Minutes of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission/Solid Waste Policy Committee
May 12, 2004
ATTENDANCE
Attachment A lists the attendance at this meeting, at which the following matters were
discussed.
MINUTES
Mayor Longo called the meeting to order.
On a motion by Mayor Hruby, seconded by Mayor Patton, the minutes of the April 14, 2004, meeting were approved.
RESOLUTIONS
On a motion by Mayor Blomquist, seconded by Mayor Hruby, Resolution A, the hiring of Kristin
Hopkins as a Principal Planner, was unanimously approved.
Mayor Longo announced that Mayor Rawson had arrived and she concurred with the votes on the minutes and Resolution A.
On a motion by Mayor Blomquist, seconded by Mayor Hruby, Resolution B and C accepting $75,000 grants from the St. Luke's Foundation and the St. Ann Foundation were unanimously approved.
Resolution D, the Olmsted Township Rezoning No. R-03 was presented by Ms. Carol Thaler.
Ms. Thaler explained that the staff had introduced this resolution to the Planning Commission at the April meeting and that the CPC had tabled the resolution until the July meeting so that the City of Olmsted Falls and the Olmsted Township Trustees could have more time to discuss the rezoning. Ms. Thaler indicated that Mr. Ted Fink, the recently elected Olmsted Township Trustee, and Ms. Joyce Dodrill from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's office were in attendance.
Mayor Longo noted the arrival of Commissioner Jones. Commissioner Jones concurred with the votes on the minutes and Resolutions A through C and began to chair the meeting.
Ms. Thaler reported that the CPC staff met with the Township trustees and discussed the Township's zoning procedures and the role of the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) and its authority to grant zoning variances.
Ms. Thaler reported that the CPC staff is recommending approval of the rezoning which is the same recommendation the staff made at the April 12th meeting. She reported that this recommendation is made with the knowledge that the BZA allowed the rezoning to occur even though the land was being rezoned smaller than what the zoning code allows. She stated that the recommendation is based on the fact that the Olmsted Township Comprehensive Plan recommended the type of development in this area that the developer is proposing and because there are similar densities adjacent to the proposed development.
Commissioner Jones asked for questions.
Mr. Klaiber noted that his office has seen the preliminary plan for this development and stated his office had two concerns which he has raised with the Trustees. The first concern was that his office had guidelines that required a 1,000 foot distance between access points on Sprague Road and putting in an access road for this development may violate the guidelines. His second concern was about the short length of the cul-de-sac. Mr. Klaiber stated that his office is working with Forest City on this issue.
Commissioner Jones asked Mr. Klaiber if any of these issues gave him cause and should the CPC take this into consideration?
Mr. Klaiber stated that he had no problems with the rezoning and that he just wanted to get his office's concerns on the record.
Mayor Blomquist thanked the CPC staff for its work and stated that he could see how the staff could agree to the rezoning. He stated that his concern continued to be with the process and the fact that the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) grants final approval to the Township Zoning Commission and the Trustees but that the BZA had the authority to decide on a variance.
Mayor Blomquist continued by saying that the Township's master plan vision is to keep the community's rural character and retain open space. He asked why the zoning requirement of a 100-acre minimum, which will take up more open space, was approved in favor of a development that will reduce the minimum to 22 acres.
Mayor Blomquist stated that the Township does not have sufficient language in its zoning code to enact the visions as defined in its comprehensive plan which defines open space as areas retaining their natural features such as rock croppings and natural steams, etc. He noted that the open space in this project is under a CEI easement and because the Township zoning code doesn't speak to the quality of what should be open space that the zoning code allows retention basins and similar types of parcels to be considered as open space.
Commissioner Jones asked if there were any other comments.
Mayor Rawson stated that if the residents could rethink their comprehensive plan they may put more restrictions on the planned residential development. She asked what the best time would be to have this debate about overall maximum density.
Mayor Blomquist stated that the Trustees should have a process that allows them to implement the vision of the comprehensive plan not the BZA.
Mayor Rawson asked Mayor Blomquist if what he was saying was that the Trustees should have had the discussion about the vision before it come to the CPC? She asked what is the purpose of the CPC's recommendation if we are not going to insist that the Township look at their overall vision?
