Chapter XX - Mantua



CHAPTER 4 – EXISTING CONDITIONS

An examination of the local conditions and trends with respect to current land use patterns and existing environmental and development constraints is necessary to determine appropriate future development and conservation plans for Mantua Village and the best locations for growth, development and redevelopment. In order to best manage future growth, Mantua’s residential, commercial and industrial land use needs must be coordinated with the infrastructure capacity, environmental constraints and the community’s vision for the future.

Existing Land Use

A. Land Use Types and Amounts

Historically Mantua Village served as a hub for the surrounding agricultural community. In 1855, the Erie Railroad established a stop in Mantua and it became a thriving shipping center for local farmers and merchants prior to its incorporation in 1898. Surrounding communities still maintain a strong agricultural base, but one that is no longer reliant on the central shipping services the Village provided in its early years.

As is typical in other historic small towns in northeast Ohio, Mantua Village’s residential and commercial development was and continues to be concentrated on small lots in and near the village center. Commerce extended from the central portion of the community along the main roads. In Mantua, businesses flourished north along Main Street (State Route 44), largely avoiding the developmental constraints associated with the Cuyahoga River, which runs through the middle of the Village. Larger parcels of land used for agricultural activities and industrial enterprises were established on the periphery of the community.

The Village of Mantua occupies 920.3 acres of land according to the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study’s (AMATS) 2000 Land Use Inventory (Table 13, Land Use in Acres 2000). Approximately 284 acres of land are classified as vacant; at least 40 acres of this vacant land is not suitable for development due to the presence of wetlands, floodplains, or steep slopes. Because the Cuyahoga River and its wetlands occupy a significant portion of the Village, several large parks and protected areas have been established the southern half of the Village (Map 2, Mantua Village Land Use). Some of these protected areas were created after AMATS’ 2000 land use inventory and are not depicted on Map 2, but are shown on Map 3, Parks and Protected Areas.

1. Residential Land Use

There are two significant residential areas in the Village. These areas are primarily single-family units on small lots connected by a network of sidewalks and a series of streets lined with well-established trees. There are scattered two-family and multi-family units in the residential areas. In the residential area west of Main Street there are several vacant lots that could be used for infill development. Approximately 40 acres of vacant land between Bramley Drive and the Village’s western corporate boundary on the north side of High Street could also be utilized for future residential development. If a large subdivision were to be developed in this area, the Village should encourage the extension of Bramley Drive to John Edward Drive. This would allow adequate ingress and egress to the area as well as more economical provision of essential services[1].

The number of residential dwellings located on the eastern side of Main Street is less dense due to the area’s close proximity to the Cuyahoga River and its floodplain. A 25-acre tract of undeveloped land is located along the Village’s northern corporate boundary near Woodford Road and Park Street. If this area were to be improved, the Village should encourage the extension of Glenwood Drive to Woodford Street and Woodford Street to Coldbrook Drive to create a system of well-connected neighborhood streets.

2. Commercial Land Use

The Central Business District area is located along State Route 44/Main Street primarily between High Street and the Cuyahoga River. It is comprised of retail and service establishments, places of worship, public and private institutions, civic organizations and multi-family dwellings. Many of the buildings in the Central Business District are historic, adding to the character of the Village commercial area. The Mantua Station Brick Commercial District, on the east side of Main Street near Prospect Street, is registered on the National Register of Historic Districts. There are other scattered commercial establishments in the Village including two mini-storage facilities located along Peck Road at the High Street intersection.

3. Public Land Use

The Crestwood School District is the centerpiece of the northwest quadrant of the Village. The high school and middle school, bus parking, track, and several ball fields occupy over 60 acres, though a significant portion of the land remains in a more natural state. The new elementary school complex is farther north in Mantua Township.

4. Industrial Land Use

An industrial park is located west of Main Street in the southwestern portion of the Village. The industrial park, established in the 1990s, contains several companies engaged in a variety of manufacturing endeavors. Since this area was established, Village officials have worked to extend the industrial park’s main roadway, Mats Road, to Main Street, by proposing a bridge across the Cuyahoga River. The Village has not secured funding for the bridge’s construction to date. A few more industrial sites are located along the east side of Main Street near the Cuyahoga River. Another industrial business is located along the east side of Prospect Street at the High Street intersection. A large petroleum transfer and storage facility is located on the north side of High Street near the Village’s eastern corporate boundary. The company also operates a pipe line transfer facility at this location.

B. Open Space, Parks and Recreational Facilities

The Village of Mantua has parks, hiking/biking trails, nature preserves, the Cuyahoga River and numerous lakes and green spaces that make it an ideal place for outdoor recreation. There are also baseball fields and basketball courts for organized team sports. In 1998, President Clinton named the Cuyahoga River one of fourteen American Heritage Rivers. From Geauga County, through the Village and south to State Route 14 in Streetsboro the Cuyahoga is also a state-designated Scenic River. Numerous acres of preserved open space and recreational park land surround the banks of the Cuyahoga River (Map 3, Parks and Protected Areas).

