Master Plan Apr 21

FIRST DRAFT

This was the first goal setting meeting.  The next mtg or two will continue this process.

Next will come the Community Attitude Survey, this will be contracted from the Cuyahoga County Planning group.

Some misc discussions included:

Amphitheater
Glenwillow relationships
Solon on Facebook
Orange School district - in Ward 5A north Solon
Absent - 3 of 10 reps
Crime at Rec Center
Permitted Uses not updated with 2005 Zoning updates

Strengths -
Weaknesses -
Opportunities -
Threats -

Strengths 

1. Schools
2. Housing Variety
3. Population Diversity
4. Solid Industry/Tax base
5. Access to Highways
6. Quality of city services
   - EMS, Safety, Service
7. Good Leadership (esp Mayor)
8. Good recreation facilities
9. Family Oriented Community
10. Proximity to MetroParks
11. Increasing stability of residential population
    - in 2001, they noted decreasing stability
12. Station St as alternate connection between SOM and Solon

Weaknesses

1. Traffic
2. Lack of large medical facility
   (observers note, Ed Suit discouraged UH from building next to Sedlaks)
3. Lack of quality retail/resturant
4. Poor building infrastructure
   (aging shopping centers)
5. Lack of sidewalks
   Industrial and Residential areas
6. Poor aesthetics of Streetscape in Retail Areas
7. Not pedestrian friendly (esp in retail)
8. Insufficient inventory of Soccer & Baseball fields (etc?)
9. Poorly designed existing road infrastructure
   (?need more lanes)
10. Aging commercial and industrial stock
11. Poor directional signage to important community destinations
12. Outdated Codified Ordinances
    (allows farm animals etc, Frankland (non-JD) is rewriting them)
13. Complex ownership of existing shopping center(s?)
    - Perwick family (GE plaza) has many equal owners who must agree 100% and never do
14. Unregulated rental property (rental regs)
15. Lack of housing opportunity for young professionals (night life, Coral style multi-use)
16. Lack of pedestrian infrastructure and attractions
    (like Popcorn Store in Chagrin Falls)
17. Lack of connection between Old S Miles and Bainbridge Rd

Opportunities 

1. Access to Services in other communities (?)
2. Ability to rework park layout
3. Following Master Plan (?)
4. Connector Road
   (generally & as proposed by Coral)
5. Additional 422 exit where possible
6. Encourage and promote citizen partcipation
   -a) city has this under control with new web
   -b) electronic msg board on SOM bridge by firestation
   -c) social media, Solon has Facebook Fan page (is the city involved?)
   -d) newsletter (for the non-connected)
   -e) residential email alerts (like school or road projects)
7. Increasing recycling program
8. Pursue Green Energy Sources
9. Expand access to parks
10. Make city more bike & pedestrian friendly
11. Greater regional cooperation
12. Transition from development related focus to property maintenance related focus
    (rental regs)

Threats

1. State Funding for schools
2. Development in adjacent communities
   - Regional impact (commercial projects)
   - Residential Development Impact on Schools
3. Increased Traffic Volumes
   - from internal and external sources
   - development of Colbert farm in Twinsburg on SOM
4. Increasing crime
5. Decreasing residential property values
6. Diminishing capacity for waste removal

Future meetings scheduled, Thur May 5 and Wed May 18.   Rescheduled to May 12 & May 23.
Minutes are here.