Planners, Citizens Weigh in on Foreseeable future Progress in Merriman Valley

The Merriman Valley straddles Akron and Cuyahoga Falls — the two biggest cities in Summit County. Inhabitants are at a layout forum this week weighing-in on how the area should be formulated in the upcoming.

The public forum at Todaro’s Bash Heart is arranged as an open house, and is centered on the area at the southern edge of Cuyahoga Valley Nationwide Park.

Gina Burk is a co-founder of the team “Maintain the Valley,” which has been crucial of proposals to create the area and is centered on guarding the environment.

“Recognizing the tree canopies and air excellent [issues], gentle pollution, and other types of air pollution — these are all matters that we can not enable to happen,” Burk mentioned.

“We want to have it place in the code that if you happen to be any place all-around the watershed of the Cuyahoga Valley that you will construct effectively and you will not construct the density which is occurring that is destroying the park.”

Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters says he is in favor of improvement, but with a rural come to feel. He is also hoping to hear strategies from inhabitants on what type of facilities — this kind of as bicycle rentals — would make the valley even a lot more of a gateway to the countrywide park.

Doug Farr is president of the sustainable urban layout firm which is running the forum. He says their program is not focused on inhabitants advancement for Akron and Cuyahoga Falls – but they do not have to be at-odds, both.

“Most all the land in the valley that we are talking about is privately owned,” Farr famous. “Individuals landowners have the appropriate to create their land in some way, shape or kind. The option that this program provides is to do so in a way that is environmentally dependable and reliable with the ethos of the valley, which is character-focused, vegetation-focused and so on.”

In a statement, officials from both of those metropolitan areas say they want to make the location extra walkable, healthful, and stunning.

The suggestions generated by the forum will be introduced when the celebration finishes on Thursday night time. Listed here is the timetable for the structure charrette: