Upper West Branch Rocky River Watershed Balanced Growth

Upper West Branch Rocky River Watershed Balanced Growth Plan

The Rocky River Watershed Planning Partnership Rocky River Watershed Council Medina County Soil & Water Conservation District Medina County Highway Engineer Western Reserve Land Conservancy Medina-Summit Chapter Medina County Farm Bureau Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency Medina County Department of Planning Services Medina County Park District Medina County Sanitary Engineer Medina County Home Builders Association Medina County Emergency Management Agency Medina County Economic Development Corporation

Project Timeline

Project Timeline TASK Jan 06 Feb 06 Mar 06 Apr 06 May 06 Jun 06 Jul 06 Aug 06 Sep 06 Oct 06 Nov 06 Dec 06 Kick-off meetings x Land-use analysis x x x x x Impervious coverage analysis x x x x x Create prelim PCAs & PDAs x x x First annual report x

Project Timeline TASK Jan 07 Feb 07 Mar 07 Apr 07 May 07 Jun 07 Jul 07 Aug 07 Sep 07 Oct 07 Nov 07 Dec 07 WPP agrees on first draft of proposed PCAs & PDAs x x x Local governments reach consensus x x x Plan revised based upon public comment x x x Draft toolbox completed x x x x Second annual report x

Project Timeline TASK Jan 08 Feb 08 Mar 08 Apr 08 May 08 Jun 08 Jul 08 Aug 08 Sep 08 Oct 08 WPP agrees on final draft of proposed PCAs & PDAs & toolbox x x Achieve local gov't acceptance x x Endorsement of plan by OLEC x x Complete training program x x

Land Use Suitability

Land Suitability Analysis • Developed for the Ohio Lake Erie Commission by • Eco. City Cleveland • The Ohio Lake Erie Commission • Representatives of the 3 pilot watersheds for the Balanced Growth Initiative (Chagrin, Swan Creek and the Upper West Branch of the Rocky River)

AGRICULTURE Land Suitability

AGRICULTURE Factor: Important Farmlands Classification • designated by NRCS, USDA Land Category Suitability : • HIGH: all PRIME classifications • MODERATE: not prime, but deemed noteworthy (unique or locally important) • LOW: not PRIME or not unique or of local importance

Areas of HIGH SUITABILITY for AGRICULTURE

CONSERVATION Land Suitability

CONSERVATION Factors: 1. 2. 3. 4. RIPARIAN CORRIDOR FLOODPLAIN WETLAND INFILTRATIVE CAPACITY

CONSERVATION Factor #1: RIPARIAN CORRIDOR • designation by USGS digitized topographic maps at 1: 24, 000 scale Factor Suitability: • HIGH: areas that meet ONE of the following conditions: o o within 300 ft of a stream edge, stream drains over 300 square miles within 120 feet of a stream edge, stream drains 20300 square miles within 75 feet of a stream edge, stream drains 0. 5 -20 square miles within 25 feet of a stream edge, stream drains under 0. 5 square miles • LOW: areas that do not meet ANY of the above conditions

Areas of HIGH SUITABILITY for Riparian Corridors

CONSERVATION Factor #2: FLOODPLAIN • 100 year FEMA from ODNR and floodplain soils designated by NRCS Factor Suitability: • HIGH: areas that meet ONE of the following conditions: o o within a 100 -year floodplain designated by FEMA classified as floodplain soils by NRCS • LOW: areas that do not meet ANY of the above conditions

Areas of HIGH SUITABILITY for Floodplains

CONSERVATION Factor #3: WETLAND • OWI or NWI and types of hydric soils from NRCS Factor Suitability: • HIGH: areas that meet ONE of the following conditions: o o o within the confluence of an OWI-designated wetland AND hydric soils OR non-hydric soils with hydric inclusions within the confluence of a NWI-designated wetland AND hydric soils OR non-hydric soils with hydric inclusions within 165 feet of Category 3 Wetlands (designated as high quality by Ohio. EPA) • LOW: areas that do not meet ANY of the above conditions

Areas of HIGH SUITABILITY for Wetlands

CONSERVATION Factor #4: INFILTRATIVE CAPACITY • TR-55 runoff curve numbers • combinations of NRCS hydrologic soil groups (A, B, C, D) and 2003 EPA Land Cover categories prepared by University of Cincinnati Factor Suitability: • HIGH: all areas where the combination of hydrologic soil and land cover category generate a runoff curve number no greater than 79 • LOW: all areas where the combination of hydrologic soil and land cover category generate a runoff curve number greater than 79

LAND COVER HYDROLOGIC SOIL GROUP RUNOFF CURVE NUMBER SUITABILITY Forest (deciduous, evergreen) A 36 HIGH Forest (deciduous, evergreen) B 60 HIGH Forest (deciduous, evergreen) C 73 HIGH Forest (deciduous, evergreen) D 79 HIGH Pasture A 46 HIGH Pasture B 65 HIGH Pasture C 76 HIGH Pasture D 82 LOW Crop A 64 HIGH Crop B 75 HIGH Crop C 82 LOW Crop D 85 LOW Residential A 65 HIGH Residential B 77 HIGH Residential C 85 LOW Residential D 88 LOW Commercial/Industrial/Transportation A 85 LOW Commercial/Industrial/Transportation B 90 LOW Commercial/Industrial/Transportation C 92 LOW Commercial/Industrial/Transportation D 94 LOW Urban/Recreational Grasses A 50 HIGH Urban/Recreational Grasses B 68 HIGH Urban/Recreational Grasses C 79 HIGH Urban/Recreational Grasses D 84 LOW

