Session to offer review of urban design ideas

Boardman Lake is a model of good stormwater management, the report says.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- What will likely be the starting point for a township master plan is the topic of discussion at a meeting this week.
A review of the November community design charrette is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at the township government center, Market Street.
The charrette, or public input sessions, covered three days where members of the public offered their views of problems facing the township and their possible solutions.
Terry Schwarz, a senior planner, and David Reed, senior urban designer, both of Kent State University's Urban Design Center, will deliver the presentation.
Kathy Miller, trustee chairwoman, said it will be up to the township, using input from the public, to decide what the next step is in developing a master plan for the township.
The UDC's report will probably be used in that process.
"We want citizens involved in this process," she said. "In the past, I don't think they have been."
One thing in the report that intrigues Miller is a section regarding the U.S. Route 224 and Southern Boulevard intersection.
Important site
The review calls the intersection a "pivotal development opportunity for the township."
The main fire station near the intersection is slated for replacement and it "should be designed as a signature work of architecture to establish a strong identity for the township at this gateway from Poland Township and Interstate 680," the report says.
Schwarz said the number of people who participated in the sessions was on par with that of other communities.
She and the Kent and Cleveland State University graduate students involved in the effort knew of the concerns regarding the U.S. 224 corridor before the session.
They weren't aware, however, about the level of concern regarding stormwater issues, Schwarz said.
The review includes suggestions for designing stormwater retention and detention facilities as neighborhood amenities, she said.
"Boardman Lake is a model for how stormwater can be managed," the report says of the lake between Ewing Road and Brookfield Drive.
"This small body of water is both a retention basin and a scenic neighborhood asset that is enjoyed by nearby residents."
Schwarz pointed out that the outcome of a charrette isn't a plan but rather a collection of ideas to generate interest.
In some communities, the charrette ideas become a starting point for a master plan, she said.
In others, community groups seize on some of the suggestions and take action.