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Developers win variance for Grovewood Lane cul-de-sac at Hawks Ridge subdivision
Summary
After a presentation from the developer, Medina County commissioners approved a variance allowing a 35-foot cul-de-sac radius on Grovewood Lane at the planned 255-unit Hawks Ridge subdivision, following township and fire department review and an agreement to dedicate 311 feet of right-of-way.
Jeremy Craig, a representative of the Hawks Ridge development team, told the Medina County Board of Commissioners that the project — a 255-unit residential subdivision at the northwest corner of Route 3 and Route 162 — requires a permanent turnaround solution for the end of Grovewood Lane.
"We're working on the project, Hawks Ridge, which is on the Northwest Corner of Route 3 And 162. It's a 255 unit, residential subdivision," Craig said during public comment, describing why a standard cul-de-sac could not be built without taking significant driveway area from an existing home and crossing environmentally sensitive land near the headwaters of McCabe Creek.
County staff and the developer said they examined multiple options, including moving the turnaround, constructing a full-size 50-foot radius cul-de-sac, and creating a turnaround on a county park district parcel. Township trustees and the local fire chief reviewed simulations of a reduced-radius design and supported a substandard 35-foot radius cul-de-sac as ‘‘better than their current situation,’’ according to the developer.
The commissioners approved a resolution granting a variance to the county engineering standards allowing a 35-foot radius cul-de-sac at Grovewood Lane. The motion to approve the county engineer’s three resolutions — including the cul-de-sac variance — passed on roll call (Commissioner Sweatick: yes; Commissioner Harrison: yes).
The developer said the proposed turnaround can be built largely within the public right-of-way except for about 311 feet that the developer proposes to dedicate to the county. In exchange, the developer said it will extend an existing trail on Waterbury Lane to connect to future commercial development on Route 3; the developer described this as a ‘‘win-win’’ with the Park District. The existing temporary turnaround that currently sits in the front yard of an adjacent home would be removed; the developer said the plat language for Bennington Point Subdivision provides that the easement will be extinguished on completion of the street.
Discussion during the meeting noted the county’s largest fire engine is just under 35 feet, and the proposed radius was checked using engineering turn-simulation software to confirm maneuvers would be feasible. Commissioners and staff discussed curb details and the potential for sloped curb or a two-point turnaround to accommodate occasional larger vehicles.
The approval authorizes the variance only; construction, right-of-way dedication and final engineering remain subject to the developer’s agreements with the township, the Park District and any required permits.
