Issue 20: Rezoning Property Could Bring 140 Jobs to City

There's a 4.8-acre parcel on Darrow Road that hasn't been used in years, but a Toledo-based nursing home company is looking to change the parcel's fate.

On May 3, voters will be asked to approve a rezoning of the property, at the northeast corner of Darrow and Highland roads, from industrial to public facility. If approved, HCR ManorCare Health Services LLC will construct a 63,000-square-foot, 120-bed nursing home and will bring 140 jobs to the city, said Twinsburg Planning and Development Director Larry Finch.

The property was first purchased by the city to build a fire station at the south end of town, however after studies, the city realized the need was nullified, Finch said.

"The decision was made to sell the property, but before we sold it, we had to rezone it from public facility back to industrial, which the voters passed," Finch said. "When it was put to auction, a local businessperson bought it and he held it for a couple years, then decided to sell."

That's when ManorCare stepped in.

"The nursing home operators provided Planning Commission with a plan of how they would develop the site and indicated that several jobs would be created – several more jobs than if it were used for small industrial space," Finch said. "So they painted a pretty good picture and it was approved by planning and later City Council drew up legislation to put it on the ballot."

Dave Lanning, ManorCare's vice president of development, said the state mandates where there is a need for more nursing home beds, and Twinsburg is one of those places.

"The demand is huge there for that kind of facility," Lanning said. "The state determines where they need facilities and encourage people to build where there is a need. There are not enough beds there."

ManorCare has 500 nursing homes nationwide and there are eight in the Cleveland area, Lanning said. The new facility would be built down the road from a Cleveland Clinic location, which Lanning said is another advantage to the parcel.

"We'll be bringing in an immediate tax and 140 jobs," Lanning said. "We'll be a taxpayer right way on a piece of land that will not be used any time in the foreseeable future."