Mr. Fred Rzepka Mr. David Whitehead
and Mr. Peter Rzepka and Mr. William J. Ryan
TRANSCON BUILDERS Vice Presidents
25250 Rockside Road Board of Commissioners
Cleveland OH 44146 CLEVELAND METROPARKS
4101 Fulton Parkway
Cleveland OH 44144
Dear Sirs:
The Northeast Ohio Sierra Club has been contacted by members in the region, voicing concern about a potential high-density development that is being pursued by TransCon Builders bordering the Hawthorne Valley Country Club.
There is a vote on the Solon ballot on May 8 to rezone the area to allow this huge development, which will utilize a 60-year-old right-of-way to cross Cleveland Metroparks land (including the all-purpose trail), and which will increase traffic on Hawthorn Parkway.
60 years ago Solon was a sleepy rural area. Even in the early 1970s, as young folks, some of us referred to the small town as “cow-town” because there seemed to be more cows than people. This was also around the time Fred Rzepka of TransCon joined the Hawthorne Valley Country Club that he would purchase nearly 30 years later.
Solon wanted to maintain its small-town benefits, so residents voted in 1987 and the mid-1990s for city-wide controlled growth zoning. The property that TransCon now owns is zoned for one unit per acre and there was a very good reason for that. There is also a right-of-way across park land, including the public’s all-purpose trail, that TransCon wants to use, granted by the Metroparks in 1946 as a favor to future landowners for driveway or road access.
Fast-forward to the present, and to recap our understanding of the situation: Fred Rzepka, President of the Cleveland Metroparks Board of Commissioners (whose #1 mission is Conservation) is pushing to change zoning to 10 units per acre (in reality, an unlimited number of attached units) in the middle of a long stretch of some of the last remaining continuous natural area in Solon. This will also greatly increase traffic across park land and on a small park road, and exhaust emissions in the area.
The property appears to be located within a system of forested headwater streams for Tinker’s Creek. These forested freshwater systems support a local ecosystem of diverse wildlife - providing food, water, and habitat. Paving so much of a forested and natural stream area may increase flooding throughout the local area from runoff that occurs when there is not enough natural area to hold excessive rain. Development would also drive deer into surrounding neighborhoods.
From what we understand, TransCon may also pursue a permit with the Cleveland Metroparks to provide an expanded right-of-way for a driveway or road, which would decrease the land utilized by the people of Cuyahoga County for their recreation and benefit the President of the Metroparks Board, which will enhance his private company’s profitable venture. This is clearly a conflict of interest.
TransCon’s website states that it has a “true desire to enhance people’s personal lives”. We hope they will stand by their words for the people of Solon and the surrounding communities who believed the land to be somewhat protected. Additionally, if this housing is built, the natural surroundings that would have provided the residents a good quality of life will mostly be gone. There are many opportunities in the region to build housing by refurbishing existing areas that are already developed, saving the forests for everyone’s enjoyment.
The Cleveland Metroparks’ Mission Statement also strives to “enhance people’s lives”. We hope, if there are any decisions to be made by the Metroparks, that both the Metroparks Board of Commissioners and Planning Department will apply this mission to enhance the lives of the residents of this region and not their own Board President. Mr. Fred Rzepka, as Board President, should recuse himself from any action requiring a Board vote, since this would also amount to a conflict of interest.
The Northeast Ohio Sierra Club values its long-standing positive relationship with the Cleveland Metroparks and appreciates the hard work they do to conserve, educate, and provide recreation for the people of the region. In keeping with the vision of William Stinchcomb, who had the foresight to protect natural lands in our region before they were lost to development, we hope that Mr. Rzepka will decide to donate this land to the Cleveland Metroparks. And we hope that the Metroparks will protect this natural area in perpetuity for the people of Solon and the Cuyahoga region.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Linda Sekura
Conservation Committee Co-Chair
NORTHEAST OHIO SIERRA CLUB
cc: Mr. Richard Kerber, Director of Planning, Cleveland Metroparks
Judge John J. Donnelly, Appointing Authority - Cleveland Metroparks Board of Directors
City of Solon, Planning Department
The Plain Dealer
The Sun Press
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