April 2005

Above: Heather Janesz (above) and Robert Janesz opened Chardonnay's Hair Studio and Wellness Spa two years ago, an indication of Concord Township's high-end development activity at I-90 and Ohio 44. Photo by Toby Shingleton.

Concord Township Seeing Active I-90 Development
by Lori Valyko Weber

For decades, the stretch of Ohio 44 near I-90 and Auburn Rd. has been little more than a portal into the Renaissance Quail Hollow Hotel. The miles of wooded terrain at that Concord Township intersection sat untouched by construction until about four years ago.
     Largely known as a bedroom community, Concord didn’t attract shoppers or diners. People bought homes there. But as the community grows, more people want the convenience of working and shopping close to home.
     Now with Gristmill Village offering highly visible, fashionable retail and office space, people are doing more than zipping up Ohio 44 to I-90 or, farther north, to Ohio 2. They’re indulging in massages at Chardonnay’s Spa. They’re shopping for specialty foods at Reider’s. They’re enjoying sandwiches, pastas and beers at The Red Hawk Grille. And they’re getting their recommended daily allowance of carbs at the Waffle House.
     All this recent attention is stimulating the housing market. “We’re seeing an influx of new residents,” said Bob Patterson, chairman of the Concord Township trustees. “Obviously, all the activity at Gristmill is contributing, but so is the new Amerihost Hotel and the hospital that will soon be here.”
     While many of Concord’s primary homes start at $220,000, some of the newer homes cost $600,000. “We have a stratification of median incomes,” Patterson said. “This is exactly the type of community ripe for arrival here that will support the offices and shops at Gristmill. Plus, there’s the convenience of its location for Concord residents.”
Concord’s population at around 18,000 is growing at about 11 percent a year - faster than any other place in Ohio, Patterson said. About 6,000 families live in the township, up 300 from three years ago.
     Patterson attributes some of Concord’s appeal to conservation zoning practices, implemented to save green space and preserve the natural landscape of the area. Lot sizes are not restricted, but structures must be set back from the road at least 30 feet.
Many new residential areas prohibit tree cutting. “You can drive by and never even know that houses are back there,” Patterson said. “No one can stop development, so if it’s going to happen, then we have to make sure it makes sense and that it’s done in a way that will preserve as much open space as possible. We want to retain Concord’s beautiful topography, its lakes and streams and woods.”
     Of Concord’s 23.1 square miles, only 8 percent is zoned for nonresidential use. Concord Township’s 2004 comprehensive plan shows that 482 acres are zoned for industrial use, with 304 acres still vacant. Of the 338 acres zoned commercial, about 50 remain available. Since 2000, 42 new businesses have filed permits, said Kathy Mitchell, zoning inspector.
In the last five years, about 940 dwelling permits have been issued, spurred by interest from Mentor developer Rick Osborne Jr., Painesville developer Twentieth Century Construction and others.
     “Concord is one of the areas where there has been a lot of land available for development,” Mitchell said, “and the market supported new construction rather than a resale of existing homes. It’s a prime location with great freeway accessibility and sewer availability.”

The spa treatment

      Certified public accountant Heather Janesz was searching for a business opportunity that offered her something to do other than balance the books. Five years ago, she and her husband Robert investigated the spa and salon industry. They noticed a deficiency of this type of service in Lake County’s eastern end.
     In May 2003 the Janeszes opened Chardonnay’s Hair Studio and Wellness Spa, where pampering facials, fragrant massages and dreamy Vichy showers cater to the demands of an appreciative clientele.
     “Concord, and especially the Gristmill development, was perfect for us,” she said. “This location helped set us apart from all the other salon and spa services in Mentor. Plus, there’s really not any other place within 25 miles that offers a full-service luxury spa along with designer hair salon services and a board-certified doctor who performs Botox injections, laser face lifts and other medical skin enhancements. We have it all right here.”
     Business has been brisk. In the next six to eight months they expect to hire another 30 stylists, massage therapists and technicians plus support staff beyond the current 26 employees.
Heather Janesz believes that there’s room to expand vertically into their market. “Other than extending our hours and adding new staff, I can see us consulting for other salons and spas. Plus, having Quail Hollow Resort next door opens avenues for cross marketing. We offer convenient payment options along with some luxury packages for guests at Quail.”
     Heather said her client base grows every month. “Concord is ready for the right kind of development,” she adds. “There are a lot of people who live here who want upscale products and services. The housing market here is high-end and these residents appreciate the convenience of being able to have choices in their own neighborhood.”

