Developer pitches 'Chestnut Row' retail center as traffic fix; committee sends rezoning to council after split vote

Elyria’s Community Development Committee on June 8 heard a presentation from Love Retail on a rezoning request for 38530 and 38550 Chestnut Ridge Road that would allow a coordinated retail and service center the developer calls Chestnut Row.

Mark Lutner, principal of Love Retail Development, told the committee the plan — which would include national restaurants and service uses — would be built as a planned development and that rezoning to a commercial district would not remove city oversight. “Reszoning does not eliminate city oversight,” Lutner said. “Each tenant ... would still be subject to the city’s site plan review, access review, landscaping, lighting, buffering, storm water engineering, and other approval requirements.” He said the project would add a modest share of intersection traffic (he estimated roughly 8–13 percent of the intersection total) and could be structured to contribute to off‑site roadway improvements through TIF, a special assessment and other funding mechanisms.

After the developer’s presentation, the city’s traffic consultant from GFT, Susan Patterson, summarized a city‑commissioned study that looked at current conditions and a 20‑year horizon. Patterson said the study found existing congestion and crash patterns consistent with queuing and rear‑end collisions and that, under background growth, the corridor will need substantial capacity upgrades. “We are projecting increasing traffic in the future,” Patterson said, adding that some movements at the Chestnut/57 intersection already operate at poor levels of service and that, without corridor improvements, the condition could degrade to LOS F (failure) in the long term.

Council members pressed for specifics on who would pay for the broader corridor improvements. Finance Director Pleski and Law Director Deiri said funding discussions are ongoing: potential sources include a developer contribution, a TIF, proceeds from an earlier Chestnut Commons TIF, state or federal grants, and other city revenues. Pleski said the draft TIF projection for the new site was materially smaller than the total estimated cost of the corridor project and that a funding gap remains.

Several members voiced resident concerns about traffic and livability. “Twenty property owners adjacent to the property … want nothing to do with this reszone,” said Council Member Dhoni, who represents the ward containing the site and said he would have difficulty supporting rezoning without clearer assurances. Other members reminded the committee that the parcel was annexed with the acknowledged future intent for commercial use and that rezoning is the procedural first step.

Committee action: The committee read a report directing staff to draft an ordinance to rezone the northwest corner of Chestnut Ridge Road and State Route 57 from Residential One (RLD) to Business Automotive Oriented (BAO). After debate and a recorded committee vote in which multiple members opposed, the item will proceed to full council as a minority report and is scheduled for three readings; a public hearing was tentatively set for Sept. 8. The planning commission previously denied the rezoning on March 10, 2026, and the committee report notes that history.

What happens next: The rezoning ordinance will appear before the full Elyria City Council for the three‑reading process; public comment opportunities at council were identified for July 6 and Aug. 3. If the rezoning is approved, design review, subdivision and site‑plan approvals, and any necessary variances would follow through the city’s planning and Board of Zoning Appeals processes.

Why it matters: The proposal ties a private development request to a broader set of public infrastructure decisions. Committee members and consultants agree the intersection has existing capacity problems; the debate focused on whether the development and a relatively small TIF could meaningfully accelerate and fund corridor improvements or whether the city would be left with significant additional costs.

Committee sources and evidence: This article is based on the developer presentation by Mark Lutner, city staff briefings, the city‑commissioned traffic study presented by Susan Patterson of GFT, and committee proceedings during the June 8 meeting.