Developers present housing plans at Concordia town hall meeting

by Laura Bednar

The city held its second town hall meeting since deciding to purchase the Concordia Lutheran Church property on Stone and Brecksville roads in 2022. City officials did a background talk about the property and the logistics involved for its development before Petros Homes and New Leaf representatives gave a presentation on the types of homes they would build if chosen for the project.

City Economic Development Director Jessica Hyser outlined the current timeline of the project. The city purchased the land in February 2023; developers presented to city council in November 2023; council members visited developers’ housing units in January and February of this year; final proposals were due on May 6, at which time the number of developers was narrowed from three to two.

Engineer Don Ramm said his department chaperoned the due diligence of the site, which included wetland review, soil testing and geotechnical exploration. Results from Wertz Geotechnical Engineering found shallow rock throughout the property, which gets harder deeper in the ground.

In response to resident concerns about the amount of impervious surface and runoff from the development, Ramm said the utilities and stormwater plans would meet the city’s code. He added the stormwater plan would be designed to critical storm standards. Ramm said the Chestnut Woods development is similar and he has not heard complaints from residents there about flooding.

The lots in New Leaf’s plan would have an average of 4,225 square feet of impervious surface and Petros would have 3,775 square feet per lot.

Ramm said the existing sanitary sewers in the area head east of Brecksville Road and there is not a lot of sewage transferred in the pipes. “It’s adequate capacity, I don’t see any issue,” he said.

Zoning

For the development to move forward with the smaller home and lot sizes planned, city council must approve an overlay district to the area. Building Official Mike Gero said the overlay would reduce the number of variances required.

“[The overlay] would allow smaller, proportional-sized lots to accommodate single-family homes,” he said.

The overlay would require a lot’s minimum width to be 50 feet with a minimum area of 6,250 square feet. Gero added that 1,451 homes in the city have a lot width of less than 100 feet. He reiterated that the overlay would apply to this land only and would not create another zoning district.

Gero said without the overlay, each home would require six variances from the board of zoning appeals.

Petros

Representatives from Petros Homes presented their plans for the property, which includes 53 units and three homes styles with varying lot sizes: 40 foot, 45 foot or 50 foot wide and 125 feet in depth. Petros President Gary Naim said the homes would range from 1,500 square feet to 2,400 square feet. The homes predominantly would be ranch style slab homes with an option for a second floor, if desired.

“There will be minimal or no steps to entry,” he said, adding that there would be room for customization such as grab bars in the shower.

The homes would have an option for a two- or three-car garage. Prices would be in the $400,000s to low $500,000s for the 40-foot wide homes; low $500,000s for the 45-foot wide homes; and mid to upper $500,000s for the 50-foot wide homes.

Naim said he felt it was important to get community feedback on the proposal and, if chosen, Petros would conduct market research with city officials, residents and realtors.

“We’ve been doing this in the area for over 40 years,” said Petros CEO Sam Petros.

New Leaf

President of New Leaf, an Epcon Community builder, Katie Lancianese, said New Leaf’s plan includes 45 units sized 55-by-145 feet, ranging in square footage from 1,400 to 3,000. Lancianese said there would be six different floor plans, and the homes would not be “look-alikes.”

The one-floor homes would have a zero-step entry for the front door and garage. The developer allows people to customize the house with a second floor, wider doorframes for wheelchair access or grab bars, among other options. All New Leaf homes would have smart home enabled security systems.

Each lot would have a private/enclosed courtyard on either the side or back of the property. Some of the homes, depending on site topography, could have walkout basements.

Home prices would start at the high $400,000s and increase depending on floor plans, according to Lancianese.

Fees and questions

Both developments would havea homeowner’s association, with approximately $175/month in fees for Petros homes and less than $300/month for New Leaf Homes. The HOAs would provide grass cutting, fertilizing, landscaping and snow removal. Both developments would use city garbage service.

In response to the price of the homes, Hyser gave some statistics from the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office, which stated there were 3,032 homes in the city in 2023, valued at $304,000. There were 61 homes sold for an average price of $385,000. This is a $120,000 increase from the home sales in the city in 2018.

“Home sales in Independence have drastically increased,” Hyser said.

Attendees were asked to write any questions on notecards, which were given to city officials to read and answer. Some were answered in the developer presentations. One question asked developers how they justify building over existing gas wells on the property. Both developers said they would not build over the wells.

The city asked both developers to include a connection from the development to the Hemlock Trail. Both plans also preserved some of the wetlands on the property. The city also required developers to create a plan in which the city would recoup its expenditures on the project, which at the time of the presentation was $800,000.

Someone asked if the development would be limited to 55 and over. Hyser said it would not, but the product would be geared towards that market. Lancianese said the average age of the residents in New Leaf’s Retreat at Rosemont development in Fairlawn is 64.

Mayor Greg Kurtz said council would consider the proposals and a decision would be made in the near future.

See city presentations and the developers’ plans here. ∞