Solon Planning Commission: Liberty Road Split, Community Living Driveways, Hawthorne Estates Delay

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SOLON, Ohio – The Solon planning commission December 9, 2025, meeting was short but busy, with members shifting a long‑running Liberty Road lot split to the inactive agenda, granting driveway variances for Solon Community Living, and tabling final plat action for the Hawthorne Golf Estates age‑restricted development. A fence request on Bainbridge Road was also postponed, while an older Villas at Emerald Ridge case was brought back to life.

Commission Meets With Four Members, Approves Minutes

The Planning Commission met with four voting members present instead of its usual five. By charter, the body normally includes:

• Councilman Macke Bentley, chair
• Robert Benjamin
• Greg Greenspan
• Kimberly D. Sutton
• Mayor Edward H. Kraus
• Donna Letourneau, secretary to the Planning Commission

[City records confirm the commission’s composition.][solon_planning]

With one member absent, the commission’s attorney reminded applicants that three affirmative votes were still required for a recommendation to City Council and that they could request tabling if they felt they needed a fuller commission.

Commissioners unanimously approved the minutes from the Nov. 10, 2025 meeting.

Liberty Road Lot Split Moved to Inactive Agenda

7390 & 7384 Liberty Road – Suhaj Family Trust & Rhonda Fuldauer Trust
Case PCPC‑2025‑068 – Ward 1

A long‑tabled proposal involving a lot split/consolidation for 7390 and 7384 Liberty Road was formally moved to the inactive agenda at the applicants’ request.

The project involves:

• Permanent parcel numbers: 956‑16‑020 and 956‑16‑004
• Owners: Suhaj Family Trust and Rhonda Fuldauer Trust

The item had previously been tabled at the commission’s Oct. 28 and Nov. 10, 2025 meetings. With no new materials submitted and the applicants asking for more time, the commission voted to shift the case off the active agenda until the owners are ready to proceed.

Bainbridge Road Fence Variance Tabled

33330 Bainbridge Road – Roger Van Nostran
Case PCPC‑2025‑073 – Ward 6

A request from property owner Roger Van Nostran for a fence location variance at 33330 Bainbridge Road was tabled at the applicant’s request.

The chair said the delay will allow Van Nostran or his daughter to meet with the city and refine what is really needed on the property before the commission takes a formal vote. The application will return on a future agenda once the owner is ready.

Pettibone Road Accessory Structure Variances Approved

32201 Pettibone Road – Darren Pardue
Case PCPC‑2025‑074 – Ward 2

The commission unanimously approved two variances for an accessory structure at 32201 Pettibone Road:

• 312 sq. ft. accessory structure size variance
• 2 ft. accessory structure height variance

Owner Darren Pardue explained that the request is for a shed/barn‑style accessory building in the wooded rear portion of the property. Commissioners noted:

• The structure is larger and slightly taller than code allows.
• The location is screened toward the back of the lot.
• City engineering and planning department memos were attached and accepted as part of the approval.

No objections were reported from neighboring property owners, and the commission voted 4‑0 in favor of both variances, conditioned on compliance with the engineering and planning comments.

The project now proceeds to Solon City Council’s Dec. 15, 2025 meeting for final action. Pardue was encouraged to attend in case council members or residents raise last‑minute questions.

Solon Community Living Driveway Width Variances Approved

35000 & 35250 Home Court – Solon Community Living
Case PCPC‑2025‑075 – Ward 6

The nonprofit Solon Community Living—a neighborhood for adults with developmental disabilities located off Clearwater Court in Solon—received approval for two driveway width variances at its new homes on Home Court:

• 35250 Home Court (Building 6):

  • 7 ft. driveway width variance
  • Purpose: provide paved access for a resident who uses a walker, so they can exit a vehicle onto pavement rather than grass.

• 35000 Home Court (Building 1):

  • 14 ft. driveway width variance
  • Purpose: widen a shared driveway to safely serve four first‑floor resident units and an upstairs caregiver suite, allowing vehicles to stage and pass without blocking each other.

Representative Gary R. Biales, a board member of Solon Community Living and a development professional in senior housing, explained that:

• The 35250 driveway extension was poured to improve accessibility for a resident with mobility challenges.
• The 35000 driveway needed more width so caregivers, family visitors, and residents can safely get in and out without constant car shuffling.

Biales acknowledged the work was completed before variances were obtained, and the chair noted that a fine is possible under city procedures. However, the city’s process allows the mayor to consider waiving or reducing such fines after a formal request, and Biales was advised to follow up through the engineering department.

Both driveway variances were approved 4‑0 with:

• Engineering memo conditions, and
• Planning memo conditions.

Solon Community Living’s model—an intentional neighborhood with ADA‑compliant suites and on‑site caregiver housing—is described on the organization’s site and in previous coverage as a pocket neighborhood for adults with disabilities in Solon.
Solon Community Living – Home

Hawthorne Golf Estates Final Plat Tabled at Applicant’s Request

28500 Hawthorn Parkway – Hawthorne Golf Estates, LLC
Case PCPC‑2025‑076 – Ward 5

The commission was scheduled to consider a final plat for record purposes for Hawthorne Golf Estates, a new age‑restricted residential development at 28500 Hawthorn Parkway in Solon.

Key facts:

• Street address is spelled Hawthorn Parkway (no final “e”),
• The development itself is branded Hawthorne Golf Estates and marketed as an age‑50‑and‑over community with about 102 homesites in a preserved green setting adjacent to Cleveland Metroparks land.
  – Hawthorne Golf Estates official site

Supporting documents listed on the agenda included:

• Agenda Item Report (AIR‑25‑361)
• Bylaws and Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions, received Dec. 1, 2025

However, a same‑day request (Dec. 9, 2025) from the applicant asked that the item be tabled, and the commission complied. The final plat will return when the developer is ready for formal recording.

Villas at Emerald Ridge Moved Back to Active Agenda

Villas at Emerald Ridge Parkway – PP# 951‑23‑001 – Uday & Monisha Patel
Case PCPC‑2024‑080 – Ward 5

The commission unanimously agreed to move the Villas at Emerald Ridge project from the inactive agenda back to the active agenda at the request of the applicants, Uday and Monisha Patel.

Background from the agenda:

• The case involves a site plan modification for a development previously approved by the Planning Commission and City Council in 2018.
• The item was tabled several times in late 2024 (Oct. 29, Nov. 12, Nov. 26, and Dec. 10) and moved to the inactive agenda on Jan. 14, 2025.
• Correspondence from Uday Patel was received Jan. 13, 2025.
• A new request to move back to the active agenda was submitted Nov. 20, 2025.

With Tuesday’s vote, the Villas at Emerald Ridge plan will re‑enter active review in 2026.

December 23 Planning Commission Meeting Cancelled

Near the end of the session, the commission voted to cancel its Dec. 23, 2025 Planning Commission meeting, noting the light agenda and timing close to the holidays.

Members and staff closed with holiday well‑wishes, and the chair reminded residents that:

• Items approved on Dec. 9 are scheduled to appear on Solon City Council’s Dec. 15, 2025 agenda.
• Applicants are encouraged to attend that City Council meeting in case questions arise or public comments are made.