Land Use Section of the Barberton Neighborhood Plan 2011

Land Use State of The Community Report The area of New Portage represents a key area in the future development and prosperity of Barberton. This area encompasses the old Rockwell industrial site, as well as the new middle school, high school and the old Memorial School. In addition to these community amenities, the area is also home to a multitude of historic sites as well as plethora of different land uses.

In presenting this data to the community we will break up the facts and figures, the SWINE analysis, and also try to integrate these findings into scenarios and visions for action.

To begin with the study area consists of some 287 acres of land to north-west and almost adjacent to downtown Barberton. Of this acreage the dominant zoning types are medium industrial with 114 acres, and single family detached with approx. 84 acres, together these two land uses of industrial and housing represent some 84% of the total acreage. The rest is split up between schools, commercial, other residential and some office. The important figures to note are that Rockwell takes up approx. 35 acres of developable land minus 10-12 that could be left for open space/green space. In addition, if all the possible development areas in addition to Rockwell are taken into account, that total amounts to around 95 acres. Of course these numbers are open to interpretation when it comes to actually delimitating what will be done where, but the important thing to remember is that the New Portage area contains a substantial amount of possible development acreage as well as preservation and open-space opportunities.

At the March 10 Neighborhood stakeholders meeting citizens were given the opportunity to give some of their opinions on the strengths and weakness of the study area. These results are compiled in the Strengths, Weaknesses, Issues, Needs and Expectations, or SWINE analysis. This report revealed some useful information as to the hopes and desires that the citizens feel are pertinent to our area. For our purposes I will try to mention several that stand out in terms of land use. Perhaps the biggest strength in our area is the inclusion of new schools. Not only are these schools new in infrastructure, but they also represent an investment in Barberton by its citizens; reflected in the Excellent ratings they received by the state. It is the opinion of our study group that these new amenities represent a significant boost to the New Portage area and to Barberton as well. They may be able to be leveraged and marketed in order to attract new people to the area, thus increasing property taxes and creating higher demand for other amenities and ancillary support services such as retail, commercial and office. Another strength expressed in the SWINE report was the presence of the Rockwell site almost centrally located within our study area. As with all economic opportunities, Rockwell must be examined with utmost scrutiny when it comes to proposals that promise jobs and economic development.

While the process of determining what exactly should happen with Rockwell may take some serious time and debate, I think everyone can agree that something should happen there, and that something should express high design standards and a commitment to the long term success of Barberton as a whole. In the light of that statement, possible scenarios for development could involve neighborhood level commercial and retail to serve the new School nexus, as well as some residential development, considering its proximity to an excellent rated school system as well as its accessibility to downtown Barberton and I-76.

In terms of Issues and weakness several reoccurring themes popped out, the biggest of which would probably be the lack of job opportunities. While this can be difficult to express in terms of land use, simply re-zoning districts, and creating special use districts to attract businesses will no longer suffice. Barberton already maintains a more than adequate supply of industrial land and industrial parks within its outlying regions. In addition given the current economic climate it may be necessary to look at the long term picture, instead of trying to hit that “home-run� of economic development that so many cities seek. If other issues such as aging infrastructure, crime rates, and the low sale price of houses are to be addressed, we may be able to identify the current property values and their concurrent taxes as a possible way of approaching the situation. Instead of trying to hit that home run, a more practical approach may be to build on the resources that New Portage has, such as its schools, and proximity to the historic downtown Barberton area as amenities to attract new people and thus more property taxes to the area. In addition to this new residential development idea, surrounding areas should be addressed in terms of beautification, transportation access and mobility, as well as access to open space and parks, in an attempt to paint a new picture of the Magic City and of the New Portage neighborhood itself.

In terms of land use and zoning, what can we do to improve the area? By addressing the disconnect between current zoning types and preferred land uses, we may be able to provide a more accurate picture of what is really going on in the neighborhood. In this way we can address the blighted and vacant areas that need attention, as well as delineate areas that could serve as pocket parks, connecting corridors, and other low intensity land uses that strive to add accessibility and livability to the area while not requiring a huge investment in infrastructure and utilities. By approaching the situation of land use with a creative and long term vision, we may be able to address some of the more complex and delicate social and economic issues by creating a clear, comprehensible approach to neighborhood improvement through mixed-use and flex-use districts that allow creative and entrepreneurial uses of the land. As noted previously this could range from pocket parks, urban agriculture and community gardens, all the way to industrial incubators, and the utilization of existing structures for other uses, such as a College satellite campus, a vocational school, or another community outreach or neighborhood organization.