Planning commission recommends Pulte amendment for Ridgefield with conditions after resident objections

The North Ridgeville Regional Planning Commission on Dec. 9 recommended approval of an amended preliminary plan for the Ridgefield subdivision, the commission’s chair said, after weeks of staff review and more than an hour of public comment.

The approval, carried 4–1, applies to phases 19 and 20 and was made subject to conditions including that the Bagley and Gatestone intersection be improved to meet warranted recommendations, that the commission grant requested waivers for a reduced road radius, a slightly extended cul‑de‑sac length and a modified cluster‑to‑single‑family setback around the model park, and that administration review sublot 873 to ensure no additional waivers are required.

Planning and Development Director Lieber told the commission the amended plan consolidates decades of incremental changes to the original 1994 Ridgefield approval and that, as proposed by the applicant, the entire subdivision would comply with zoning metrics at full buildout. He summarized staff findings that the proposal increases total open space to roughly 159 acres (about 30% of the site) and that overall density would be about 1.87 units per acre — below the code maximum of 2.3.

Pulte Homes’ presentation said the developer intends a total community buildout of around 980 units (559 single‑family and 421 cluster units), that roughly five new wet retention ponds will be installed and oversized for slow release, and that the delineation of wetlands on the property has been affirmed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "We have gotten affirmation at this point from the Army Corps of Engineers who have acknowledged and accepted our delineation map exactly as it's represented here this evening," the presenter said.

Residents who spoke during public comment pressed for more buffering, voiced worry about two‑story homes overlooking existing ranch properties, and asked whether increased maintenance or HOA dues would follow from added retention basins and landscaping. Debbie Gillette of Long Brook Drive asked, "How much we expect our fees to be going up in the future because I know basins are not cheap to care for?" Pulte representatives replied that the company typically pays a one‑time capital contribution at closing to the HOA to bolster operating and reserve accounts and that stormwater will be handled by engineered solutions reviewed by the city engineer.

City engineering staff flagged outstanding technical work: a jurisdictional wetland delineation confirmation and any required 401/404 permits, a comprehensive stormwater management report and interconnected hydraulic modeling for the full Richfield development, and attention to a traffic warrant that identified a westbound left‑turn need at Bagley and Gatestone under full‑build conditions.

At the meeting the chair moved approval with the stated conditions and additional clarifications — including that street lighting meet city standards and that mailbox units be lit — and a commissioner seconded. Secretary called the roll; the motion passed 4–1.

The planning commission is a recommending body; the matter now proceeds to North Ridgeville City Council for final action.