From wine to waffles

     Also in Gristmill is Reider’s, a grocery store with an abundance of fresh and specialty foods. “I’ve been enchanted by Concord for years,” said Bruce Reider, storeowner who also lives in Concord. “And I’m not alone. I’ve noticed many other people decide to make Concord a place to live and work. Many of these people want products that aren’t found at typical big-box stores, and that’s where Reider’s makes a difference.”
     Reider’s 27,000-square-feet store has been delivering an exquisite sensory shopping experience since Jan. 24. Aromas from the bakery tantalize passers-by. Lighting is soft, and colors and textures interplay with each other. The mood is more conducive to leisurely discovering culinary ingredients than to quickly finding the on-sale cereal bars.
     “We deliberately chose an architect who had never designed a grocery store before,” Reider said. “We wanted a feeling from floor to ceiling that was original, and didn’t seem like another supermarket. Looking at the demographics of this area, I knew I wanted something that would appeal to these people, and bring them in here to find things they want, but that they couldn’t necessarily find at their typical grocery store.”
     The humidor, scratch-made bakery, extensive wine selection and dining area that seats 35 accomplish this distinction. There’s something rather special about being able to uncork a bottle of vino and sip away while searching for an exact herb or imported organic cheese for an impressive recipe.
     Near the I-90/44 intersection in a stand-alone building is the Waffle House, where anyone who needs an omelet, sandwich or whipped-cream-topped waffle and a coffee can duck in for a quick bite. Open 24 hours per day, the Waffle House’s clientele beckons not only nearby residents but also highway traffic.
     At the other end of the culinary scale, John Palmers, a fine-dining restaurant featuring classic and original dishes, is leaving its Chardon location and moving to Gristmill in May.
“We’re looking to bring a number of food establishments to this area,” said Brian Intahar, a spokesperson for developer Rick Osborne Jr. “John Palmers appeals to high-end, upscale dining, but we’re also talking with a number of other types of eateries and are confident more cafes and other restaurants will move here as well. The area has been underserved from a retail standpoint. The demand is there, and retailers and restaurateurs are coming in. It’s been a long time in coming.”
Just across the street from Gristmill on the opposite side of Ohio 44 is the new Amerihost Inn, which opened Feb. 15. “Quail Hollow was really the only lodging choice in this area,” said owner Sam Shah. “Bringing a main market hotel here made sense.”
     Amerihost has 55 rooms, including 13 suites with whirlpools. There’s a swimming pool, fitness center, and business center with online accessibility. Although there’s no on-premises restaurant, the hotel does have a dining area, where complimentary breakfasts are served to guests.

More growth expected

     Lake Hospital System plans to break ground by early 2006 on 40 acres southwest of McDonald’s, directly across from Concord Community Center. And by 2008, it plans to open a high-tech 125-bed facility.
     This posed a challenge for Avery Dennison, a company that produces pressure-sensitive adhesives. Avery leases its 55,000-square-foot Roll Materials Worldwide Division building from Lake Hospital System. Avery has two other facilities near this site on 25 acres: Engineered Films Division and Fasson Roll North America Headquarters.
     Judy Abelman, director of communications of Roll Materials worldwide and of corporate communications in northeast Ohio, said company research showed that new construction at the Concord site wouldn’t accommodate their needs for a new research and development facility. The company hopes to remain in Lake County, and expects to build a facility that will hold both its Roll Materials Worldwide and Fasson Roll North American businesses.
     The hospital expects to employ between 800 and 1,000 people. Many of the hospital doctors are also looking to occupy office space, either at Gristmill or at a new facility to be jointly built by the hospital and physicians on the hospital property.
     “This hospital is state of the art,” said Gary J. Robinson, vice president of marketing and business development. “It’s all wireless, which is unusual at this time for a full-service facility. Currently, only the specialty hospitals tend to feature this kind of technology. We’re bringing an extremely technologically advanced facility that will be available to meet a variety of health needs.”
Universal rooms reduce patient stress; people will not be moved from room to room. Rather, portable machinery will be brought to rooms. “There will be no need to move patients to step-down units as they heal,” Robinson said. “And all the rooms will be private, so no one has to have a roommate he may not be comfortable with. Coming here will be similar to a hotel visit.”
     Extra attention is being put on aesthetics with soft lighting in private as well as common areas. “We want to capitalize on the beauty of this area,” Robinson adds. “The natural scenery drew us to Concord. All the trees, ravines and streams not only reduce patient stress, but also create a pleasant work environment for the hospital staff.”

Growing pains

     All this growth may produce an unwanted side effect: traffic. To help handle the expected incursion of traffic through and into Concord, the township is conducting a study that will project traffic patterns for the next 10 years, especially at the Auburn, Crile and Route 44 area. One part of the study suggests another ingress/egress further south of this intersection.
     Tom Bradshaw, president and chief executive officer of Ricerca, a biotechnology company that produces preclinical drugs, is concerned about employee safety as development continues. “We’re not driving any of the new construction, but a lot is going on around us,” Bradshaw said. “Not only do our employees report difficult traffic at rush hours, but we also bring in guests from all over the world. We want to do our best to ensure a safe place.”
     Even with the realization that traffic will increase, development continues. “Our infrastructure has some pressure on it right now, and it looks to get even heavier,” township trustee Patterson said. “Some of the lanes have been widened, but we’ve still had some serious accidents here . . . There’s no stopping people from coming here. The best we can do is work for balance while encouraging business opportunities along side with preserving our terrain.
     “I’ve lived in nine places in this country, including Rhode Island, a beautiful state. But I’ve chosen to live here 25 years because Concord is the greatest place in the world to be. Other people are discovering this.”

Lori Valyko Weber is a Hambden Township freelance writer.