July 21, 2025
This post about the Planning Commission on 11 June 2025 meeting is a bit longer than the usual content. Here’s the summary:
- A local residents group, NoRo Flood Fight, LLC, submitted a letter to the North Royalton Planning Commission that, among many other details, requested a moratorium on new construction until local ordinances were brought up to date.
- The developer, Grey Fox Capital, submitted plans for 29 houses on the property that was previously the Albion Road Elementary School (photo below) at 9360 Albion Road.
- The Engineering Department asked for changes to the plan, which the developer has agreed to do and will resubmit to the Planning Commission when ready.
- The Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District and Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) review plans independently for compliance and approval before any permits are granted.
- Planning Commission does not meet again until September, when the developer will likely resubmit updated plans for the site.
Going over the Planning Commission meeting minutes from 11 June 2025, I’ve picked out what I consider to be the highlights. You can read the entirety of it here, June 11, 2025 Planning Commission Minutes.
The committee received and acknowledged a letter and a report from NoRo Flood Fight, LLC, and on behalf of the city’s Engineering Department, the Acting Assistant City Engineer, David Gasper, asked to read the following into the record.
“We have conducted a preliminary review of the memo sent by NoRo Flood Fight, LLC expressing concerns about stormwater design in relation to subdivision development. The City of North Royalton requires all developers to submit stormwater calculations and designs that comply with the current version of the Ohio Rainwater and Land Development Manual, which is maintained and regulated by the Ohio EPA. The manual mandates the use of NOAA rainfall data, specifically NOAA Atlas 14, as the standard for meeting both state and federal stormwater regulations. All submitted stormwater designs undergo a thorough review process. First, they are evaluated by the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District to ensure compliance with EPA standards. No permits are issued without their approval. Additionally, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District conducts an independent review and their approval is also required before any permits are granted. Once we have completed our review of the information contained in the memo, we will provide a detailed response.”
The Law Director, Tom Kelly, advised the planning commission as well as City Council not to make any moratoriums on development.
“I can tell you this, one of the items in the proposal from NoRo Flood Fight, LLC. seeks essentially to ask for a moratorium on development, on real estate development, until they feel that they’re satisfied that things are being done appropriately.
First of all, Planning Commission has no authority to do that, zero, so don’t even think about it, you don’t have any authority. Secondly, City Council may have the authority to do it but I can tell you that the Ohio Supreme Court makes it very clear, and has made very clear, that they frown on that rather dramatically.”
Drew Cook, representing Grey Fox, then conducted a walk-through of the proposed site design.
- The former Albion Road Elementary School site, a little over 15 and a half acres, is surrounded by single family zoning on all sides.
- The site plan consists of 29 single family detached homes with two car garages and two car driveways. None of these are for rent. This is all for sale. They’re all detached and they are not apartments.
David Gasper, Acting Assistant City Engineer, responded to the proposed site design.
- Traffic concerns were raised by surrounding residents. Due to the proximity of the York Road and Albion Road intersection, the Engineering Department would recommend that a traffic impact study to be performed. (Matt’s note: The Mayor and Ward 1 council representative later disagreed with this recommendation, and no traffic study is planned).
- A variance may be needed to accommodate grading for several of the lots.
- Cited specifics to be addressed with stormwater management, in accordance with codified ordinances.
- Reminded all of the process for review and approval of site plans by the NEORSD and Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District.
Ian Russell, City Planner, also responded to the proposed site design.
- Noted that the planned construction went right up to the limits of density, “Just a recommendation, but as it’s extremely close to the overall density, it is recommended that you reduce the number of lots.”
- Recommended that the proposed detention basins be aerated if they are designed as “wet,” that is, contain standing water as an aesthetic feature.
- Asked that the homeowners association for the planned development memorialize the responsibility for maintenance of the basins.
The hearing then opened up for residents to speak. Jacob Smith, JoAnne Krejci, Edward Jacak, and James Mahoney all spoke, raising questions and concerns. Mr. Jacak is the community leader for NoRo Flood Fight, LLC. I encourage you to read the minutes for details.
Mayor Antoskiewicz responded to citizens concerns and the developer’s presentation, and addressing the attending residents, “we’re going to do our due diligence, and we are going to do everything we can to make sure that, if it gets approved, what goes in is going to make things better.”
There’s quite a bit more than is cited here, I encourage you to get comfortable and go read the whole thing.
Here’s my view on this.
- I live downhill and over a bit from this development. It should not be a surprise that I have a vested interest in this as a homeowner and as a candidate for Ward 1 City Council. No more “Chesapeake Waterfalls” if we can prevent them, please.
- Developers have the upper hand once the property is purchased. Cities don’t want vacant land sitting vacant, there’s no tax revenue from it and it’s a target for illegal dumping and other mischief, so the push will always be to pave it over and build on it, whatever “it” is. As the Law Director put so eloquently, local municipalities flexing legislative muscle via moratoriums is frowned upon “rather dramatically,” and unless a local legislature has already made preparations via codified ordinance, everyone involved is bound to laws and regulations in place at the time of the proposal.
- A hearty shout of approval to Ian Russell, City Planner, for his suggestion – reduce the number of lots. That alone would provide more green space for the new residents, room for storm water management, and improve the overall aesthetic and resiliency of the development. Unfortunately, the developer is in this effort solely for one reason: profit. Reducing the number of lots challenges the profit motive, and no developer will consider that as a first option.
- This project is going forward whether residents like it or not. The sole opportunity for residents is to stay engaged: get informed on the details of the proposal and the explanations and assurances by the developer, and monitor closely whether council actually listens, understands and incorporates what its own Engineering Department is recommending. Long after team Grey Fox has cashed the checks and gone on to the next project, Ward 1 residents are living with what will be decided here.
More to come.
For anyone who has read this far, this is just the first development resulting from the sale of school property in Ward 1. The North Royalton Board of Education owns another 33 acres on Abbey Road, currently worth $2 million, and twice the size of the Albion Road project. Now that leadership at the state level has codified changes to public school funding, that’s money in the bank for our local school system. And Ward 1 residents get to do this all over again, probably sooner than one might expect. I’ll be writing about that in a future post.
[Editor note: changed the title, credited the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer for the photograph, and removed the cookie recipe wager reference.]