Aldi site plan approved, but Oberlin Crossing scaled back

OBERLIN — An Aldi grocery store is planned for the proposed Oberlin Crossing shopping center on the northeast corner of state Route 58 and U.S. Route 20 — but the project doesn't it look much like it did two years ago. "Coming soon" signs disappeared long ago from the intersection. In late 2019, Carnegie Management and Development had announced plans to sink $10 million to $15 million into 120,000 square feet of new shopping space, and the city rezoned 28 acres to make it happen. Then COVID-19 struck. "Unfortunately, the pandemic hit and our world went upside down," Executive Vice President George Papandreas told the Oberlin Planning Commission on Wednesday evening. The company doesn't see that original, expansive plan happening now — instead, it's moving ahead with a project Papandreas said he believes the market will support. The proposed Aldi will have 19,055 square feet of floor space and sit on 3.4 acres. Carnegie representatives described it Wednesday as "the first phase" of Oberlin Crossing, but said right now there are no other tenants locked in. The site will include 96 parking spaces. Following a traffic study, the Ohio Department of Transportation is requiring Carnegie to create northbound and southbound turn lanes from Route 58 into the shopping center. There will be no entrance or exit on U.S. Route 20. The traffic study was conducted during peak hours in March and May, and estimates Oberlin Crossing would generate a little more than 2,500 more trips to the area each weekday. Carnegie also has informed the city of its intention to ask for a speed limit reduction to 35 mph in front of the store. Planning Commission Chair Bryan Burgess noted the inclusion of Route 58 sidewalks in Carnegie's design. He asked the company to consider tweaks to the site plan to accommodate a bike path and additional walkways the city plans to install in 2022. "I would anticipate quite a lot of pedestrian bicycle access to the site," Burgess said — as it is, many people walk down the highway in the berm, he said. On site, there will be bicycle parking available. Consultant Jessica Leiter said Aldi also plans to include four dedicated parking spots for curbside pickup. Leiter said Aldi is also open to installing electric car charging stations in the parking lot. That's not an on-the-books requirement, said Burgess — adding "yet" — but "you'd be ahead of the curve" to include it in plans, he told Leiter. The Planning Commission made a number of other requests of the developer. For example, member William Miller asked about outside lighting colors and upward dispersion, saying there is an observatory at Oberlin College and if possible the skies should be kept dark. Leiter said there are some sconces that will project decorative light onto the side of Aldi, but they are not strong enough to light up the sky. City code does require light poles to be shortened from 25 feet to 16 feet within 200 feet of a state highway. A few residents spoke on the Aldi proposal, taking different sides. Penny Maroldo, who lives on the north side of town, asked city officials to approve the project "and get us an Aldi as soon as possible." Eliza Weidenbaum disagreed, saying Aldi should renovate the former Eastwood Elementary School and avoid new construction that would damage the environment. "We can meet our needs without paving over more land," she said. "When we are wise, we know how to stop ourselves, cut our losses and do the course correction that we know we need to do." Site plan approval was granted in a unanimous vote. That means construction is likely to begin in the first quarter of 2022, according to architect Kyle Davis. Now the search continues for additional tenants. Carnegie representatives said they hope having Aldi as an anchor will be a catalyst for other businesses to sign on the dotted line. Papandreas said there is a concept in mind for the rest of the land, based on interest shown by one prospective tenant — but that's not a sure deal. "We've been pushing as hard as we can. It's just a really tough one right now," he said. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.