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Wadsworth resident urges Medina County to deny annexation over well, flooding and road concerns
Summary
A Sunnyside Township resident told the Medina County commissioners he and neighbors oppose a proposed annexation and townhouse development in Wadsworth, raising concerns about private wells, flooding, township road damage and traffic; he requested the developer post a $3 million, 10-year bond.
Mark Zelaya of Wadsworth told the Medina County commissioners during the public-comment period that he and other Sunnyside Township residents oppose a proposed annexation and townhouse development of 17 acres in Wadsworth.
Zelaya said the proposal, which he described as 36 townhouse units on 17 acres, was discussed by Wadsworth City Council on Feb. 18 and drew about 50 residents to that city meeting. He said the proposed development directly affects about 50 Sunnyside Township households that are either adjacent to the site or within the local aquifer area and that the developer did not indicate an environmental-impact study would be completed.
"I'm not against development, but I am against the wrong development in the wrong place," Zelaya said, adding that his well is about 40 yards from the proposed development. He told the commissioners he expects the development to "contaminate the quality and deteriorate the water levels" of private wells in the area and said city water is not directly accessible to the affected properties.
Zelaya asked the county to require the developer to post a 10-year bond of $3,000,000 to cover costs he listed if wells are compromised; he described possible costs including bottled water, in-home filtration, surveying, excavation, road repair and infrastructure hookups. He also said heavy construction and the removal of roughly 10 acres of water-retaining land for impervious surfaces would increase runoff and cause repeated flooding that could damage township roads. Zelaya stated one-inch rain on 10 acres would produce "271,000 gallons of water" and said tributaries could not handle the additional volume.
Zelaya also raised density and traffic concerns, saying the project's vehicle traffic would increase by "an additional 200 vehicles" and that the development would introduce "limited and dangerous sight lines" at the Hartman Road access. He told the commissioners the development would decrease property values and said township residents had not been adequately considered.
Commissioners thanked Zelaya for the information and noted the annexation will come to the county at a later point; no vote or action was taken during the meeting on the annexation. Zelaya's remarks were recorded during the public-comment portion of the meeting.
