The property is the largest eyesore in Bainbridge Township. Nothing has been maintained since the park closed. Steve Yingling
The future of the deteriorating Geauga Lake Park property was delayed Monday to give residents a chance to comment.
Bainbridge Township officials held a public hearing on rezoning the former Geauga Lake Park property from commercial recreational to a mixed use Planned Unit Development Monday.
With only one resident speaking on the proposed zoning amendment, trustees decided to continue the discussion at their May 11 meeting.
Monday night, Trustee Jeff Markley said that a large triangular area at the southwest corner of the township is ripe for redevelopment into a mixture of housing, retail, and commercial uses. The township is working with Kendig Keast and Insight Advisory Group consultants on a vision for the 500-plus acres.
“We have a 131 page document that our zoning commission has labored over, and this is a public hearing for comments for and against the proposal,” Markley said.
Once the public hearing is closed, trustees have 20 days to accept, deny, or modify the amendment, which will take effect 30 days after passage, he said.
Zoning commission member Steve Yingling said the commission is involved in a lengthy revision of the zoning code, but felt the Geauga Lake parcel should be addressed separately.
“We wanted to address it specifically because of the zoning changes recently approved by Aurora to make (Aurora’s side) a mixed use district,” Yingling said. “The property is the largest eyesore in Bainbridge Township. Nothing has been maintained since the park closed.”
The commission would like to see the parcel developed like Crocker Park in Westlake a combination of shopping, dining, commercial, and residential uses in an attractive setting.
“It would provide for town homes, with businesses on the lower level and residences on the upper,” he said. “The zoning that’s proposed will open up a multitude of opportunities and be a very significant improvement to that property.”
Resident Ted Seliga said he opposes the proposal because he believes it would restrict what the owner could do with the property.
“I’m against this type of zoning because we’re overstepping the bounds of government,” Seliga said, adding he believes the Bainbridge side should be developed for commercial use and the Aurora side for residential.
Following the comments, Markley said he was concerned about the ratio of residences to commercial uses under the amendment. He would like to see higher density, semi-urban housing or semi-family attached homes, but not single family housing.
Yingling said he didn’t see single family housing being built on the Bainbridge side, but possibly on the Aurora side.
Jennifer Syx, president of Insight Advisors Group, commended the township for its efforts.
“The Township has taken on a monumental task, to promote and create responsible development. You’re creating a destination location with waterfront dining, boardwalks, smaller town homes, maybe three stories high, with first floor retail and shared parking. It will be a nice balance. It’s important to do this right,” she said.
Yingling and trustees said they hope to get more public input when the hearing continues at 8 p.m. May 11.
