The Chester Township Land Use Plan Committee held a public forum March 31 at Mayfield Church to solicit additional feedback from residents on the future of the township.
The Chester Township Land Use Plan Committee held a public forum March 31 at Mayfield Church to solicit additional feedback from residents on the future of the township.
The 13-member committee is composed entirely of Chester residents and does not include developers, committee member Greg Mersol said.
Of the township’s roughly 10,000 residents, about 1,000 responded to a community survey conducted last winter, he added.
Committee member Tim Rosenbaum outlined key findings from the survey, emphasizing the community’s longstanding ties to the township.
“This is a community with deep roots,” he said. “More than half of the respondents lived here over 20 years and nearly half are over the age of 60. So, when people talk about Chester, they’re speaking from experience. And the words that show up over and over are things like small town, rural atmosphere, quiet, peaceful space.”
Survey responses showed strong support for maintaining the township’s character, Rosenbaum said.
“Over 90% of the residents support maintaining Chester’s rural or semi-rural character,” he said. “So, that tells us something really important. This isn’t just what people like about Chester, but it’s what they expect Chester to be and remain in the future.”
Residents also gave high marks to the Chester Township Police Department and Chester Township Fire Department, he said.
However, both survey responses and public comments at the forum highlighted concerns about the appearance of the township’s commercial areas.
“Overwhelmingly, the negative comments on the survey were (about) our commercial district,” Rosenbaum said. “And of course, the Buck Stop property was frequently mentioned by name, if not by description. So, (that’s) an area that we knew the citizens were concerned about.”
He added concerns often centered on underutilized or vacant properties that do not reflect the community’s character.
Committee member Matt Speterino said officials are seeking input on how such properties — including the Buck Stop — could be improved.
“We’d like to drive by a nice looking neighborhood and actually utilize some of these areas that are just kind of sitting there,” he said.
During public comment, one resident said beautification should be the township’s top priority.
Committee member David Patterson said enforcement of existing zoning regulations remains a challenge.
“We do have rules existing in the zoning resolution, but what we’re being told is the county prosecutor will not pursue them, will not prosecute them,” Patterson said. “I feel like we have, within the zoning resolution currently, the tools that we need to do that, but they’re unenforceable at this point.”
Committee member Mindy Denamen said the goal is to balance improvements without overregulating residents.
“We’re not in an environment where we’re out to hang somebody with (their) grass being over four inches,” she said. “Likewise, we’re not trying to put rules in that are keeping something so strict that it would push a lot of people out. But, I think focusing on the commercial piece, especially when it comes to property maintenance, is the key. As far as I know, there (are) no rules, like everything has to have a certain facade or exterior.”
Resident Skip Claypool said the township faces legal limitations compared to cities.
“We’re not a city, we can’t enforce ordinances,” he said. “There are limited maintenance programs we can put in place. And there are different types of townships in the state of Ohio, some of which can kind of operate like a city. We’re not one of those types. And so, there are limited maintenance plans that we can enforce on businesses and/or homes, and so there’s some constraints there.”
Rosenbaum said feedback gathered so far gives officials a clearer vision for the township’s future.
“So when (we) put it all together, up to this point, we’re looking at a community that keeps its semi-rural character, maintains its quality of life, takes care of what already exists and approaches change in a thoughtful way,” he said. “The survey doesn’t show that people are against action or change, but it does show that people want actions to be thoughtful, intentional and consistent with what Chesterland already is.”
