Granger Township Menards decision could come Monday

GRANGER TWP. — Final approval for construction of a Menards store at Medina Line Road and state Route 18 could be granted Monday night. Trustees Richard Pace and John Ginley each voted yes on preliminary approval for the project in August with a Menards store expected to anchor a new development in a 124-acre commercial subdivision with 11 subplots. A third trustee, Terri Berry, has recused herself from all matters related to Menards due to her family owning a minority stake in a parcel of land that's part of the proposed construction site. Project planners, Menards representatives and trustees met April 8 with some expectation to make a final decision. However, talks were continued until Monday due to drainage information from engineers in Medina and Summit counties that officials and residents believed still needed to be factored into plans. "This is required by both of the engineers offices and we really don't have much say," Ginley said Thursday. "On Monday, we're hoping to be getting an update as far as what's going to be required and making sure that all available information is being taken into consideration." Additions to plans cited by Menards earlier this month included reduction of parking lot light wattage from 300 to 150, with future development adhering to that same limit in their parking lots. Prospective street light wattage has been cut down from 300 to 185 watts. Officials said that additional stormwater retention infrastructure was also now part of project specifications. In January, the Medina County Department of Planning Services gave its stamp of approval for Menards plans and prospective future site development under the tag, The Market at Medina Line project. The family-owned Menards company started in 1958 and has headquarters in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It now operates more than 300 stores nationwide include in the Montrose area and Avon. Plans show four private streets including one that features a roundabout with Menards in the center of it. A traffic light at a Route 18 entrance shared with next door Pinnacle Sports complex would terminate at the roundabout. The fourth street accesses Route 18 and is a right-turn only going west, a safety measure that officials hope will mitigate long-standing safety concerns at the intersection. "We've had quite a few motor vehicle accidents pulling out onto 18 there and it's connected into the Pinnacle area," Ginley said. "We have had some fatalities there. There's no more left-hand turn into oncoming traffic. It's kind of win-win for both Pinnacle and Menards and then, of course, the township gets the win with the safety issue." Ginley emphasized there would only be two public entrances to the shopping center, the shared driveway and fourth street access with both located on Route 18. Some comments from residents earlier this month centered on a Medina Line Road entrance they thought was to be used for deliveries. That entrance would be used only by first responders in extreme emergency situations and never for deliveries, Ginley said. "One person made a mistake and told all their other friends and they thought it was gospel," he said about residents' perception of the gate. "That's understandable, though. This gate is going to be padlocked. It's not even going to be used for what you'd call a regular fire or EMS run. This would have to be a very unusual situation and that's it." A Citizens Action Group got 553 signatures on a petition to oppose the building of The Market of Medina Line with many virtually attending the April 8 Granger trustees meeting. "Do we really need a big-box store in our local development?" Medina resident Julie Buffenbarger asked that night. "I understand that big-box retailers have thrived in the past but in 2017 there were 6,700 store closures with Kmart, Toys R' Us and Walmart. In the past few months we saw the demise of Bed Bath & Beyond in Medina. Then there's a vacant parking lot that's a boon to pot holes." "We have two stores similar to Menards just 3.5 miles from this location," she added. "Is this a necessary item in Granger Township?" Residents' opposition has also focused on heavier traffic that will come with such a large store, noise pollution, and disruption to surrounding wildlife. The property is in an area designated as a PDD, or planned development district, in Granger's zoning resolution. The PDD includes a frontage on Route 18 with a depth of approximately 2,200 feet and covers the area from the eastern property boundary of the Pinnacle Sports property to Medina Line Road. Campus-style commercial, office and industrial areas are traditionally the main development goals in PDD areas. The development would be served by public sewer and water if approved. "This is a planned PDD, a planned development district," Ginley said. "We're just following the rules that were set for that. We're just making sure that Menards is doing that. There's really not much more to say than that. We're not going to make a decision until we have all of the information." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.