Menards gains preliminary approval in Granger Township

GRANGER TWP. — A Menards home improvement store is likely to be built at the corner of state Route 18 and Medina Line Road following Granger Township trustees' preliminary approval of the project Thursday. The decision came during a meeting with attendance limited to Menards representatives, a fiscal officer, necessary township staff, planned development district consultants and a transcriptionist because of mass-gathering limitations. An application for final approval has yet to be submitted by Menards, Trustee Richard Pace said. As with the preliminary application process, final approval will require Medina County and township officials to sign off on it. Pace said a timeline for that final application or prospective construction has yet to be determined. "It's not a question of whether there's going to be development on Route 18," he said. "That's going to happen no matter what. It's a matter of how we intend to best manage the development. Route 18 has long been established as a commercial corridor. The (planned development district) overlay has been in place since 2006. Without the PDD, we end up with more road congestion and much less control over many aspects." Pace and fellow Trustee John Ginley both voted yes on the preliminary approval. A third trustee, Terri Berry, has recused herself from all matters related to Menards because her family owns a minority stake in a parcel of land that's part of the proposed construction site. A link to attend Thursday's meeting virtually was made available on Granger Township's website. But according to a Bath Township resident who's helped lead opposition to the Menards project since late last year, many attendees encountered difficulty when signing in and were unable to view proceedings. "It's definitely fair to say that a lot of people weren't able to get on and it wasn't a proper format for this kind of meeting," Scott Lindsay said. "The decision tonight was totally expected. It was all planned by this group of people and landowners a decade ago. Hence why they were so cavalier in pushing forward with it. It's small-town government operating with no oversight for a long period of time." Worries cited by the opposition have included increased traffic, pollution, flooding, adverse impacts to adjoining properties, drops in property value, a strain on local emergency response and removal of wetlands. "There was absolutely no comment from the public tonight," Lindsay said. "Our attorneys wanted that to happen. There's going to be an immediate appeal. There's going to be an immediate filing for a change to the zoning of the property." Roughly half of the 125 acres taken up in Menards' plans will remain open space, and access points on Route 18 and off Medina Line Road will be maintained so that any additional traffic is directed toward the commercial corridor, according to project organizers. The area is part of a 318-acre planned development district put in place more than 10 years ago. Pace said updated project plans include an extra layer of pine trees on Medina Line Road in the center portion of the property as well as additional mounding and setback space. "Not all setbacks were increased, but setbacks in certain areas were," he said. "We're talking about going north up Medina Line Road from Route 18 starting from the corner. That setback was increased from about 50 feet to 80 feet. In the center section, we've gone from one to two rows of pine trees. They'll be planted 30 feet apart, but with a double row, will give the impression of being planted 15 feet apart." "We know the concerns of people on Medina Line Road," Pace added. "We worked with the applicant to get more mounding, screening and a wider buffer on that side." A special meeting to vote on the project was originally scheduled for March 12. However, that was called off shortly before its scheduled start due to Gov. Mike DeWine's stay-at-home order and ban on large gatherings just being handed down. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.