PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- Axiom Development Group Principal Bryan Stone said he has listened to Pepper Pike’s residents and has come back with a plan for developing the Beech Brook property that addresses their concerns.
The revised plan Stone released to the city Tuesday (June 2) differs in several ways from what he sent to City Council last October. The updated plan removes all multifamily residences that had been included in the past proposal. It also caps the amount of retail to 40,000 square feet, narrows the types of commercial use on the site and reduces the residential density from five units per acre to four.
In addition, the revised proposal ensures that there will be a 50-50 split between single-family and townhomes. The prior proposal included a 50-50 split between multifamily and single family, plus townhomes.
“Our goal has always been to put forth a project which would allow this property to be used in a manner that is consistent with that which makes our community a wonderful place to live and work,” Stone stated in a news release.
“Resident feedback has been integral to this process to help ensure this project fits seamlessly with our community. We are excited to share this updated ordinance and site plan with the city and its residents, and look forward to continuing to collaborate to bring this project to fruition.”
When reached by phone Wednesday (June 3), Stone said he visited residents’ homes in pre-coronavirus days and listened to their fears and concerns pertaining to the development of the largely natural 67-acre Beech Brook property at 3737 Lander Road.
Before Axiom is able to develop the property, residents would have to vote to rezone Beech Brook to what would be a new zoning classification in Pepper Pike -- an overlay district that would allow for mixed use to include offices, small-shop retail and residences. The property is now zoned for institutional use.
In visiting residents, Stone learned which types of stores residents most did not want to see at Beech Brook.
“The kind of traditional stuff you would be concerned seeing in these types of things," he said, "big box, big national chains, drive-thru fast food restaurants.
"There will be no fast food restaurants, there will be no large box retail. Our goal is to provide amenity, neighborhood-scale retail that would be appropriate for this site. And these changes reflect that.”
Axiom's Beech Brook site plan, with Lander Road to the left and housing on the lower half of the development. (Photo Courtesy of Axiom Development Group)
Stone, a Pepper Pike resident, said there never were plans to build more than 40,000 square feet of retail at Beech Brook, but that capping retail at 40,000 square feet reassures residents of that fact.
“During our conversations with residents,” he said, “they thought that without a cap, there was no brake-check on the amount of retail we put in. We knew what would be an appropriate amount of retail there, and what the site would bear, and it was always around 40,000.
“But this will ease the minds of people who were concerned it would be the magnitude of a Pinecrest (in Orange) or Legacy Village (in Lyndhurst),” he said.
In addition to residents, Axiom listened to feedback from city officials and hosted an open house in January to share information with residents and listen to their input.
The developer also reached out to land conservancies and has identified strong support for partnering in preserving the Willey Creek Riparian Area, which runs through Beech Brook, and opening up the area for public use in a passive recreational setting.
Along with the revisions, Axiom also released something else residents and city leaders had been asking for -- a site plan.
“A site plan was something people had been interested in seeing, so I’m happy that they now have a better idea of what we’re thinking for the site,” Stone said. "But that’s only the first step. There’s probably lot of questions that people still want answered.
“The three big concerns (of residents) were multifamily (dwellings), the retail and the lack of a site plan, so we’re trying to tick all those boxes off," he said.
Mayor Richard Bain had mentioned at the May 27 City Council meeting that Axiom might seek to gather petitions to have the rezoning issue put on the Nov. 3 ballot. Stone said Axiom still would like to see it on the November ballot but, at least for now, it is still pursuing having council vote to have it placed on the ballot.
“We haven’t made a decision one way or the other (as to how to try and get the issue on the ballot), but right now our goal is to be on the route we’re on now (going through council) because we’ve put a lot of effort into it. And under all circumstances, we would continue to collaborate with members of council and the administration.”
As for what might happen next, Stone said: “I assume that there will be more questions. We’re going to be providing more material as the days go on.”
Stone acknowledged that, with gatherings limited to no more than 10 people due to the coronavirus, it is not totally clear how the public will vet further details of the plan.
A town hall meeting was to be held in February, during which Axiom was to discuss plans with residents. The meeting was postponed when Axiom asked the city for more time because it was meeting with residents and revising plans. The meeting was rescheduled for late March, but was again postponed, this time due to the coronavirus.
Bain said the revisions “seem to reflect the limitations on the ambitions of their project, and they do seem to reflect the comments that they received from the many meetings.”
Because a town hall meeting cannot currently be held, Bain said he has made sure residents are able to see the revisions by sending the new plans in an email to residents and posting them on the city’s website.
Bain said Axiom’s challenge is to reach out to the community and explain their initiative.
“What would be on the ballot is only a zoning change," he said. "That is what any election referendum would actually be about should the property be rezoned, regardless of a particular plan? That is the question of first instance that needs to be addressed.”
The mayor said he was not sure if council would address the revisions at its next meeting June 17. If council were to place the rezoning issue on the Nov. 3 ballot, it would have to do so in time to meet the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections’ Aug. 5 filing deadline.
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