Elyria approves rezoning for 92-unit housing development

A planned 92-unit housing development could be coming to southwest Elyria after City Council voted Monday to grant a rezoning request from the developer. Builders and Developers, a development company based in Columbia Township, had requested the rezoning for a-9.6 acre parcel that connects to West Ridge Road and Brunswick Road just north of their intersection. The land is currently mixed between low-density and high-density multihousehold zoning districts, and the request approved by Council on Monday will rezone it to be entirely residential multihousehold high density district. Robert Beran of Builders and Developers presented the basics of the planned project to City Council during a public hearing at the beginning of its meeting Monday. Beran said that the rezoning would enable the company to build a 23-building development with four housing units in each building. This would add up to 92 units, each with a private entrance. There will be one entrance into the development off of West Ridge Road and one off of Brunswick Road. Beran added that the project would include one detention pond that he said would be able to handle all stormwater runoff. The roads within the development will also be privately owned, Beran said, meaning the city would not be responsible for plowing or maintaining them. Councilwoman Mary Siwierka, D-3rd Ward, said that she had received complaints from residents about developments in the city with private streets not having adequate lighting on their streets or parking areas. Beran said that the development plans included streetlights. The public hearing also included a period for opponents of the project to speak up, but no neighbors or residents spoke when the floor was opened. After the public hearing was concluded, Council voted unanimously to approve the rezoning request. If Builders and Developers moves forward with the project, it will be the third development by the company in west Elyria. The company built and manages the Marsh Landing subdivision off of Murray Ridge Road and is at work building the River Run Landing development at River Run Drive and Middle Avenue. River Run will be a 38-acre development with 130 single family homes. Builders and Developers is also working on the Orchard Meadows development in Elyria Township on the site of the former Nagy Orchard property, a project that drew ire from township residents but is moving forward to bring 117 single-family units to the 51-acre property. Another development project is underway very close by the company's proposed development on West Ridge Road. The Dale Yost Construction Company is in the process of building its 50-unit "Juniper Ridge" subdivision, which will also connect to both West Ridge and Brunswick roads, but will be at the south corner of the intersection. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.