Politics & Government

Planning Commission Against Picnic Area, Dog Park At Shopping Center

The planning commission and Mayor Drucker spoke out against the proposal for the Shoppes at Solon North.

Members of the Solon Planning Commission will vote Tuesday on a proposal for at the Shoppes of Solon North.

But it doesn't look good for the proposal, which members of the commission spoke out against at a meeting in late March. The proposal was tabled because some members of the commission were not present at that meeting.

It will be considered again on Tuesday, April 10, at .

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Developer Randy Kertesz wants to build a dog park and picnic area at the Shoppes of Solon North on Miles Road.

Brainard Miles Retail Development LLC has applied to the Solon Planning Commission for permission to build the park, which would be constructed on an undeveloped portion of the shopping plaza, which is on Miles Road in northwest Solon.

Find out what's happening in Solonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The fenced in dog park area would be 30-feet by 50-feet and would be open to customers and employees of the shopping center. The plan also calls for a picnic area with tables and benches.

In a memo to city planners, the deveoper says the park would be policed twice each day for trash and pets will be required to be kept on a leash.

Kertesz said he wants to build the area as a temporary use until he can build the next phase of the shopping plaza.

But members of the commission, including Mayor Susan Drucker, said they opposed the idea. Drucker said she didn't approve of such temporary uses. She said the flower barn there last year did not make any money for the city or the schools.

As for the picnic and fenced-in dog area, Drucker said it doesn't fit.

"I don't think that's a picnic area," she said. "It's a commercial area."

Kertesz said he's not trying to make money with the picnic area; he's simply trying to provide an amenity for the neighborhood.

"It's not a revenue draw, per se, it's just an accomodation," he said. "It's to try to be friendly to the neighborhood."

The planning commission isn't the only group that doesn't like the idea. Solon Patch readers in our poll asking about the proposal. More than 100 were against the idea.


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