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Residents urge Council to block 45‑unit Stearns Row proposal in Butternut Historic District
Summary
Dozens of North Olmsted residents urged Council to halt a proposed 45‑unit Stearns Row development in the Butternut Historic District, raising concerns about traffic, stormwater, heavy‑truck impacts on an asphalt road, and the loss of the area’s historic character; Council noted the rezoning will proceed through the Planning and Design Commission.
Dozens of North Olmsted residents told City Council on Oct. 21 they oppose a proposed rezoning that would allow a 45‑unit attached‑cluster housing development known as Stearns Row in the city’s Butternut Historic District.
“We have to keep our historic district historic,” said Tony Sapienza, a neighbor on Butternut Ridge Road who said the proposal is “a cancer in our historical district.” Other speakers warned that construction traffic and heavy equipment would damage the neighborhood’s asphalt road, and that adding impervious surface would worsen existing basement flooding and stormwater problems.
Speakers from the street and the city’s Landmarks constituency described wide resident opposition and organized petition drives. Robert Sharp, a 47‑year resident, said his homeowner association has reactivated and collected dozens of signatures opposing the project, and said residents feel they were not adequately notified before plans were circulated.
The crowd’s concerns focused on several recurring points: the scale of the proposal (residents described 45 homes on roughly five acres), the strain on Butternut Ridge Road from construction trucks and concrete mixers, the absence of nearby storm drains in parts of the corridor, and the perceived threat to the street’s historic identity and century homes. Several speakers referenced the city’s Comprehensive 2025 Master Plan, saying it emphasizes preservation of neighborhood identity and does not show this site for higher‑density development.
Council President Pro Tempore Scarl and Ward 4 Councilwoman Hemann cautioned that Council as a whole has not yet held hearings or taken action on the project. Scarl said the Planning and Design Commission will hear the rezoning ordinance tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers, and Hemann offered residents a Clerk‑prepared timeline and an email sign‑up to receive notices of boards and commission meetings.
John Martindale, owner of the Ames house, submitted a written letter urging Council to “shut down this rezoning proposal and work toward preserving the integrity of North Olmsted’s Butternut Historic District.” Several speakers asked Council to apply the standards in the city’s Master Plan and Landmarks survey in weighing any rezoning request.
No rezoning vote or formal Council action on the Stearns Row proposal occurred at the Oct. 21 meeting; Council members and staff repeatedly described the proposal as preliminary and directed residents to upcoming Planning and Design Commission proceedings.
What happens next: the Planning and Design Commission will hear the rezoning application (public hearing scheduled for tomorrow at 7 p.m., per the Council announcement); any Commission recommendation would be followed by further public hearings and required legislative steps before Council could adopt a zoning change.
