Chippewa Lake Park Sold

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Taken from gazette:

 

http://wp2.medina-gazette.com/2008/03/13/news/new-life-for-park/

 

A land developer hopes to breathe life and put a little magic back into the overgrown, tangled vegetation, rusted-out machinery and rundown area that used to be Chippewa Lake Amusement Park.

 

Chippewa Lake Partners LLC officially purchased the 95 acres of abandoned land that falls in Lafayette and Westfield townships on March 5, said Gary Sills, one of the managing members of Chippewa Lake Partners, a group of developers who came together for this project.

 

All that’s left to show the land was ever an amusement park from 1878 to 1978 are some dilapidated equipment, a decaying Ferris wheel and a lone wooden roller coaster.

 

The developers plan to create what they call a master plan resort community for commercial, recreational and residential use, Sills said.

 

“It would (contain) a 100-room resort hotel with a conference center, a health spa, and there will be residential housing that will be for sale,” he said. “Only part of the property is on the lake. We’ll be creating a series of water features on the property that is not on the lake … so virtually all the residential units will have water views.”

 

He added the water features would be like manmade lakes, which would not only serve as an amenity but also as a flood control tool for storm water.

 

The lake itself, which is Ohio’s largest natural inland lake, is owned by the Medina County Park District, Sills said.

 

In order for the Partners to build everything the developers want in the resort, they had to work with Lafayette’s zoning commission to create and approve a Chippewa Resort Overlay District, which allows for commercial, residential and recreational purposes, Lafayette Township zoning inspector Alliss Strogin said.

 

“We’re very appreciative of the Lafayette Township Zoning Commission on how hard they worked over this six-month period that resulted in the creation of the CRO district … which they approved Monday,” Sills said.

 

After several language changes to the proposed text amendment at Monday night’s zoning commission meeting, members approved the overlay district in a 3-2 vote.

 

Strogin said this overlay district is not just for the current developers, but if they were to sell the property later, it would apply to any future developers.

 

“We didn’t create a zone just for one person,” she said Wednesday. “We considered a more flexible zoning … a document we feel is in the best interest of the township and also gives any developer flexibility where they can mix some residential, some commercial and some recreational uses in their choices of development.”

 

In reference to what the amusement park used to be to the community back in its heyday, Strogin said she hopes with this new overlay district and developer, they may be able to bring some of that liveliness back.

 

However, this is only the first step in many left for the Partners.

 

Strogin said the overlay district needs to be approved by township trustees after a public meeting is conducted. Then the developer has to put together an actual site plan that follows the district’s rules, which needs to go through the county planning commission, the township zoning commission and then trustees.

 

After that, development can begin, she said.

 

“The process is a little bit long, but the developers understand that process and hopefully built that into their development timeline,” she said. “If it’s done too quickly, you don’t have that opportunity to get residents’ input. A zoning decision is a major commitment.”

 

Sills also said the site plan and ensuing legal steps are a process that will take place over a period of months because they have to go through various environmental, state and county agencies first.

 

The portion of the 95 acres that lies in Westfield Township is zoned residential, Sills said, so if they decide to use that part for residential purposes that follows the current rules, they won’t have to change anything; however, if they choose to use it for another purpose, they will have to go through a similar process as in Lafayette Township.

 

“A lot of what we’re talking about has been there in the past,” Sills said regarding the resort’s features. “We’re pleased with the way (things are) going so far and we’re optimistic in the fact that we bought the property and optimistic that we’re going to do a successful project there.”