Brunswick City Council establishes special planning district at Center and Pearl roads

BRUNSWICK — Brunswick City Council passed an ordinance Monday to establish the special planning district at Center Road and Pearl Road, although two councilmen voted against it. The approximately 28-acre property is an L-shape along Center and Pearl roads. The plan for the property comprises retail space along Center and Pearl roads, 239 apartments in three- and four-story buildings, 43 two-story attached residential townhomes and green space with recreational areas. Ward 1 Councilman Mike Abella voted against the ordinance to establish the special planning district. He believes the large number of apartments will cause more traffic congestion in the area. Abella said, years ago, he sponsored a moratorium on apartments, which has since been lifted because of the newest version of the comprehensive plan. "I think this area needs to be reworked," he said. "The apartments need to be limited. We need to offer more businesses that our residents want before we start building up all of the apartments." Ward 3 Councilman Brandon Lambert also voted against the ordinance. He said he had similar concerns regarding the amount of apartments and traffic issues, and he believes the project is not good for current Brunswick residents. "I'm not saying these aren't going to be amazing, immaculate, the greatest apartments ever built, but it's just not right for Brunswick right now," he said. "It's not the right location. It's going to cause a lot of traffic issues. It's going to cause current residents to have a lot of headaches, or at least have their current headaches exacerbated a little bit." Councilman-at-Large Joe Delsanter said a lot of the focus against the special planning district is apartments, but the plan also features retail and townhomes. He believes the development will be a catalyst to improve the rest of the commercial corridor on Center and Pearl roads. "What we do know is that the design elements of this particular mixed-use development raises the profile of that region," he said. "Keep in mind, the region we're talking about is primarily a commercial corridor that has to have rehabilitation. You're encouraging some of the more dated properties around it with the advancement of this new development with a higher class of product." Vice Mayor Nick Hanek said there have been multiple iterations of the plan for the property that have been reworked using feedback from Planning Commission meetings. He similarly feels the project is a "tremendous investment" to the area. "Those of us that have been around for years and years and years know that it has been a challenge on Pearl (Road)," he said. "One of the goals of this Council over the, I believe, the last two cycles has been to have investment, to have improvements on the Pearl corridor and to not allow things to stagnate there." Special planning districts allow areas to have more-compatible uses and more flexible and creative design than traditional zoning districts. Council recently approved a special planning district at Mapleside. A plan for a senior living special planning district is currently going through Planning Commission. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.