VIEWPOINT/ Lisa M. Smith
A Vision for Chester Township
Four months ago a Chester trustee stood in my driveway and described a bold new vision for Chester Township.
It includes a new town center with a walkable central business district, multigenerational housing and reconfigured commercial spaces; and a new $52 million main school campus.
These enormously ambitious projects will change the trajectory and finances of the township for generations, and though not linked publicly by board members, they are being pursued in tandem right now.
Until that conversation, I didn’t know anything about either. That’s partly my fault because until recently I was an apathetic resident. But I’m paying attention now and so should we all if we want a say.
The $52 million school bond issue planning phase is over but the town center plan being developed by the recently-formed Chester Township Planning Committee is still at the point where community input can help shape it.
When the group formed last year, they stated the funds needed to hire a firm to take data and develop it into a long-range plan would come from grants, in particular a realtor’s association grant. That fell through so at the June 6 trustees meeting, they asked taxpayers to fund the first $44,000 installment — and possibly the second.
If taxpayers are being asked to pay for development of the plan, then they should have input into what it entails.
Right now, the committee has pulled together data and resources for the planning firm to use that include past resident surveys, the opinions of planning committee members, maps and results of a “walking” tour.
Missing from this mix — and perhaps the most relevant piece of all — is a comprehensive survey of residents who live here now asking what they want. Do they want a business district consolidated behind Chester Township Park where land is currently being used for other purposes? Sidewalks that connect everything? A bike trail? A refurbished business district somewhere else? What other amenities would they like to see? How much are they willing to pay?
People move to Chesterland because it’s beautiful, taxes are relatively low (no regional taxes), schools are good and housing is in demand. Yet, at the meeting, some planning committee members painted a different picture, characterizing the township as “dirty,” with little positive change in the last 30 years and calling for a beautification strategy. One member said he’d have to move if trustees didn’t fund the initial $44,000 to develop the plan.
Yet it doesn’t require a long-range plan to beautify and improve existing commercial properties. In fact, many business owners in Chester Township have recently improved their properties with their own funding.
Similarly, cleaning up unattractive or non-conforming areas doesn’t require a 20-year plan.
Ultimately, it’s not what the planning committee wants that matters; it’s what the 10,000 residents of Chester Township want.
In an article in the Oct. 19, 2017, Geauga County Maple Leaf outlining why he was running for trustee, Joe Mazzurco said “residents felt left out of the decision-making process.”
Here’s Trustee Mazzurco’s chance to ensure that residents don’t feel way with the new town center plan. Don’t fund development of a plan with taxpayer money until a comprehensive survey that brings in all voices is produced. Then, use the survey results to help drive plan development. In that way residents can be assured they weren’t left out of the process.
