Farmington development plans receive commission's approval

Commercial development is also planned.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The Trumbull County Planning Commission has approved a map for the first new housing development in Farmington Township in at least three decades.
The neighborhood of 60 homes off Girdle Road is also the first housing development to win approval under year-old county guidelines designed to reduce septic problems in areas without sewer service.
The development, called Farmington Woods Estates, will feature $185,000 homes on 2-acre lots, developer John Scimone said.
"If we get 60 homes in there, the development will be as big as the village of West Farmington," Farmington Trustee John Spelich said. "This will be a development like you see in Howland and Liberty and Warren and everywhere else."
He said the township has seen steady growth in homes from expatriates from Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties seeking a more rural lifestyle.
"We have plenty of land; we have peace and tranquillity; we have fresh air," Spelich said. "They want to come here to the country, and that is what we've got."
Surrounding areas
Although this is the first new housing development in Farmington in decades, there are new developments just over the Geauga County line, and the cost of land in Farmington has doubled just over the past five years, Trustee James Svoboda said.
"Champion is all built up; Middlefield has built up incredibly," he said. "It has to come this way."
The 300-acre subdivision, which includes lots as large as 10 acres, is a relatively short commute to Solon, Bainbridge and Middlefield, and a little more than an hour from downtown Cleveland via U.S. Route 422.
Plus, the taxes are low compared with more developed areas, there is no municipal income tax, and people have the perception that rural schools are good, Scimone said.
"People want to live in the country, and what was isn't anymore," said Scimone, of Walton Hills.
The only other housing development in Farmington is Plalan Lakes, on the Southington line, which officials say was laid out at least 30 years ago, but health department regulations approved in 2002 make it difficult for new homes to be built there.
Lot requirements
The county planning commission and health departments now require new homes in rural areas to be constructed on much larger lots than in the past. In most areas, depending on soil composition, the new regulations call for a minimum 1.5-acre lot for new homes.
Plans for Farmington Woods Estates include a walk, bike and horse trail around the subdivision and a place to board horses.
Scimone also owns about 12 acres of commercial-zoned property on Girdle Road, on which he said he could eventually situate a drive-through or bar and grill. He has already bought the township's two liquor licenses.
Scimone said he plans to start the development with a model home and two homes available for sale by summer.
On Tuesday, the county planning commission also recommended map changes to allow the construction of a miniature golf course on Cafaro Co. property near the Eastwood Mall. The course, to be operated by the Latell family, would be between Regal Cinemas and Cafaro Field.
Construction is hoped to begin by May 1, said David DeChristofaro, Cafaro Co. vice president of engineering and development.
The planning commission's action clears the way for county commissioners to remove from maps a road that exists only on paper. Zoning approval from both Niles and Howland is also required before construction can take place, he said.
siff@vindy.com