Trustees hire consulting firm for comprehensive land use plan

by Dan Holland

Sept. 5 township trustees meeting

Richfield Township trustees passed a motion to hire CT Consultants to oversee developing a comprehensive land use plan for the township at a cost not to exceed $34,800. Trustee Chair Don Laubacher said planning will include appointment of a steering committee this fall. The current land use plan expires in 2025.

Laubacher told The Richfield Times he hopes to have a new plan in place by late 2025.

“We anticipate having a committee of between 11 and 13 people, which will include myself, two from the zoning commission, two from the board of zoning appeals, Zoning Inspector Kendall Jarrett, and five or six residents who have zoning experience,” he said. “We plan to pick the committee this fall and have everyone in place to kick it off in December or January.”

This follows the strategic planning that Richfield Village is wrapping up.

“This won’t be as extensive as the village has done, because we don’t have the commercial properties that they do, and we don’t have the number of issues they have,” said Laubacher. “But it’s still an important process.”

“We will see what comes out of this, but I’m sure that the residents will want us to remain rural,” he added. “The hope is that the JEDD will be the commercial core, and there are still three parcels there that are available. So, that’s the part we hope to develop from a commercial standpoint and keep the rest rural. But I really want to see how the residents feel about all of those things.”

Township Administrator Mindy Lott said the process will include public input, including a kickoff meeting and open house.

2025 township road plan

Trustees voted to request the Summit County Engineers office to estimate overall road resurfacing costs for 2025 and to initiate a bidding process for road resurfacing and culvert work for Farnham and Stubbins roads and Hecker Drive to resolve drainage problems. The township received a grant for the latter project not to exceed $176,400 through the Ohio Small Government Capital Improvements Program, which will cover 90% of the total cost.

Pending trustee approval, the 2025 road program would include resurfacing of Braemar Drive, Aviemore Way, Heather Lane, Stewart Court and Gullane Drive, according to Lott. She said Service Department Foreman Jerry Schall also recommended repaving Dewey and Harter roads, Kings Ridge Drive and Kingsbury Trail based on available funding.

Announcements

Laubacher noted that residents will begin seeing a new charge on their property tax bills in 2025 of between $50-$100 annually.

In 2017 the Summit County Surface Water Management District was formed to manage stormwater in the county. Although Richfield Township did not immediately join the district, it is mandatory that all townships join in 2025.

This is similar to the program that Richfield Village property owners pay into to Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.  

In other business, trustees approved:

  • Payment of $15,074 to the Richfield Village per the JEDD property tax share agreement.
  • Payment of $45,130 to Perrin Asphalt & Concrete for road resurfacing work.
  • A transfer of $10,000 into the township health reimbursement account, with $5,000 coming from the general fund and $5,000 from the roads fund.
  • The 2024 Summit County Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding for Job Creation and Retention and Tax Revenue Sharing.
  • A motion requesting that ODOT perform a speed limit study along Broadview Road within Richfield Township. ∞