Government - http://maxpages.com/minnickward4/MASTER_PLAN_PART

An Open Letter
To The Citizens of North Ridgeville

This Master Plan study is the beginning of a new and continuing process. It presents a vision of what our community could be like if we would all work together to create it.

This report states publicly what the North Ridgeville Master Plan Committee senses to be the goals of the people of North Ridgeville, with proposals to help meet these goals. It represents new alternatives for the residents to consider. We believe that the plan leads North Ridgeville in a favorable direction.

What we need is to widen the community participation.

As a city, we need to examine these goals and strategy proposals - discuss them, change them, find new solutions and strategies - and finally to implement those projects, which in our collective judgment, are the most sound.

As a Committee, we stand behind the quality of the effort put into this large scale study which involved a considerable contribution of citizen time and effort. Each one of us believe deeply in the goals set forth, and although not everyone agrees with each and every solution, we are collectively committed to see that those which emerge from continued community discussion are acted upon.

We recommend this report to you - the people of North Ridgeville.

We ask you to:

1. Read it.
2. Talk about it with your neighbors, friends at work, in your civic or social groups.
3. Share your comments with the Master Plan Committee.
4. Work with others to bring into being the proposals you support.

Remember, the choices we make today will shape the community we share tomorrow.

CITY OF NORTH RIDGEVILLE MASTER PLAN RESOLUTION NO. 857-98

MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE

December 11, 1997
Ron Schwachenwald, Chairman
Robin Hrabik, Co-Chair

THE ADVISORY GROUP
Jeff Armbruster
Rick Miller
Mayor Deanna L. Hill
Ron Bauer

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Click Davis **
Chuck Robison
Bob Olesen
Thomas Sweeney
Daisie Reish
Mike Hosler
Brian L. Gevry
Matt Schilkowski

THE SCHOOLS/PARK & REC. COMMITTEE
Dr. Tom Rockwell
** Jim Spaulding
Molly Schmittgen
Fred Dorow
Dennis Boose
Beth Comnic
Karen Sigsworth
Tom Shaw
Dan Bing

HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
Thomas Sweeney
Bob Bunsey
Hal Bogner
David Bogner
Nancy Buescher
Ken Buescher
Tom Heyduk **
Rev. Judith Tisserand

THE ZONING COMMITTEE
David Gillock **
Dixie Mazur
Grant Comnic
Kendra Gevry
David L. Guilkey
Gil Cornish
Donald Vandrasik
Robin A. Hrabik

TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
Stewart Lovece **
Jerry W. Krueger
Warren W. Blakely
Scott Allen
Jean Brown
Robin Hrabik
Joe Sarnovsky
Thomas Sweeney

SEWER COMMITTEE
Rosemary Berg **
Ron Schwachenwald
Bill Comerford
Jim Johnson
Kathy Murphy

** denotes Committee Chairman

CITY COUNCIL

Daniel H. Zirzow, President
(elected term from 1-1-98 to 10-4-98)

Allen C. Swindig, President
(appointed President 10-5-98)

Dennis J. Boose, At-Large
(appointed term from 10-5-98 to 12-31-99)

Jean K. Brown, At-Large
(elected term from 1-1-98 to 12-31-99)

Gilbert V. Cornish, At-Large
(elected term from 1-1-98 to 12-31-99)

Jim Johnson, Ward I
(elected term from 1-1-98 to 12-31-99)

Allen C. Swindig, Ward II
(elected term from 1-1-98 to 12-31-99)

Dick Brent, Ward III
(elected term from 1-1-98 to 12-31-99)

Gail J. Minnick, Ward IV
(elected term from 1-1-98 to 12-31-99)
TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART ONE: PLANNING PROCESS

A. Why Plan
B. A New Way of Thinking and Working Together

PART TWO: A VISION FOR OUR FUTURE

PART THREE: PLANNING POLICY

A. Structural Policies of the Plan
B. Land Use Policies
1. Residential
2. Business
3. Industrial
4. Major Streets and Highways
5. Parks and Recreation

PART FOUR: PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

A. Land Use Guidance System
B. Capital Improvement Program

APPENDIX

A. Project Recommendations, A Citizen’s Planning Committee
B. Handouts and Working Papers
WHY PLAN?

North Ridgeville’s first Master Plan was prepared in the early 1970's. Since that time the city has experienced a 63.9 percent increase in growth and development calling for an update of the original plan. Essentially the character of the city has changed. It must be re-examined in light of the changing population and development patterns that have emerged since the original version of the plan.

