‘Around me is like a moat’: Housing development in Franklin Township causes flooding for neighbors

Keith Schmader has lived on his 20-acre farm on Johnson Road in Franklin Township with his wife since 2016. Every spring, he said, there would be small- or medium-sized puddles on his property when it rains, but they would usually drain into the ground as fast as they would appear. Recently, though, it’s been getting worse.

Housing developer Ryan Homes started constructing a new subdivision in 2019 on about 21 acres of land in the west end of Franklin Township, near Stow. Right next door is Fish Creek, a tributary of the Cuyahoga River. Neighboring residents, including multi-generation farmers and decades-long residents, said they’ve experienced massive floods, which they blame on the housing developments.