A plan to bring a different mindset to zoning in Summit County could soon take another step forward. Stakeholders in the Merriman Valley are considering launching a new partnership to help guide development in the area.
Residents have been engaged in talks about what the future of development in the valley should look like for several years, culminating in the Merriman Valley Schumacher Area Master Plan. Since then, Akron and Cuyahoga Falls have both passed new zoning codes for the valley, which city planners say promotes walkability, affordable housing and small businesses, key tenets of the master plan.
Their focus is now on creating a Cuyahoga Valley Gateway Partnership, comprised of stakeholders, which will guide development, Cuyahoga Falls Community Development Director Diana Colavecchio said.
“Finding other environmentally friendly businesses that want to relocate," she said.
The partnership would also work to attract new visitors to the area, which includes the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Colavecchio said. One project the partnership might tackle is getting visitors of the park to stay in the area longer - as many will enjoy the park for the day and then leave, she said.
There’s increased interest in preserving the environment in the area, aligning with the Merriman Valley Schumacher Area Master Plan’s goals, with Boston Heights becoming the latest municipality to become a Cuyahoga Valley National Park Gateway Community, Colavecchio said. It joins Akron, Cuyahoga Falls and Peninsula in that designation.
“There’s not going to be an outlier out there doing something with future development that is harmful," she said.
The partnership would also help guide zoning in the valley, with Akron and Cuyahoga Falls both passing new zoning codes for the area in recent years, Colavecchio said.
“We’ll ask that partnership to also take a look at it, to be involved in some of the key components of that," she said. "We want to be partners here. Really, we want to be good neighbors.”
Since Cuyahoga Falls passed the new code in 2024, no developers have made new plans in the valley, Colavecchio said.
Volunteers are now discussing how to bring the partnership to life, Colavecchio said.
