City Business News - May / June 2013

The following project was approved:
Jaguar Cleveland - Davis Automotive – Site plan for 6,784 sq. ft. addition and renovations to 6137 Kruse Drive.

New Power Substation – The Ohio Power Siting Board authorized American Transmission Systems, Inc. to construct a new electricity transmission substation in Glenwillow.  The substation is part of a major transmission reinforcement effort to maintain the reliability and availability of electric power in Greater Cleveland, necessitated by the retirement of coal-fired generating facilities in the area.  The substation will be constructed on a 25 acre parcel at the intersection of Austin Powder Drive and Cochran Road. 

Traffic Signal Improvement Project – Council gave authorization to bid construction for the replacement and/or upgrading of all 46 traffic signals in the City.  Upon project completion, all signals will be accessible through a central computer system. The Ohio Department of Transportation will fund 80% of the project, with the City paying 20%. 

Election Results – Voters approved Liberty Ford’s request to rezone 5.6 acres at 32811 Aurora Road and 32915 Aurora Road from C-3 Commercial to C-4 Motor Service Commercial. Liberty Ford plans to redevelop the dealership with a new showroom, new façade on the existing buildings, and demolition of the 4-story office building to the east.

Also approved was an issue to rezone 2.5 acres on Aurora Road east of Solon Village (formerly Solar Shopping Center) from C-3A Commercial Shopping Center to O-1 General Office.  The parcel was rezoned in 2009 from General Office to Commercial Shopping Center when the parcel was needed for the redevelopment of Solar Shopping Center.  However, the current redevelopment plans no longer include that property.

Amendment to Permitted Uses in I-2 Industrial Manufacturing District – The Planning Commission recommended placement of a zoning amendment on the November 5^th ballot.  The amendment would permit the manufacture, assembly, restoration and remanufacture of automobiles. It would allow comprehensive automotive restoration and kit car assembly, exclusively for off-site sales, but would not permit general automotive repair services that are available to the general public.  A public hearing was scheduled for the May 20^th Council meeting.  As with all use changes, this item would be subject to voter approval if Council approves placing it on the November 5^th ballot. 

Broadband Access - Time Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC) continues to expand its existing network in Solon with the construction of new fiber and coaxial facilities on Naiman Parkway. Construction should be complete by late summer.  Earlier this year, a network expansion project was completed on Solon Road, Cochran Road north of Solon Road, Davis Industrial Parkway, and Aurora Road. TWCBC is in the early stage of investigating the feasibility of extending the network expansion project to include Cochran Road between Solon and Pettibone Roads, possibly including industrial streets off of Cochran Road. Although this potential expansion has not yet been approved, TWCBC is aware of the demand for service in that area.  For information on potential TWCBC service for your business, please contact Laura Hetrick ( or 330-572-4069) or Cindy Vanke ( or 330-510-0257).

ADA Policy – The city adopted a policy to promote the implementation of the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act for site plans and building plans subject to the City’s review.  The City will support those design options that best advance the spirit and intent of the law to ensure the rights and needs of people with disabilities.  To assist businesses in complying with accessible parking space requirements, the City prepared a pamphlet that is available at www.solonohio / Economic Development / Business Information.    

Kudos – Last December, Bloomberg Businessweek rated Solon the Best Place in Ohio to Raise Kids.  In a variation of that list, “10 Best Places to Raise Your Kids”, the City of Solon was ranked #1 in the nation. 3,200 communities nationwide with populations from 5,000-50,000 were evaluated for public school performance, safety, housing costs, commute time, poverty, adults’ educational attainment, share of households with children, diversity, median income and unemployment.

Solon High School was rated one of the nation’s best in the 2013 Newsweek and Daily Beast ranking of America’s Best High Schools, ranking #107 in the nation, # 8 in the Midwest, #3 in Ohio, and #1 in Northeast Ohio.

Solon High School also made the U.S. News & World Report list of Best High Schools, ranking #364 in the country and #13 in Ohio and received the gold medal distinction.  Gold medal high schools represent the top 500 out of 21,035 high schools in the country, ranked numerically according to their college readiness index, which measures the degree to which students are exposed to and master some college-level material while in high school.