1. State Nature Preserves

Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve and the Charles Tummonds State Nature Preserve, both along the Cuyahoga River in the Mantua Village area, are held by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Natural Areas and Preserves. Marsh Wetlands is west of Peck Road and south of the Headwaters Hike & Bike Trail. Tummonds State Nature Preserve is located south and west of the Village but is part of a continuous protected area along the Cuyahoga River that begins in the Village.

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According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Marsh Wetlands is 153 acres of “excellent habitat for waterfowl as well as numerous other wetland species of both plants and animals.” It was dedicated in 1990 and is classified as an emergent marsh[2]. It is a part of the Mantua Swamp region, which was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1976 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

2. Parks

Buchert Park occupies 12.7 acres of land along the banks of the Cuyahoga River on the south side of High Street and 6 additional acres on the north side of High Street. It is the location of Mantua’s famous Potato Festival. In September 2006 Mantua held its 32nd annual Potato Festival, celebrating the major agricultural crop grown in the area in the past. Delicious food made from potatoes, such as candy, doughnuts, perogies, pancakes, bread, cookies, and of course French fries, potato chips and baked potatoes are highlighted during the festival. Other activities are offered during the weekend of the celebration.

The Village of Mantua’s Country Farmers Market, the Portage County Soap Box Derby and the annual RiverScape are also held at Buchert Park. The Farmer’s Market, sponsored by the Mantua Rotary Club, is open the 1st and 3rd Saturdays in July, August, September and October. Shoppers can select from a wide array of locally grown produce and crafts. The Soap Box Derby is held in early summer. Contestants race down High Street past Buchert Park.

3. Trails

• The Village recently completed the Buchert Park Trail. The trail is located along the edge of the Cuyahoga River, allowing easy access to the Headwaters Hike & Bike Trail from the Park. The Village received a Recreational Trail Grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and funding assistance from the Portage County Board of Commissioners to construct the Buchert Park Trail as well as a 16 ton, 90-foot long pedestrian/bicyclist bridge, designed by CT Consultants, over the Cuyahoga River.

• The Glacial Esker Trail (Map 3) is located behind the Water Treatment Plant near the Cuyahoga River in the southwest portion of the Village. It is an unimproved 8-foot wide trail on the top of a ridge resulting from the last glacial retreat. The trail runs between a small lake and the Cuyahoga River. It is intended to be a loop trail at some point in the future. The wellheads for the Village’s Water Treatment Plant are adjacent to the trail. The Mantua Rotary Club has provided trail signage and a resting facility with benches and picnic tables near the trailhead.

• The crushed limestone Headwaters Hike & Bike Trail (Map 4), designed for hiking, biking and horseback riding, is owned and maintained by the Portage Park District. It crosses the Village along the abandoned rail bed of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, though a portion in the center of the Village runs slightly south of the railroad avoiding several commercial areas. Approximately, two miles of the eight and one-half miles of completed trail pass through the Village and the bridge installed in 2003 allows trail users to cross the Cuyahoga River. The trail begins in Garrettsville Village and has been completed to Mennonite Road, west of Mantua Village. The section to Mennonite Road was constructed with funds obtained through a Recreational Trails Grant and the Portage County Commissioners. Plans call for an extension of the trail to the northwest along the abandoned railroad into the City of Aurora, through Geauga County and into Cuyahoga County (Map 3). The trail may also be extended east from Garrettsville into Trumbull County.

4. Conservation Areas

Several areas in the Village have been preserved with conservation easements, protecting important wetlands along the Cuyahoga River and near the source of drinking water facilities south of Mats Road and west of Main Street.

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[1] Essential services include utilities, such as gas, electrical, water and sewer, and the facilities to ensure their distribution, such as poles, wires, mains, drains, sewer and water lines, and other equipment and accessories such as traffic signals, and fire hydrants.

[2] An emergent marsh is defined as a wetland on semi-permanently flooded soils with < 30% tree cover and < 50% shrub cover that is NOT dominated by cattails or non-native species (Source Descriptions of Natural Communities in the River Valleys Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program.

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TABLE 13

LAND USE IN ACRES

2000

|Land Use Type |Acreage |

|Residential |162.9 |

|Retail | 6.8 |

|Services | 14.2 |

|Wholesale | 61.9 |

|Manufacturing | 33.6 |

|Transportation Terminals & Utilities | 1.3 |

|Transportation Facilities | 62.0 |

|Public Buildings | 63.5 |

|Public Open Space |185.0 |

|Vacant Unusable | 38.8 |

|Water | 45.2 |

|Vacant Usable |245.1 |

|Total |920.3 |

Source: Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study

Beaver at Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve

Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources

MAP 2

MAP 3

Headwaters Trail Bridge

Source: Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber of Commerce

MAP 4

The Headwaters Hike & Bike Trail, northern Portage County (2007).

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