Mr. Alsenas stated that CPC is going to start work on the first update of the master plan next month.
Mayor Rawson asked if the CPC could look at the rezoning question after the Trustees update the master plan and if so, why do we have to act now?
Mr. Alsenas asked Ms. Dodrill to address the Mayor's question.
Ms. Dodrill explained that the CPC is required by statute to approve, deny, or approve some modification of this request. She stated that in the past the CPC could ignore the issue, but now the CPC has an obligation to take one of these actions. To Mayor Rawson's question, Ms. Dodrill stated that the CPC has a statutory obligation to respond within a certain time period and that it would not be appropriate for the CPC to table this issue until such time as the Township were to change its comprehensive plan.
Mr. Alsenas explained that although it was unusual to grant a variance to a zoning that had not yet been granted, an issue that must be addressed by the Trustees, the staff's recommendation is based on the fact that the BZA had granted a variance.
Mayor Longo asked Ms. Dodrill whether the Trustees could change our approval?
Ms. Dodrill explained that the Trustees are not legally bound by the recommendation and could ignore the CPC's recommendation. The CPC's recommendation goes back to the Township's Zoning Commission for a public hearing. Ms. Dodrill stated that the Trustees can completely ignore the CPC's recommendation without any legal repercussions.
When asked for a recommendation by his colleagues, Mayor Blomquist replied that the result of the rezoning will be a sliver of land between Olmsted Falls and the Township that is not consistent with either community in terms of their smaller lot sizes, different setbacks and houses closer together.
Mayor Hruby made a motion, seconded by Mayor Longo, to disapprove the rezoning. This was unanimously agreed to by the CPC.
SOLID WASTE POLICY COMMITTEE
Commissioner Jones convened the CPC as the Solid Waste Policy Committee.
Mr. Holland announced that the District staff was making a recommendation through Resolution No. 040512-E to select GT Environmental Team as the consultant to assist in the update of the solid waste plan. Mr. Holland reported that out of the five proposals received in response to the District's Request for Proposal (RFP) that the GT Environmental team had the best proposal and price and met 35% of the Board of County Commissioner's Small Business Enterprise requirements.
Mr. Holland thanked Mr. Licate and Mayor Patton for assisting the District staff in the selection process and recommended that the Policy Committee approve the resolution to award the Solid Waste District consulting contract to the GT Environmental Team.
On a motion by Mayor Longo, seconded by Mayor Rawson, the Solid Waste Policy Committee unanimously approved Resolution No. 040512-E.
Mr. Holland announced that the District had issued an RFP for a processor for the paper marketing cooperative and from the four proposals received had selected Caraustar Recycling. The company can offer a fixed price, which is approximately double the price that communities are receiving today. Mr. Holland that reported that the communities that had dropped out of the cooperative did so because of privatization of trash collection and the processing of recyclables.
Mr. Holland reported on the District's first Trash Oscar Awards. In addition he stated that at the April 14th computer round up, 108 tons of computers had been collected. Mr. Holland reported that the communities that participated brought in a total of 76 tons of computer equipment and that the balance was brought in by private individuals.
Commissioner Jones asked what the overall growth rate of the computer roundup has been over the past four years? Mr. Holland responded that he would provide that information to the Commissioner.
COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL ISSUES
Commissioner Jones reconvened the Planning Commission.
Elder-Friendly Initiative
Mr. Alsenas gave a presentation on the Elder-Friendly Communities project and asked the CPC
members for advice in designing the community process.
Mr. Alsenas explained that the Cleveland Foundation will take the assessment tool developed by the CPC staff and issue an RFP for Cuyahoga municipalities and City of Cleveland neighborhoods to submit proposals to test the tool and assess the process.
The selected communities will have to appoint or hire a coordinator, establish a committee that mirrors the community, complete the assessment tool, write a report on the findings and develop a 5-year capital plan to become more elder-friendly.
As part of the assessment tool, Mr. Alsenas said that the staff envisioned that the participants at the municipal level would be the mayor, their administration, the council, the coordinator, the task force and possibly others.
