Subdivision hearings continue with officials

Conversations regarding subdivision regulation changes continued during an Aug. 6 Lorain County commissioners meeting.

During the first hearing July 16, representatives from developers and planners discussed issues that often arise between builders and utility companies as homes slowly make their way to the market.

In cases of inclement weather around the nation, Ryan Homes market land manager Kevin Kwiatkowski and Yost Construction owner Robert Yost said some developers can wait months after construction has been completed for the utilities companies to install cable, gas and electric.

Developers and contractors only are responsible for water, sewer and storm sewer mains.

Kwiatkowski requested that the definition of improvements should have more clarifications so that those utilities out of the developer’s control are not included.

“The issue we run into is gas, electric, telephone and cable,” he said during the meeting.

“We are put in franchise agreements between the individual townships and their utility providers, and that often times holds us up in terms of as a builder.”

Yost said since the utility companies install those utilities free of charge and gain a customer in the process, there’s no real way to valuate those as improvements.

In terms of receiving bonds for the utilities, Kwiatkowski said it would be more effort than it’s worth.

“Logistically, it’s kind of cumbersome to explain that properly because they’re not telling us much those improvements are,” he said.

Additionally, Kwiatkowski called for sidewalk responsibilities to be clarified as the homeowner’s, with the Homeowners Association, to help fix damaged sidewalks if the owner does not comply.

This, however, should not be the sole responsibility of the association, he said.

Kwiatkowski and Lorain County Community Development Department planner Christin Brandon called on the need to expand the maximum number of lots on dead- end streets in subdivisions.

“Our old regulations only allowed for a total of 15 lots on a dead-end street, and that wasn’t reasonable with sewers,” Brandon said.

The proposed regulation change is 50 lots to a dead end street, which is depended on the length of the street and density of the lots.

“That way, it gives them more of an opportunity to get the number of lots they need to make it affordable for those improvements,” Brandon said. “However, we don’t want to encourage great big long cul-desacs, so that’s why we did limit that you could have a maximum length or a maximum of units.”

Avon Lake attorney Gerald Phillips submitted a proposed amendment to the commissioners to help protect townships against annexation and clarify discretion and standards.

County Administrator James Cordes also called for these hearings and regulation reviews to occur more regularly every three or four years, since the last major changes made to subdivision regulations were back in 2008.