Resident's campaign aims to keep Hinckley Township rural

HINCKLEY TWP. — When Matt Riley moved to Hinckley three years ago, he did so in part for the rural feel and aspects that are harder to find in larger cities — extensive wildlife, peaceful, quiet areas and, perhaps most importantly, the wide-open spaces. It's these parts of Hinckley he has always felt passionate about preserving, and within the last month Riley began a campaign that has already garnered much support from a community that wants the same thing. The movement, "Keep Hinckley Township Rural," is aimed at expanding the size of lots in areas zoned R-1 residential district from 2 acres to 5 acres, thus limiting the amount of properties that can be built on a given plot of land. "It's a simple concept," Riley said. "The idea behind it is to protect the general welfare of the residents of Hinckley Township. Zoning affects the general welfare of the citizens. There are different aspects to that. There is cleanliness, safety, welfare — it's those kinds of considerations that people move here for. "They move here for their own personal reasons but those reasons are tied to what they view the environment or character to be. That character, primarily in Hinckley Township, is characterized by wide-open spaces." Riley will speak at the Hinckley trustees meeting June 15 to urge the trustees to consider the acreage change. If it were to happen, it wouldn't be the first time. According to Riley's website, in 1975, the township increased the acreage minimum from ¾ acres to 2 acres. Riley said that size is no longer sufficient and must be expanded to maintain the township's rural character. "The idea is to … preserve those wide-open spaces of Hinckley Township," Riley said. "That's what residents want and that's what they find appealing. They may have moved here for spiritual reasons, they may find comfort in wide-open space or they may find particular uses for wide-open spaces. General welfare can be interpreted in may different ways." One individual within the township familiar with zoning issues and changes such as the ones being proposed is Hinckley Trustee Chris Kalina. Kalina was named to the board in February following the death of Ray Schulte. Prior to that, he has spent the last two decades working with zoning in Sharon, Medina and Hinckley townships. The last three of those years, dating back to 2018, he served as the chair of Hinckley's zoning commission. In that time, he said six subdivisions have proposed concept plans, with ultimately only one being approved. Prior to that, Kalina said he had "30 areas of concern" he worked with the developers to address and make it more beneficial to the township and its residents. Among those changes were increasing the lot sizes of the 17-acre plot of land (meaning fewer houses), shifting the street away from existing residents and opposed the county wanting to connect the subdivision to an intersection in the township. "There's a lot of things that happen behind the scenes," Kalina said. "I have a long history of supporting rural aspects of a community and trying to preserve that." While a trustee in Medina township "about 20 years ago," he successfully increased lot sizes from 2 acres to 3, something he said was "not an easy process," and something that few, if any, others in his position in other townships or cities have been able to do. He also rejected a rezoning proposal from a senior housing development to decrease the size of lots. This is something Kalina said he is staunchly against and will not support. "I will not support any rezoning that reduces our lot sizes," Kalina said. "I will adamantly fight to preserve the rural character of our community. That means upholding lot sizes. All of those actions that I have taken since I have been involved with Hinckley Township have had one goal: to keep Hinckley rural." Kalina said he believes this track record shows commitment to working toward keeping Hinckley rural and said he "appreciates" that those within the community share his passion for this cause. "I look forward to working with this group to not only explore this pathway but to also explore other ways that we can continue to find ways to keep Hinckley rural," Kalina said. Trustee Melissa Augustine said that she believes the board as a whole is committed to keeping the township rural. After talking with the Medina County Prosecutor's Office to inquire about the possibility of moving lot sizes to 5 acres, she said she is in favor of increasing the lot size but doesn't know if 5 acres is a feasible figure. "We are each working in our own way to (keep Hinckley rural) so we each offer our own possibilities," Augustine said. "Our job as trustees is to represent the people of Hinckley. It's really important to me to be able to sit down and listen to what this group wants and go from there. "I was told (by the Prosecutor's Office) that it would be really difficult to go to 5 acres and have legal rationale for it. We are open to having a conversation. We would be amenable to upping the minimum to some level, I'm just not certain we can go to five. I'm not opposed to it at all and just want to hear what they have to say." As far as any increased tax responsibility that residents might have to bear if the lot sizes are increased and fewer residents are able to move into the township, Augustine said the trustees have always made a point to be responsible with taxpayer dollars. Most recently, the township passed a five-year, 1-mill fire levy in 2017 that brings in approximately $322,000. That levy is up for renewal next year. "We do a nice job of using the funds that are given to us and be frugal and responsible," Augustine said. "It's not an easy task. We have small budgets and a growing community. We've been trying to slowly grow our departments with the township. I think we've been quite successful." Jim Burns, Hinckley board chairman, shares Augustine's concerns about the reality of changing the lot sizes to 5 acres. He said in an email that while the movement is a "wonderful sentiment," it "has no teeth." "While we would like to freeze time when it comes to development of our corner of the world, time and time again we see the sprawl that envelopes communities and changes their character," Burns said. "Land owners have right that allow them to build on their land in accordance with the law and if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, 'If you don't own the land, you can't control its future.' "While this effort might be possible, there is a myriad of hurdles that may, in the end, be insurmountable. ... Hinckley's character is about an occasional house or development separated by large wild or farming tracts. We will resist development as much as is legal but, in the end, we will abide by the laws and regulations governing Hinckley Township." Brian Cadnum, a resident of the township since 1957, said he is in an interesting position when it comes to this proposal. He has to balance between the value of his 55 acres and his family's 23 additional acres of land versus the concept of keeping Hinckley rural. Despite that, he said he supports the movement, though he is unsure if it will ultimately be successful. "If we increase the lot sizes, my land would become more valuable and I'd end up in the same position I'm in now as far as my net worth," Cadnum said. "Having grown up here, I've always resisted the growth in our community because I've always like it rural. I know we're not going to go back to 1964, the whole concept is just to slow it down." One of the primary reasons the group is looking to make this change, alongside preserving the open spaces in the township, is to limit the strain put on township resources. "Schools, police, fire, township services and infrastructure (would be affected)," Riley said. "You talk about the geology and the topography, The forests, meadows and rivers, you have more water pollution, runoff, erosion, topsoil removal (and) disturbed land. Development has those implications." Kalina said the estimation of this strain and ways to prevent it can be done in two ways: either through a cost-of-services study or through the township's comprehensive plan, both things he worked with while with Sharon Township. If he is re-elected in November, Kalina said he would look into both of these steps to ensure residents' voices are heard and the best choices are made for the community. Riley emphasized this movement is not meant to target or attack any particular development, subdivision or individuals that in any area of Hinckley. Rather, he and those in support of his movement are doing their part to preserve beloved aspects of their township. "I've been thinking about this for three years and I think something just spoke to me in the last three weeks and said, 'Why don't you make an impact on your world and make it a better place,'" Riley said. "I didn't know the support would be so positive. "I don't want people to feel like they're being targeted. There's a wide variety of people in Hinckley Township in the socioeconomic structure overall. It's not about making anyone feel bad. It's just one man's idea who loves Hinckley Township. I love all the people here, I love everything here and I don't want this to be divisive." Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.