Brecksville‑Broadview Heights outlines multi‑phase campus master plan; Phase 2 driveway budgeted at $2.4 million

The Brecksville‑Broadview Heights City Board of Education reviewed a multi‑phase campus master plan at a special meeting April 14 that is intended to reconfigure vehicle access, expand bus circulation, and add athletic and pedestrian amenities in successive phases. District staff said Phase 2, the primary campus driveway and a mini‑roundabout, is budgeted at about $2.4 million; staff presented higher‑cost alternatives for later phases that would require bond financing or private funding.

“The whole purpose of the campus master plan was… the city was asking for us to figure out what we were gonna do with our campus, so that traffic on Mill Road could be alleviated some,” Jeff (staff member) said, explaining the project’s origin in a city traffic study. Staff said Phase 1 — demolition of the Hilton building — is complete and the master plan begins with Phase 2, which would construct a new driveway with a small roundabout, an 18‑foot LED light‑pole scheme (expanded from the original 28‑foot proposal), and underground stormwater chambers designed to meet EPA standards.

Phase 3 would create a bus‑only entrance on the west side of the middle school to separate bus traffic from parent drop‑off and reconfigure curbside loading; Phase 4 would add turf baseball and softball fields, stands and support facilities; Phase 5 would include a competition turf field and expanded stadium seating; Phase 6 is an expanded stadium/field‑house concept presented as optional items; and Phase 7 addresses the middle‑school building footprint and potential renovation. Staff said community feedback during a steering‑committee process opposed building a new junior high and favored refreshing the existing middle‑school building rather than a full rebuild.

Staff presented ballpark costs and potential financing scenarios. The base campus master plan for phases 3–5 was estimated at $35.5 million; adding a full stadium increased the conceptual total to about $55 million; an “enhanced” option with optional buildings and expanded seating rose into the low hundreds of millions. Staff offered illustrative bond math: a roughly $35.5 million issuance over 25 years would translate to about 1.5 mills of additional levy burden; the $55 million scenario would be about 2.4 mills over 25 years (or lower mills if amortized over a longer term).

Design details discussed included a bus‑accessible roundabout with a mountable center for emergency vehicles, landscape screening (evergreens) to reduce headlight glare for nearby Chippewa Hills HOA homes, dimmable LED lighting and shields on the HOA side of poles, and pedestrian sidewalk connections that will be extended in later phases. Benke, the landscape architect, proposed mixed evergreen screening while staff described ongoing meetings with the HOA and a planning commission preliminary review expected to return for final approval in May.

Staff emphasized that many Phase‑6 items (field house, expanded press box, larger grandstand) could be delivered through private fundraising or staged over many years. Board members asked about sequencing and voter appetite: some members urged securing operational funding first given state budget uncertainty; others said there was community interest in the athletic and access improvements. Staff proposed reconvening the steering committee, continued community outreach via coffee chats and a possible public town hall in August, and said May 2026 remains a potential ballot window if the board and the community elect to proceed and depending on the state budget and statutory timelines.

Why it matters: the plan would change traffic patterns on Mill Road, route buses away from parent drop‑off, add fields and stadium capacity, and require multi‑million‑dollar investments that could be paid by bonds and new millage — a political and financial decision for voters.

Next steps: staff will continue design and permitting for Phase 2 and pursue preliminary approvals with the city and planning commission; the district will reconvene the campus steering committee and expand community outreach before any decision to place a bond or levy before voters.