summit County Port Authority.

"At this point, we're fully funded," said Brunot.

Brunot also serves as a member of the Route 8 Corridor Working Group, a committee which includes representatives from the county's department of development, the port authority and the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce. The group's charged with planning and commissioning the study.

Brunot said two firms are in the running and one is expected to be hired the week of Jan. 28. The study is expected to be completed by the end of March.

Brunot said the study area is bordered by Highland Road to the north and Hines Hill Road to the south. According to an outline of the study proposal developed by the group, the study will include 270 acres in Macedonia south of Highland, 337 acres in Northfield Center on the north and south sides of Twinsburg Road and 311 acres in Boston Heights south of the village's boundary with the township. About 169 acres of the total 918 acres is developed.

Boston Heights is not being asked to contribute to the study, but the JEDD board requested in December that the village property be included because members felt development there could impact the property to the north. Macedonia Mayor Don Kuchta, who chairs the JEDD board, said that because of this, it is not fair to ask the village to contribute.

"It's our responsibility," he said.

The possibility of performing a study was first raised by Kuchta when he announced in September that he was suspending his support for a proposed soccer stadium and retail development on the city and township's portion. Environmental concerns about the project were raised in an August letter sent to the city by John Debo, superintendent of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Debo wrote that if the land is not developed properly, including the preservation of wetlands, it could aggravate flooding issues downstream in the park. Northfield Center Trustee Brent Sommer, a member of the JEDD board, said the township also has an interest in the study because of this.

"This is all upstream from us, so it's very important what happens up there," he said.

Township Trustee Paul Buescher said he believes the study will find that the stadium will not be environmentally feasible for the property.

"I think the study will show just how vulnerable that area is," said Buescher.

Paul Garofolo, president of Wolstein Sports and Entertainment Group, the stadium's developer, did not return calls seeking comment. Immediately after Kuchta's September announcement, he said a wetlands study had been done and about 100 acres would not be developed as a result. Garofolo said economic and traffic studies had also been completed and he felt confident that the study Kuchta proposed would support the project.

Then again, "We could have nothing there. It could all be parks," Kuchta said.

E-mail: jsaunders@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3169




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