The essential nature of North Ridgeville is different today. With the opening of the Ohio Turnpike/Interstate 480 and the State Route 10/U.S. 20 corridors between Cleveland and Lorain- Elyria, North Ridgeville has been drawn into the orbit of the metropolitan area. Maps of the Cleveland-Lorain-Elyria metropolitan area show the expanse of the suburban sprawl now encompassing North Ridgeville. Of the city’s 23.4 square miles, approximately 8.75 square miles or about 5,600 acres have been converted to urban use.

The remaining 14.6 square miles or 9,370 acres of second-growth woodlands and farms stand ready for oncoming growth and development. It's as if an imaginary boundary line existed along Avon Belden Road, separating the typical style subdivision development on the east side of the road, from the open fields and landscape nursery operations on the west side of the road. Some have felt that the growth over the last ten years will continue unabated, irrevocably changing the character of the city. Others are not necessarily concerned or convinced. Regardless of where one stands on the benefits and problems of urban sprawl, two facts are clear; North Ridgeville is undergoing significant change and this change presents both a challenge and an opportunity. It is anticipated that the city's population will reach 37,300 over the next 20 year period.
A New Way of Thinking and Working Together

To preserve contemporary human values, effectively guide growth, a citizen driven planning process was organized in 1994. The centerpiece of this process was a Master Plan Committee created by the Mayor of North Ridgeville. The Committee was charged with the goal of projecting a believable image of North Ridgeville as people would like it to be. This became a way of releasing the community's energies for work towards the mission. The community-wide image is built from a set of long range goals shared by the members of the committee and persons of the community and reflected on a plan describing the desired future by 2015. The 2015 long range plan was then used as the framework in defining a series of short range planning projects and initiatives to be carried out between now and 2015.

The Master Plan Committee intends to remain working with city officials, developers and neighborhood groups to accomplish the detail projects proposed on the plan.

Faced with the monumental changes that are certain even in the single decade ahead, we have two broad possibilities:

1. We can let development run its own course, eventually seeing our quality of life destroyed.

The destructive results of urban sprawl are unfortunately only too familiar: consuming 5,605 acres of land or 37.4 percent of the total land area; transforming a distinctive farming community into suburban subdivision and shopping center developments; the presence of hydric soil types declared by the U.S. Department of Soil Conservation Service as unfit for urban development; garish commercial strips; valuable open space destroyed; acre after acre of look alike houses on treeless lots; priceless landmarks subject to destruction; total dependency on the automotive traffic bottlenecks along narrow main roads that are not adequate to handle the increasing loads of traffic. The inevitable demand for more homes, more and better roads, more parks and recreational activities will cause heavy pressure to develop the remaining 9,300 acres of land.

2. Or, we can guide development in the direction of the goals we have consciously set for the city, improving our quality of life.

a) Preserve open space and farmland.
b) Preserve our historic resources.
c) Provide improved public service and utilities.
d) Strengthen the city.
e) Maintain a competitive economy.
f) Provide attractive residential areas.
g) Control public costs.
h) Provide improved streets to handle increased tragic volumes.
I) Develop a unique community identity.
j) Provide diversified recreational pursuits.

Urban sprawl has become a debatable term in recent years, however, probably as a part of the growing public disenchantment with the way growth is being managed in our communities. A public opinion survey, sampling eight (8) percent of the city's population, asked residents to share their opinions about the physical development of their community. Of the responses received, 59 percent favored more growth but with zoning controls.

