BY JOHN A. DARNELL JR.
      associate editor
      Six property owners along a stretch of Rt. 224, from Market St. east to Marinthana Ave., whose combined properties are worth more than $8 million, have signed a letter sent to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) strongly objecting to a $20 million project proposed by ODOT on Rt. 224.
      “We feel this is a restrictively bad design…This safety construction may greatly impact this commercial north side of Rt. 224 in a very negative and detrimental way---(future vacant plazas),” say the owners of properties stretching from 60 Boardman-Poland Rd. (owned by the Laurie Heaver Trust) to 112 Boardman-Poland Rd., owned by MK Investments, of Boardman.
      ODOT says the purpose and need for the project is to improve safety and reduce congestion, and that a ‘safety study’ conducted between 2013 and 2017 concluded there were 1,877 accidents along Rt. 224, from South Ave. to Market St. during that time frame.
      Given estimated average daily traffic counts on that portion of the road of 30,000/day, during the five year span of the study, at least 50 million vehicles drove along the study area. Less than three one-thousands of one per cent of all motorists were involved in accidents, that included two fatalities. ODOT says the some 60 per cent of the accidents were rear-end crashes.
      The property owners say “we purchased these commercial properties because of the full access to the east/west bound traffic on U.S. Rt. 224 and the daily traffic count of 30,000-36,000 vehicles per day. Having this direct access to our properties and our tenant businesses was and is paramount for our property values. This design (that will prevent left hand turns in small businesses and the Southern Park Mall) will remove that value.
      “Northernly adjacent neighborhood streets, from Market St. to Southern Blvd. (including Woodview, Newton, Crestline, Sheldon and Marinthana) will also be affected by huge traffic increases.”
      The property owners say they do not want left turn access into their properties removed.
      “Maybe ODOT should do an engineering study and change the timing of the traffic lights (Market St., mall entrance, California Ave. and Southern Blvd. to be green all at the same time so the traffic can flow through this corridor on Rt. 224, rather than being stopped at each light, or each other light as it is now.
      1 For over 30 years Rt. 224 has been configured as it is today, and some things are better just left undone to remain the same.
      “We strongly object to the flawed ODOT safety designs and the direct removal of left turn access to our properties.”
      Other developers who have objected to ODOT’s proposal include Dave Handel and Vince Fond Jr.
      Handel, developer of the Shops at Boardman Park that is valued at $35.8 million, says he believes the proposed improvements will serve to deteriorate current traffic conditions.
      “I have serious questions regarding the necessity of these dramatic changes,” Handel said.
      The Fond Property Group has developed some $28.5 million worth of properties along the proposed project area, including Applewood Commons, Verizon Wireless, Steak-n-Shake, Raising Canes, Tiffany Square, Chick-Fil-A, McDonalds, Joann Fabrics and Great Escape.
      Vince Fond Jr. notes “We have already experienced a negative economic impact.”
      Fond questions the proposed removal of a traffic light at Applewood Commons.
      A study in May, 2022 “indicates this signal is one of the average to better performing signals” and “currently meets all minimum driveway spacing and turning lane length requirements as designed,” Fond says, adding “If this signal is removed, the Applewood Commons shopping center will be permanently devalued.”
      ODOT says the proposed project is currently in the environmental engineering phase and preliminary plan development, and that right-of-way acquisition is scheduled to begin in the spring 2024, followed by construction in 2026.