Areas of HIGH SUITABILITY for Infiltrative Capacity

CONSERVATION Land Category Suitability: • HIGH: if an area has a HIGH suitability • LOW: if an area does NOT have a HIGH rating for any of the conservation factors (Riparian Corridor OR Floodplain OR Wetland OR Infiltrative Capacity) suitability rating for ANY of the conservation factors

All Areas of HIGH SUITABILITY for CONSERVATION

DEVELOPMENT Land Suitability

DEVELOPMENT Residential Factor: Public Sewer Service • Facility Planning Areas (208 Plans) Land Category Suitability : • HIGH: areas that currently have sewers • MODERATE: areas likely to have sewers within 20 years of last plan update • LOW: areas not likely to have sewers within 20 years of last plan update

Areas of HIGH and MODERATE SUITABILITY for Residential Development

DEVELOPMENT Commercial Factors: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Public Sewer Service Highways Highway Interchanges Fiber-optic Networks Electric Power Lines

DEVELOPMENT Commercial Factor #1: Public Sewer Service • Facility Planning Areas (208 Plans) Factor Suitability: • HIGH: areas that currently have sewers • MODERATE: areas likely to have sewers within 20 years of last plan update • LOW: areas not likely to have sewers within 20 years of last plan update

DEVELOPMENT Commercial Factor #2: Highways • Limited Access, Federal, State mapped by ODOT Factor Suitability: • • • HIGH: within ¼ mile MODERATE: between ¼ and ½ mile LOW: greater than ½ mile

DEVELOPMENT Commercial Factor #3: Highway Interchanges • mapped by ODOT Factor Suitability: • • • HIGH: within ½ mile MODERATE: between ½ and 1 mile LOW: greater than 1 mile

DEVELOPMENT Commercial Factor #4: Fiber-optic Networks • Mapped by FCC? Factor Suitability: • • • HIGH: TBD MODERATE: TBD LOW: TBD

DEVELOPMENT Commercial Factor #5: Electric Power Lines • Mapped by PUCO Factor Suitability: • • • HIGH: within ¼ mile MODERATE: between ¼ and ½ mile LOW: greater than ½ mile

DEVELOPMENT Commercial Land Category Suitability : • HIGH: must have HIGH suitability for both SEWER and ELECTRIC POWER and NOT LOW suitability for HIGHWAY INTERCHANGE • MODERATE: must have at least MODERATE suitability for both SEWER and ELECTRIC POWER and NOT LOW suitability for HIGHWAY INTERCHANGE • LOW: all areas that do not qualify as HIGH or MODERATE commercial development suitability

Areas of HIGH SUITABILITY for Commercial Development

DEVELOPMENT Industrial Factors: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Public Sewer Service Highways Highway Interchanges Fiberoptic Networks Freight Rail Lines Gas Lines Electric Power Lines

DEVELOPMENT Industrial Factor #1: Public Sewer Service • Facility Planning Areas (208 Plans) Factor Suitability: • HIGH: areas that currently have sewers • MODERATE: areas likely to have sewers within 20 years of last plan update • LOW: areas not likely to have sewers within 20 years of last plan update

DEVELOPMENT Industrial Factor #2: Highways • Limited Access, Federal, State mapped by ODOT Factor Suitability: – HIGH: within ¼ mile – MODERATE: between ¼ and ½ mile – LOW: greater than ½ mile

DEVELOPMENT Industrial Factor #3: Highway Interchanges • mapped by ODOT Factor Suitability: – HIGH: within ½ mile – MODERATE: between ½ and 1 mile – LOW: greater than 1 mile

DEVELOPMENT Industrial Factor #4: Fiber-optic Networks • Mapped by FCC? Factor Suitability: • • • HIGH: TBD MODERATE: TBD LOW: TBD

DEVELOPMENT Industrial Factor #5: Freight Rail Lines • Mapped by PUCO Factor Suitability: – HIGH: within ¼ mile – MODERATE: between ¼ and ½ mile – LOW: greater than ½ mile

DEVELOPMENT Industrial Factor #6: Gas Lines • Mapped by NPMS (National Pipeline Mapping System) Factor Suitability: • • • HIGH: TBD MODERATE: TBD LOW: TBD

DEVELOPMENT Industrial Factor #7: Electric Power Lines • Mapped by PUCO Factor Suitability: – HIGH: within ¼ mile – MODERATE: between ¼ and ½ mile – LOW: greater than ½ mile

DEVELOPMENT Industrial Land Category Suitability : • HIGH: must have HIGH suitability for both SEWER and ELECTRIC POWER and NOT LOW suitability for HIGHWAY INTERCHANGE • MODERATE: must have at least MODERATE suitability for both SEWER and ELECTRIC POWER and NOT LOW suitability for HIGHWAY INTERCHANGE • LOW: all areas that do not qualify as HIGH or MODERATE industrial development suitability

Areas of HIGH SUITABILITY for Industrial Development

Areas with HIGH SUITABLITY for BOTH AGRICULTURE AND CONSERVATION

Areas with HIGH SUITABLITY for BOTH AGRICULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT

Areas with HIGH SUITABLITY for BOTH CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Areas with HIGH SUITABLITY for ALL 3 of the LAND USES

Areas with NO HIGH SUITABLITY for ANY of the 3 LAND USES

Questions to answer before identifying Priority Conservation Areas and Priority Development Areas 1. 2. 3. How do we factor in HIGH Agricultural Suitability? Are there other suitability factors that we should include? What , if any, weight do we give to areas described as having MODERATE suitability?

Upper West Branch Rocky River Watershed Balanced Growth Plan