The South Euclid planning commission heard from Akron Children’s about what it plans to do with the former Notre Dame College property on South Green Road and listened to concerns from nearby residents at a meeting on Oct. 8.

The planning commission will vote at a later date on whether or not to recommend that city council approves rezoning the former Notre Dame College property in order for Akron Children’s to redevelop the property.

The proposal would rezone the former campus from its existing R-75 single-family residential zoning to mixed-use transit oriented development district zoning and would give the hospital more flexibility to implement their reworking of the campus.

Council would refer the rezoning proposal to its planning and zoning committee if the planning commission recommended the rezoning, and then it hold its own public hearing before a final vote. The planning commission did not say when it would vote for its recommendation, and the Oct. 8 meeting served as a public hearing for residents to voice opinions.

“Akron Children’s is currently working on a master plan for the property that will incorporate a diverse range of uses,” Daniel Monroe, serving as interim chairperson of the South Euclid planning commission, said at the meeting. “In order to best facilitate the development of the master plan in discussions with Akron Children’s, we feel a necessary first step is rezoning the property. The current single-family residential designation does not fit the site. In order to ensure the property can be an asset to the community, rezoning seems necessary.”

He added that even if rezoning were approved, each individual project or use would still have to go through the city’s approval process, which would include review by boards and commissions and, potentially, approval by council. Residents would also get the opportunity to have their opinions heard in each scenario.

Monroe said that Akron Children’s has committed to finding a user for the historic Notre Dame College administration building, that will properly preserve it along with the green space, known as the quad, in front of it and the old grove trees in that same area.

“Beyond that, they plan to look at the entire campus holistically as they develop their mature plan and ensure it creates a property that will be a major asset to the South Euclid community,” he said. “Additonal partners will likely become involved as the master plan is developed and implemented.”

Brian Lapolla, who serves as the vice president of operations & facilities at Akron Children’s, represented the hospital at the meeting and said its goal is to ensure the property remains a valuable asset to the city of South Euclid and the surrounding community well into the future.

“Akron Children’s is committed to establishing a medical facility, a medical presence, on the campus,” he said. “However, given the size of the property and the existing facilities, we recognize there is a significant opportunity to explore complimentary uses on the campus, which could include office, recreation, education, residential and other developmental opportunities.”

According to plans shown at the meeting, Yeshiva Derech Hatorah will use about 7.7 acres in the northwest section of the property, with a plan to convert the former Regina High School at 1857 Lawnway Road to a pre-K to eighth grade boys school after the Cleveland Heights-based Orthodox Jewish school purchased the building on a land lease from Akron Children’s for $2.2 million in late July.

A little over 21 acres on the west side of the former campus, which include the access drive off South Green Road, the ballfields, an open lot, Keller Center (Notre Dame’s former athletics and recreation center), the former football field and former baseball diamond and soccer field, will be the main area of use for Akron Children’s, while about 19 acres will be set aside for further development on the east side, which includes the former library, administration building, dining halls and dormitories.

Lapolla said it has considered partnering with the city to install a walking trail and use the green space in the quad in order for the land to still be used as a community asset, as it was as a university where people could walk around.

When asked by a member of the planning commission if he knew how many workers would use the facility, Lapolla said that number is not yet known as a business plan is still being developed.

After Lapolla presented Akron Children’s plans, residents, both via Zoom and in person, were allowed to express their thoughts on the rezoning proposal.

Kathryn Jensen, who lives just south of the property, said she and her fellow neighbors are concerned about where the entrances and exits to the property would be as parts of the campus butt up against residential neighborhoods, and she said she hopes the major entrance to the property remains across from the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at the former Regina High School and the football stadium.

Jensen and other residents also expressed that they would like to see the green space and wildlife be preserved as the campus is often used like a park by residents.

Paul McGuigan, who lives in a neighborhood north of the campus, said he is concerned about traffic increase and said that he hopes the “city does a good traffic survey to make sure they can handle everything that’s proposed.”

Lisa Cellura, who lives in a neighborhood north of the campus, said she has worries that Akron Children’s could see the east end of the property slated for future development “to the next big-box store that will stay there for five years and then close and remain empty.”

Akron Children’s bought the property after winning a private auction held on May 7 with a bid of $8 million. Most of the nearly 49-acre property including 14 buildings and about 481,000 square feet were included in the purchase. Smaller properties that were owned by Notre Dame, like single-family houses, are being sold separately.

Notre Dame College, a private Catholic school, opened in 1922 and closed on May 2, 2024, due to declining enrollment, a shrinking pool of college-age students, rising costs and significant debt, according to previous CJN news reports.