A proposal to build a high-end housing development of 78 lots on the shore of Geauga Lake was presented to Bainbridge Township Trustees Feb. 24.
A proposal to build a high-end housing development of 78 lots on the shore of Geauga Lake was presented to Bainbridge Township Trustees Feb. 24.
Developer and builder Jeff Smul said Lakeview Villas at Geauga Lake, an Epcon community, has been on the drawing board for a while.
“We’ve been working with various Bainbridge officials for the last two years. Hopefully, we are going in the right direction,” he said.
20th Century Construction, of Painesville, is partnering with Epcon Communities to develop an active-adult development, he said.
The Epcon brochure advertises “luxury ranch homes” and a “simply luxurious lifestyle.”
Smul said a clubhouse with a swimming pool, a fire pit and possibly a bocce court are part of the plan, which also includes walking trails.
The Epcon brochure showed three floor plans. Smul said the homes would be privately owned and Lakeview Villas will have a homeowners’ association.
“(Residents) will have the best of both worlds — low maintenance living,” Smul said, adding the homes are designed on one floor so buyers would be able to age-in-place.
He noted the exteriors would be designed to reflect the amusement park’s history — with the tagline, “Where nostalgia welcomes you home” — and the plan calls for using all natural materials and a patio for each home.
The project would cover about 23 acres of land that is currently undeveloped and homes would be about 12 feet apart with no outbuildings, he said.
Smul said 20th Century has been a family-owned and operated builder of custom homes since 1981.
Trustee Jeff Markley recommended Lakeview Villas homes be sold with a deed restriction limiting ownership to individuals age 55 and older to meet the active-adult description.
Smul said the plan would be marketed as active-adult and age restrictions can be included. In other Epcon developments, the average owner age is 64 and about 30% of buyers are single, he said.
No playgrounds are planned and, without families, the traffic flow in the community would be low, Smul said.
“You can have 55-year-olds with kids — it’s happening more and more,” Markley said.
The single ingress and egress is on the as-yet-undedicated Big Dipper Road.
Markley emphasized the builder is not proposing rental units.
“The property owner will own the (building) footprint,” he said, adding the owner would have exclusive use of a narrow strip around the house.
The common area, depicted in dark green, would be available for use by all owners, he said.
Township Assistant Zoning Inspector Dave Dietrich said he toured other Epcon communities in Concord and Fairlawn, both on private roads.
The brochure shows homes with two to three bathrooms and bedrooms and floor plans ranging from 1,888 square feet to almost 3,000 square feet, with an option of a second floor bonus suite.
When asked about pricing, Smul said Epcon homes at the locations mentioned sell for $400,000 to $500,000.
Other items, such as landscaping, would be included in future plans, he said.
Markley noted a major shopping center will be located nearby and security camera systems should be included, as well, with some items left to recall the amusement park days.
“The grizzly bear will remain,” he said, referring to the concrete grizzly bear wall left over from the former theme park.
