Solon Officials Consider New Tactic For Downtown Development

SOLON, OH — City officials are considering rezoning portions of downtown Solon to encourage new development. To do this, the city would adopt a new, mixed-use designation, allowing properties to be both commercial and residential.

Mayor Edward Kraus told Patch the designation could create an interconnected and walkable downtown area. Currently, he feels the city's downtown zoning is antiquated.

The history of zoning designations in Solon is essentially split into two regions: the industrial designations (primarily on the western end of the city) and the residential designations. Between those two areas is a slim middle, where a commercial downtown should be. To update that space, Kraus wants a new zoning designation.

"We need to sort of take a look at what a modern-day retail district looks like now," Kraus said. "It’s not just retail. It encompasses a lot more uses in the area that were not always traditionally a part of a retail area."

Think of popular Northeast Ohio shopping districts like Legacy Village in Lyndhurst or Crocker Park in Westlake. Both properties include a mix of restaurants, retail shops, offices, and even hotels and condos. Similar developments have cropped up in Orange (Pinecrest) and Shaker Heights (the developing Van Aken District).

Diversifying the properties within a retail district gives a developer a level of cover from the hectic, fast-paced changes that occur in the retail industry. While Amazon may have an immediate impact on brick-and-mortar stores, it's less likely to hurt restaurants and hotels. The diversified retail area is appealing to developers for that reason.

Kraus wants to change the zoning to give the city a new hook for attracting those developers.

"I’m not sure those [downtown] areas are zoned properly, right now, for a modern-day mixed-use development," he told Patch. "The city needs to be a little more aggressive in making those determinations and providing that zoning for developers."

Coupled with the burgeoning rails-to-trails development, Kraus is pursing a vision of a better connected, more walkable Solon. Before the downtown rezoning can move forward, however, voters will need to vote on the designation.

That issue is unlikely to appear on ballots prior to November 2019, Kraus told Patch. He feels a May ballot appearance may be too rushed, and he wants to give officials time to review and adjust the proposed designations.

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Kraus suggested the first test-case for the new mixed-used designation could be the old Liberty Ford site, on Aurora Road. The property is currently for-sale, and Kraus feels a change in zoning may up the level of interest from developers.

Before voters can consider the designation, both the Solon City Council and Planning Commission will need to review the proposal. Initial documentation on the designation has been shared online.

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