Master Planning Goals

If we accept the fact that change is inevitable and that we can use the reality of change to create the kind of community we want, we must view the way the plan will help us achieve what we want. The plan will encourage:

1. New development to complement and build whole neighborhoods formed of hamlets and neighborhoods that have these essential qualities:

a) Respect the land and the natural systems that are dependent on it.
b) Protect areas particularly sensitive to encroachment such as drainage courses, woodlands and wetlands.
c) Provide different residential settings for different life styles.

2. Street improvements including:

a) The widening of selected main streets to handle increased volumes of traffic.
b) Street and railroad grade separations for the uninterrupted flow of traffic between the northern and southern sections of the city.

3. Retention and attraction of businesses and jobs.

4. Protection of the historical qualities of the original city.

5. Building the Westerly interceptor sewer line.

6. The creation of a town center at the intersection of Center Ridge Road and Avon Belden Road.

7. The adoption of regulations that save open lands and build developments with traditional town-like characteristics.

In all fairness, the work required to accomplish these goals cannot be shouldered entirely by our elected public officials, they need the support of the constituency. We must determine the character of North Ridgeville so that our fragile "sense of place" will not be overwhelmed by successive waves of conventional highway commercial strips and "cookie cutter" subdivision development. We must absorb the increase in population without destroying the natural landscape. To motivate our constituents to support the overall task we must project a believable image of North Ridgeville as our residents would like it to be and to work together to make it happen. The Plan provides the beginning framework for developing this image, outlining the policies and actions necessary for improving our quality of life.
PART TWO: A Vision for our Future

The City of North Ridgeville has been more active than many municipalities in zoning. Nevertheless, the traditional land use controls have not, in the past and today, made for less wasteful or less expensive use of the land. Developers are the real "planners" and in the past have not truly achieved community wide goals. Disagreement between the city and a developer can launch a flurry of negotiations and legal actions seldom serving the purposes of orderly, systematic community development.

Zoning was established to regulate land development for public health, safety and welfare. Originally, zoning was established to control elements such as building heights, lot sizes, yard requirements and the separation of housing, commercial and industrial areas. More recently, zoning has been considered as a tool to implement a city's Master Plan or a development policy. Few zoning ordinances are based on suitability of the land for the kinds of development that the ordinance encourages or permits. Urban sprawl will take the course of least resistance, producing mile after mile of monotonous, single use subdivisions, shopping centers and industrial parks dispersed across the landscape. Sprawl affects the will of the city to enhance its quality of life. Traditional zoning techniques only tend to undermine the community's effort to shape the city's growth according to our needs and desires.

Our vision advocates an alternative to sprawl: To create an ideal community by planning for our future.

The Comprehensive Master Plan presents a positive alternative to the continuation of sprawl development. The cornerstone of the plan encourages the development of self-contained residential neighborhoods on the remaining 5,600 acres of underdeveloped land. This open land has enormous potential, as a focal point and cornerstone, for shaping the future character of North Ridgeville. It is conceived that a series of linear commons should thread their way along natural features such as streams and wetlands, power lines or gas line easements offering opportunities for providing attractive settings between urban settlements across the city's landscape. Open space also acts as a buffer to filter storm water runoff flowing into ponds, lakes and drainage courses, and offer habitat settings for wildlife to dwell in and travel through. The open space network can best be used for walking/hiking, bicycle trails and cross country skiing as well. Golf courses, sporting complexes, playground and play field facilities within and between subdivisions creates an interconnected system of open spaces. Unless the city takes the initiative, it will become overlaid with “wall to wall” subdivisions and very little open spaces. The success of the plan hinges on the city’s willingness to use the plan in approving developments and on the residents’ support of the city’s effort to manage growth.
LAND USE ABSORPTION PATTERNS
By The Year 2015
City of North Ridgeville, Ohio

Land Use Type Total Acres Percent
of Total

Residential 10,232.0 85.1%
Business 318.5 2.6
Industrial 330.1 2.8
Public & Quasi-Public 1,133.0 9.4

Total Consumption 12,013.6 100.0

Open Space 2,962.4
Total of All Land 14,976.0

Total Population (a) 37,300
Total Dwelling Units 12,520

Notes to Table
(a) Ultimate population: Total potential dwelling units x 2.98 persons per dwelling unit.
(b) Total number of dwelling units includes the total number of existing dwelling units + vacant platted lots + the potential number of dwelling units that could be expected on the 9,370 acres of undeveloped land at the proposed densities.

