Giant Eagle Plans Hit a Snag

officials have asked the city's Architectural Review Board three times to sign off on plans for a Market District store on Pearl Road, and three times the answer has been no.

The scrutiny may have delayed the start of construction, although Giant Eagle has not announced a timetable other than hoping to begin "this summer."

Now, the soonest the company can get the Planning Commission to approve site plans is July 26 -- and that's only if the ARB is satisfied with the latest round of design revisions at its July 24 meeting.

Building Commissioner Tony Biondillo said he was not surprised to have the company make return trips to the ARB. 

"Given the scope of the project, it's not unsual to go around that many times," he said.

Giant Eagle went before the ARB for design approval May 22, but the board asked for plan revisions to help shield nearby residents from noise -- from the loading docks, rooftop heating units and trash compactors -- and light from the parking lot.

The company returned June 22 and again on Tuesday.

This week, Biondillo said the business agreed to raise the height of the masonry and brick rooftop parapets to to shield residents in nearby Hunting Meadows from noise from HVAC equipment.

Also at issue is how bright the parking lot lights should be. Giant Eagle representatives are proposing higher poles with 1,000-watt lights, while the ARB wants lower poles with 400-watt bulbs.

"We're still working on the lighting," Biondillo said.

And there is still concern about how to muffle the noise from the five to eight large trucks will deliver at the loading dock every day, in addition to eight to 10 box trucks from bread, beverage and other suppliers.

City officials want more assurance that the noise from trucks and trash compactors won't disturb nearby residents, especially at night and in the early morning.

They asked Giant Eagle officials for a noise study "and we still don't have it," Biondillo said. In lieu of that, the city wants the business to erect a masonry and brick wall around the docks to shield residents from noise.

Plans for the  store also include two outbuildings. Tenants haven't yet been identified for either, Bishop said.

The company plans to install a traffic signal at the store's southern driveway, opposite Knowlton Parkway.

Giant Eagle representatives have said they want to break ground this summer on the store, making Strongsville the home of the first ground-up Market District in northeast Ohio.