I am writing to share the concerns of so many of my neighbors about the potential rezoning of the Raemelton property in the Woodland Road and Cook Road neighborhoods.
I believe that a decision to move forward with Highland Real Estate’s proposal would be catastrophic, not just for those in the neighborhoods near the proposed site, but also for all of Mansfield.
At the Oct. 27 Planning Commission meeting, developers stated that their plan would build 504 apartments and townhouses, a 15,000 square-foot medical facility, two new city roads, and five strip malls in our neighborhood. During the meeting, however, developers and city officials left many questions unanswered.
The developers did not mention that the project would likely include at least 1,000 parking spaces. They did not explain how the 1,000 cars that use those spots would impact traffic congestion along already-busy neighborhood roads.
How will the surrounding streets – including Trimble Road, Cook Road, Woodland Road, Woodhill Road and Marion Avenue – absorb all of this new activity? Anyone who uses these roads would surely be impacted.
At the Planning Commission meeting, several residents offered concerns about the many ways our aging infrastructure would be further compromised by adding a development of this size.
Neighbors mentioned that water pressure in their homes is already low, that area fire hydrants are non-functional, that streets are already crowded, that traffic is already dangerous. They also shared their heartache over the loss of green space in our beautiful and peaceful neighborhood, along with the flora and fauna that accompany it.
Developers offered no response to these concerns, and neither did members of the city Planning Commission.
There was also no mention at the meeting about possible financial incentives, like multi year tax abatements, that the out-of-town developer might seek from the city. Surely, Mansfield residents deserve to know more about this possibility, especially at a time when our own property taxes are rising.
If approved, when the project is finished, longtime Woodland Road residents will be looking not at a field of green but rather a field of concrete, with several new roads, dozens of buildings, at least a thousand parking paces, and more.
Residents who have lived for decades along Cook Road will be looking directly at five two story strip malls that could house anything from retail stores to drive-through fast food restaurants.
Is this the sort of development our city wants in the heart of its residential neighborhoods?
I can imagine no reason, other than profitability for a few, that would justify upending many decades of zoning regulations that have kept commercial development from encroaching on our city’s residential neighborhoods.
The city has just completed a $20 million restoration of our downtown area, which suggests that city leaders value historic preservation and beautification.
Why, then, would they consent to destroying some of the city’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods – those that have grown and thrived for more than 100 years – simply to try to manufacture a new one?
For this and so many other reasons, I respectfully urge the Planning Commission, the City Council and the Mayor to listen to their citizens and deny Highland Real Estate’s massive development proposal.
Cheryl Cummins
Mansfield, Ohio
