Medina Planning Commission approves Medina Parks' site plan

MEDINA — The Medina Planning Commission unanimously approved a site plan for a new maintenance building for the Medina City Parks and Recreation Department at Reagan Park. The existing Reagan Park maintenance area includes a main facility building with an office and two smaller buildings, which are 960 square feet and 1,2000 square feet, Medina Community Development Director Andrew Dutton said. According to the submitted application, the plan is to remove the existing 1,200-square-foot building to then construct a 3,200-square-foot building to store and maintain the park's vehicles and materials. The plan was presented last week. "The whole purpose of this project is to get all the equipment that's been sitting outside for years and sitting up along the fence line, the property line (and) get it under cover and inside," Medina Parks foreman Kurt Gehring said. In addition to the approved site plan, the Medina Planning Commission approved a conditional zoning certificate for the project. The certificate was needed as the proposal includes a larger building. During Thursday's meeting, several residents who live next to Reagan Park attended to ask questions and present their concerns about the new building. One of the residents asked about the new building's location and if they would move it farther from the property line. Gehring said that the parks department looked at a couple of locations at Reagan Park before ultimately deciding to build the new building on the existing asphalt. The first location's land was tested and found to be not suitable as the property used to be an active landfill. The second location would have encroached on the power lines that go to the existing buildings. "It was the only buildable site within what was a reasonable distance," Gehring said. Other questions asked were about the building's functionality, if any trees would be cut down and what new fencing could look like. Gehring said the Medina Parks Department is still in preliminary plans for the project and is finalizing some elements of the plan like costs. He expects the project to begin in the winter or early spring. "I really appreciate the residents coming tonight and voicing their concerns," Medina Planning Commission member Monica Russell said. "It's understandable but I also appreciate that the city did look at other locations for that building." Contact reporter Sara Crawford at (330) 721-4063 or scrawford@medina-gazette.com.