Pinecrest

 

Walnut Hills Residential

After several years of sitting on the sideline as a result of COVID and economic issues, the Walnut Hills Residential project is moving forward. On December 23,  a public meeting was held to enable Orange Village residents to be informed on the history and status of the project. A presentation was provided by the  developer and his team to reacquaint the community with the proposal that is now poised to begin its journey through the design review process. Their  presentation will be available along with the recording of the public meeting on the Orange Village website.

With this in mind, I would like to share some of the salient points related to the development.

  • The Pinecrest Planned Development District (PPDD) was adopted following a vote of the residents in November of 2013.
  • This zoning designation creates a specific section in the Orange Village Zoning Code that addresses the regulations and requirements for the development of the property within the district.
  • There are two other districts including the Chagrin Highlands Planned Development District and the Orange Place South Planned Development District (passed by referendum vote of the Village in May 2024).
  • The regulations, standards, and requirements within the zoning code guide the decisions, process, character, quality, and modification process for the district bound by the specific code section.
  • The voters approved the regulatory language of the PPDD.
  • A plan accompanied the zoning regulations, it was provided as an illustration of how the development might layout based upon the regulations.
  • Within the regulations approved by the electorate there were six (6) distinct sub-districts established that were defined for both their areas and allowed uses within them.
    • The commercial districts which we have come to enjoy as a community falls within sub-districts one through four (1-4).
    • District five (5) is the residential district, which is the focus of this discussion and is the location of the Walnut Hills Residential development.
    • District six (6) is the buffer district and was an essential component of the original approval and provided for a ten (10) acre green buffer and mound between the Waterford Court community and Pinecrest.
    • A Development Agreement adopted separately by Council as a corollary provided requirements for expectations and responsibilities of the parties governing the entire area and that the residents to the east would be protected from sights, sounds, or smells that might be detected from the development.
  • The Pinecrest Planned Development District regulations specified the amendment process for internal changes within the property as well as where and when modifications would rise to the level of either council action or voter engagement.
    • Only, where a district would significantly increase or decrease in area, or
    • Where the uses within that district are altered to include unincluded applications.
    • This flexibility gave rise to the final development of the lifestyle and mixed-use center we have today, which is far more desirable than the power center and sea of parking provided as an illustration of the zoning code.
  • Within the regulations and standards are requirements for the overall development to incorporate the highest quality of design, materials, and spaces to produce the intended quality the Village envisions for Pinecrest.
  • These standards have been constantly reiterated to the development team to continue this approach into the residential component.
  • When the overall development was proposed, the previous administration encouraged the original developer to acquire the former Beachwood Inn and to incorporate it into the project.
    • The zoning district does include the hotel property.
    • Due to legal and financial issues that site could not be acquired by the original developer.
    • The property fell into foreclosure and became available through sheriff’s sale.
    • The former mayor then asked the current development team to purchase the property, which they did.
    • It will now serve as the entrance way into the residential district.
    • Once the project has cleared the first hurdle of Preliminary Development Plan approval, the hotel will be demolished. We anticipate that happening in the first quarter of 2025.
  • The original previous plans were designed with the site being addressed as level ground, which it is not, and requires extensive site grading to address the nearly fifty feet of fall from east to west.
  • The plans now being proposed take these grading challenges into account along with factors that relate to the desire for a high-end development.

The presentation can be viewed here. 

You can also view the video from the December 23, 2024 meeting where the above information was presented (there was an issue with the audio, we are sorry for the inconvenience).

Thank you all for your attention and best wishes for a great and successful New Year.

Warm Regards,

Judson Kline, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP
Mayor

 

Discover Pinecrest

Visit Cleveland.com to see a slide show with the article.

Enjoy a video presentation.     See the report from Fox 8 News.

WKYC News gives viewers a glimpse of what’s coming to Pinecrest.

The Latest Development Plan – September 2015

The Pinecrest Development plan has been better defined. Click here to see the latest presentation.

Promotional Brochure

See the brochure that showcases all the various aspects of the Pinecrest development project including:

  • Living
  • Shopping
  • Entertainment
  • Area Ammenities
  • Site Plan
  • Demographics
Council Action
Recent Reports

Posted 5/7/15

PINECREST DEVELOPMENT – TIF FACTS

There has been a lot of misinformation being circulated regarding the Pinecrest development and the request of the Pinecrest developer for Tax Increment Financing (“TIF”) to assist in paying for a portion of the costs of the Pinecrest development, primarily related to the construction of the parking garage, public infrastructure improvements and other related amenities. We hope to provide some basic information regarding TIFs and the Pinecrest development to assist in clearing up this misinformation. Click here for details.

Estimated New Tax Revenue Generation Analysis

Click here to read the latest report that summarizes the estimated tax revenues which are projected to be generated from the proposed Pinecrest Development.
All the latest information about the Pinecrest Development Project was published in a Vision Book on January 6, 2015. The 35 page pdf contains information about all aspects of the project.

*Please note that due to the size of the book it may take a few moments to fully load.

Traffic Study 11-24-14

Audio Recordings January 6th – Planning & Zoning Meeting

February 10th Special Meeting

TIF report posted on 3/29/15

The following documents were prepared on 11-15-13

Earlier Documents Include: