Akron is moving forward with plans for a housing development new to Cuyahoga Valley National Park on 76-acres of land that used to be a golf course.
The Akron Planning Commission voted 3-2 last week to recommend the project from the Petros Development Group to build 197 new townhomes on the former Riverwoods golf course in the Merriman Valley.
The developer says it will deed 45 acres of land to the West Creek Conservancy.
The group, Preserve the Valley, opposes the development. Member Drew Holland attended the planning commissioners meeting Nov. 20.
“I applaud [the Petros Development Group] for providing that land to a conservancy, but I react negatively to is the developer saying they’re doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. That's simply not the case. You can’t develop that land. Those fifty acres, they’re a floodplain.”
The project now heads to Akron City Council Planning and Economic Development Committee for a final vote Dec. 14 on the development.