Mr. Alsenas asked the CPC members a series of questions: Who should be the coordinator - should it be someone who works for the mayor, the community's senior coordinator, or a new hire? Should the coordinator instead be a facilitator who can drive the process and make sure that the whole community is involved? What types of qualifications or experience should this person have? Should the mayor establish the task force or in partnership with the council? Whom should the facilitator report to? Who else should be part of this process? What should be the composition of the task force? Should it reflect the community?
Mr. Ronayne suggested that if project included people 60 years and older that the issue of secondary employment should be included in the assessment tool.
Mayor Longo stated that the seniors who are currently using the senior centers are 75 and 80 years older and they look at retirement differently than those that are retiring now. The new groups of retirees expect to live longer and have a different set of circumstances and interests. Therefore, communities will have to figure out what problems, concerns and interests that the new retirees will have and determine what services they will need and want.
Mayor Rawson stated that each community is going to be very different but thinks the mayor should be the person to appoint this task force and have the community's planning department be the lead. She stated that any decision made in one area would affect the delivery of services to another group. She thought that there is a huge bias about "aging in place," a concept being promoted which has seniors staying in their homes seven or eight years longer. She stated that this concept is not a good idea because older seniors get isolated and the community then finds it hard to check up on them. In addition, the houses deteriorate, which affects everyone. She indicated that not all seniors will be interested in reinvesting in their homes and if a whole system is set up to keep them in their homes we may be just hurting the suburbs.
Mayor Rawson suggested that because of the intense amount of time, effort and support that would be needed that the communities should hire a consultant who could provide a much broader perspective to the process.
Mayor Hruby stated that he agreed with Mayor Rawson about the mayor's responsibility. He stated that Brecksville, like all other communities, has a senior advisory board that consists of residents. He suggested that the community be given a manual to explain the process in general but leave it up to the community to find the resources that they have because each community has their own uniqueness. He also stated that Brecksville did away with the word "senior" because somebody who is 50 years old may need the services we provide, while a 70-year old can be very independent.
Mr. Alsenas stated that the Cleveland Foundation and the CPC have thought about the "label" issue because persons more than 60 years old don't want to be called senior or elder or older adult. This is a big marketing issue.
Mr. Ronayne stated that the City of Cleveland has hard time providing assisted senior housing because it has tremendous land assembly challenges to provide enough land for these centers. He fears that the City will lose this type of housing to other communities because it can't be provided in the City.
Mayor Rawson stated that it is more than just choice - she asked what is the incentive to induce developers to put up the next generation of exciting centralized senior-friendly housing?
Commissioner Jones stated that he hoped that the communities that are selected are given a manual of data and research on the trends of older adults. He stated that it would help the project If everybody involved in the process worked from the same body of knowledge.
Mr. Alsenas stated that the CPC may make a recommendation that communities partner with educational institutions or with a neighboring community or communities. He stated that the Qualities Communities Partnership, a council of government which includes six communities in the southwest region of the county is considering submitting a joint proposal.
Cuyahoga Valley Initiative
Mr. Alsenas reported that the CVI staff is being invited by many groups to speak about the
Initiative and are requesting requests for tours. Mr. Alsenas reported that he will taking
the publisher, editor, the editorial director and other executives from the Plain Dealer staff
on a tour of the Valley.
ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Jones announced that the next meeting of the CPC would be held on July 14, 2004, at 1:30 p.m. On a motion by Mayor Hruby, and seconded by Mayor Longo, the meeting was adjourned.
Attachment A
Cuyahoga County Planning Commission/Solid Waste Policy Committee
MAY 12, 2004 ATTENDANCE RECORD
| Member | Present |
|---|---|
| Mayor Robert Blomquist | Yes |
| Commissioner Jimmy Dimora | Yes - represented by Mr. Pat Smock |
| Mayor Jerry Hruby | Yes |
| Commissioner Peter Jones | Yes |
| Mr. Jack Licate | Yes |
| Mayor Thomas Longo | Yes |
| Commissioner Tim McCormack | Yes - represented by Mr. Nolan |
| Mayor Kenneth Patton | Yes |
| Mayor Judith Rawson | Yes |
| Mr. Chris Ronayne for Mayor Campbell | Yes |
| Others: Paul Alsenas, Joyce Dodrill, Patrick Holland, Carol Thaler | |
