Auroraadvocate.com - Revenue sharing possible; Aurora, Bainbridge may discuss JEDD

by Brent Hovey

Reporter

Aurora -- A shopping center? A housing development? A museum?

At this point, no one knows what is in store for the land previously occupied by the amusement side of Geauga Lake, but one or more of the above are a possibility.

Although it might be several months before a future use is determined, city of Aurora and Bainbridge Township officials hope to have plans in place for when development occurs.

The idea of forming a Joint Economic Development District has been tossed around by both communities, although there have been no official meetings.

"Just because Geauga Lake isn't releasing any information doesn't mean we're not moving forward in a proactive manner," said Bainbridge Township Trustee Jeff Markley.

In a JEDD, a township can join with a neighboring municipality, which has the power to levy an income tax. The two then share the tax revenue.

According to Markley, Aurora and Bainbridge have not talked face-to-face about the prospects of a JEDD, but he would like to see that change soon.

"It's tough to say when a good time would be," said Markley. "Because there seems to be a lack of interest right now, the only thing I'd push for is dialog.

"We'd like to discuss with Aurora what we'd like to see there and what we expect to see there based on zoning, land use and traffic issues," Markley added.

AURORA Mayor Lynn McGill said it's difficult to decide what direction to take right now when there are so many questions about the sale of the land.

"When more information is available to us, we are interested in talking with our neighbor [Bainbridge] about how we can work with each other," he said.

"We're always interested in working with our neighbors on projects that benefit both of us."

Markley said it would be beneficial to be proactive so potential developers know what the communities want to see built on the property.

"We can start to work toward putting some direction together as to what both communities think should be there," said Markley.

Markley said another reason to meet with Aurora is to try to come up with a maintenance plan for the land.

"It's going to look like hell in short order if Cedar Fair doesn't make an attempt to keep it up," he said. "The township doesn't have the authority to regulate anything other than for safety concerns."

About 500 acres surrounding Geauga Lake are on the market. In the spring, Cedar Fair sought bids for three parcels.

One bid -- for 11 acres including and surrounding the Geauga Lake Hotel -- has been accepted, according to Cedar Fair officials, but no purchase price has been divulged.

A Cedar Fair official recently said the initial bids for the other two parcels were below expectations, and negotiations with the bidders were being pursued.

"We think the land is worth more," said Dick Kinzel, president and chief executive officer of Cedar Fair.

E-mail: bhovey@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3115