Zoning and subdivision authority already exists to implement the goals of a managed growth plan. The present zoning and subdivision regulations should be amended to incorporate "planned development" techniques showing the parts of the city where new developments should be "clustered" and where development should be avoided. The recommended policies reflect the city's development objectives. They are used as a guide in arriving at consistent and rational decisions in the use and development of land. In North Ridgeville, the policies are viewed as statements of the desired directions in which the city should move in order to achieve the goals of the plan.

Framework for Growth and Conservation

The Master Plan provides a framework for guiding growth in North Ridgeville. The symbols and color tones on the plan denote five distinct areas: residential, business, industrial, open space and planned development districts. Growth within the five areas is intended to be restricted to protect and enhance the character of each area. Future anticipated development on the west side of Avon Belden Road is predicated on the completion of the Westerly Sewer Project. Areas designated for open space or low density residential development within the Westerly Sewer service area are least appropriate for development and must be protected from intense growth pressures. The plan also includes a written description of proposed improvements for the widening and realignment of selected local and major streets. Grade separation improvement proposals with the railroad tracks are also noted on the plan. Among other purposes, the Master Plan is intended to be used as a guide in the acquisition of appropriate sites that provide adequate space at desired locations, for neighborhood parks and schools.

The Master Plan includes a series of goals and objectives that, if followed by City Council, Planning Commission, citizens, businesses, builders and developers will preserve the fragile parts of the natural environment while accommodating new growth and development in a desirable way.

Residential Areas

Residential areas are established to encourage a variety of lot sizes and housing types that will improve the character of overall development of North Ridgeville. The contrast between open or wooded areas, residential developments and town-like residential and shopping development should be preserved.

It is anticipated from the housing densities illustrated on the plan that an additional 15,736 persons, or a population of 37,300 people will be living in North Ridgeville by 2015. Most of this new development will occur in the southern and western parts of the city.

1. Low Density Residential Areas

The low-density residential areas provide for homes of larger than average size to afford the optimum in privacy and seclusion attainable, considering the provision of urban utility service. Four major areas within the city are proposed for low density residential development ranging from 1.78 to 2.40 dwelling units per acre:

a) The land located in the extreme northwestern corner of the city, in the vicinity of Otten and Burns Roads.

b) The area in the extreme northeastern corner of the city, along both sides of Center Ridge Road, east of Barton Road.

c) The acreage generally located south of Sugar Ridge Road, in the southwest quadrant.

d) The land fronting on both sides of Chestnut Ridge Road and the State Route 10/US. 20 right-of-way, and between Avon Belden Road and Root Road.

The density of development does not seem to be so restrictive that it would prevent these areas from being developed for residential purposes. The proposed densities offer the possibility of using land areas that otherwise may present difficulties for development because of unusual development limitations. The areas west of Avon Belden Road are served by surface watercourses that are subject to flooding. The fragile pieces of the landscape will be preserved by encouraging cluster and open space development designed in concert with the development policies adopted by the city. By retaining stretches of open fields and stands of trees, relief is offered to receiving streams and drainage courses during periods of heavy surface water runoff, and much needed variations in residential lot sizes are achieved providing relief in level land areas.

2. Medium Density Residential Areas

The land areas west of State Route 83 and north of Center Ridge Road are planned to be developed at a density of 2.40 to 3.24 dwelling units per gross acre with public centralized sewer and water systems. Most of this undeveloped land is already platted into larger size parcels generally ranging from 100 feet or more in width and 200 to 500 feet or more in depth. It is very likely that these long narrow, yet large shaped parcels which are owned by more than one person can

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