Rejection rings out for Walker Lake Road: Ontario Council delivers unanimous ‘No’

ONTARIO — The Walker Lake Road rezone faced weeks of public opposition — and Wednesday night, it led to an emphatic vote. 

After a public hearing and multiple meetings, council voted unanimously against rezoning Walker Lake Road from R-2 to a planned unit development (PUD), effectively shutting down Redwood USA LLC’s proposal.

Rad Schneider, vice president of acquisitions for Redwood USA LLC, said the main difference between the PUD and R-2 zoning comes down to density and lot structure.

“The biggest reason for us is the R-2 density works, but you do have to do duplexes, which must be individually lotted,” he added. “Whereas with Redwood, because these are technically apartments, it’s basically one big lot, and that is what all the buildings sit on and what our LLC owns.” 

The developer requested the zoning change to build 113 condominium-style rental units.

The development would have had 80 of those units on the Ontario parcel, with the remaining located on the Mansfield parcel.

Traffic and safety concerns take center stage

Residents packed earlier hearings in January, raising concerns about traffic, rent prices and whether the project would rely on local labor.

During Wednesday evening’s public commentary, several residents returned to the podium to make one final comment.

First Ward Councilman Nathan Sunderland left his seat and addressed council from the podium.

“I’m down here against the PUD,” Sunderland said.

He questioned how emergency calls would flow between the Mansfield Fire Department, Mansfield Police Department, Ontario Police Department and Springfield Township Fire Department.

“Will there be delayed response times because of that?” Sunderland asked.

He also voiced his concerns for the timing of the traffic study, arguing they should have collected data during evening hours, weekends and holidays.

“I’m all about the growth of our city and community,” Sunderland added. “However, I’m also about looking out for what’s best for our city and community. I believe a ‘No’ vote would be the best option.”

At a previous council meeting, Ben Morgan, lead transportation engineer with Davey Resource Group, explained the traffic study and described how they made decisions.

“ODOT has a policy and procedure we use to factor volumes based on the day and month the count was taken, to account for seasonal changes,” Morgan said.

He explained the firm focused on a typical weekday scenario rather than a two-hour window on a Saturday.

Labor questions, reaction to the final vote

In previous meetings Schneider noted the company works with numerous Northeast Ohio crews and Amish crews.

Resident Hank Webb voiced concerns about the developer not using local labor.

“The local workforce could do that project,” Webb said. “They previously stated they plan on using Amish contractors and out-of-town contractors.”

Before making the vote Eddie Gallo, council president, thanked residents for coming to the meetings.

“We don’t take lightly when we have property issues at hand,” he added. “We understand these can be very emotional and tense. I applaud all of you and that includes Mr. Schneider.”

“I appreciate you voicing your concerns, that’s what this is all about,” Gallo said.

During public commentary, Schneider addressed the council one last time before they voted.

“I want to say thank you for allowing me to apply and consider, as far as participation levels you all have been a little bit higher so I do appreciate that,” he said.

After the meeting adjourned, Schneider said the outcome surprised him.

“I thought it’d be a closer decision than that, based on the feedback,” he said.

Schneider added Redwood USA LLC would remain open to working in Ontario in the future, noting the location makes all the difference.

Resident Pamela Hunt praised the council’s approach after the meeting.

“I appreciate the decorum with which this matter was handled, and I appreciate the council listening to our concerns,” Hunt said.