LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP ZONING COMMISSION

Regular Meeting 

6776 Wedgewood Road, Medina, Ohio

July 7, 2009 @ 7:00 p.m.

 

Zoning Commission Chair Karen Schoonover called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll call indicated five members of the Zoning Commission were present:  Karen Schoonover, Dianne Wenslow, Sherri Meinke, Russ Green and Mike Biskup (at 7:08 p.m.).  Matthew Strehle (alternate) was also present.

 

Minutes

Upon motion by Dianne Wenslow, duly seconded by Sherri Meinke, the June 2, 2009, regular meeting minutes and the June 22, 2009, workshop minutes were unanimously approved and then signed.

 

Correspondence

The secretary distributed the following items:

-         July 2009 issue of Grassroots Clippings newsletter

-         Auditor Kovack’s Warning of Dangerous Scams (June 30, 2009)

 

An announcement was made relative to The University of Akron – Medina County University Center Planning and Zoning Classes scheduled for Tuesdays, October 13 through November 24, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at a cost of $119.  The township trustees will be contacted to see if the township could sponsor all or a portion of the cost for zoning board members.

 

New Business

There was no new business.

 

Old Business

Status of Comprehensive Plan Revision

Chair Schoonover stated that the trustees have approved the Medina County Department of Planning Services to complete the comprehensive plan revision and the Medina County Commissioners adopted the same.  Director Patrice Theken (MCDPS) has scheduled a public meeting for community input on Tuesday, July 21, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. at the township hall.  All zoning board members and original steering committee members are encouraged to attend and to invite fellow township residents.  The zoning secretary will take care of the public meeting notices for the Gazette.

 

Zoning Commission Suggested Priority Items  (listed for informational purposes)

The list to date includes:

-         Nonconforming Lots in Chippewa Lake Area;

-         Comprehensive Plan Revision;

-         Parking Regulations (Matt Strehle research/review);

-         Site Plan Review Procedures;

-         Abolish Rear Lots (Dianne Wenslow research/review);

-         General Clean-up of Zoning Code;

-         Lake Road Zoning Districts (Mike Biskup research/review);

-         Allowable Uses in Local Commercial (Mike Biskup research/review);

-         Conditional Uses

-         Signage (Sherri Meinke research/review)

-         Solar and Wind Power (Russ Green research/review);

-         Transportation/Trolley.

 

Review of Zoning Code and Suggested Priority Items

Some discussion points/comments of the board members included:

 

-         May need to rewrite the purpose of the various zoning districts, as some may be outdated.

-         Look at the comprehensive plan revision for update of purposes.

-         Consideration of a multi-purpose (or a blended) district.

-         Some township areas are already blended with a mix of commercial, manufacturing and/or residential.

-         Text from another township:  multi-purpose district is to provide for those commercial land uses, which can be compatible in a predominately residential area with or without sewer and water service.  The range of commercial uses in the district and the limitations on the scale of uses are designed to prevent a commercial strip.

-         Review other townships zoning code (i.e. Litchfield or Liverpool) for LC main road setback with the rear of the lot being RR.

-         Consider removing the words in the LC purpose “to serve the needs of the residents of Lafayette Township” so as not to eliminate businesses that would serve our township residents but others as well.

-         Purpose text from another township for its Intensive Business District:  to accommodate a wide range of commercial and wholesale uses along Pearl Road in the township.  The wide range of uses permitted in the Intensive Business District including multiple family dwellings is suitable in the township only in this area, which is already developed with a variety of uses in areas of central sewer and water services.  The Intensive Business District is further intended to further prevent traffic hazard in this area by requiring site of adequate width and to provide adequate buffering or screening between commercial uses and residential uses.

-         Need to coordinate the ZC work in reviewing/rewriting the zoning code with the direction the comprehensive plan revision is heading to make sure we are on parallel paths.

-         Development of a town center (where it could be located, what it would contain, etc.).

-         Chippewa Resort update (they are moving forward with financing and in discussions regarding the culinary school and waste treatment products to be used as an energy source).

-         Medina County Department of Planning Services will be reviewing the comprehensive plan draft but current/updated community input is needed and meetings will be scheduled with a completion goal of year-end.

-         Areas of future expansion of water and/or sewer in the township, which availability could influence commercial zoning in the township (contacts will be made to see if a future development plan is currently available).

-         Especially in LC a lot (or all) of the conditional uses need to be changed to permitted uses.

-         All zoning wording changes would need to be advertised for public hearings.

-         Zoning changes need to be dated and marked as revisions.

-         Site plan review by the ZC (all business uses, light manufacturing and research… shall have site plan approved by the township zoning commission prior to the issuance of a zoning certificate.

-         Make the zoning district text more user friendly by putting all information relative to each particular district in one location (permitted uses, setbacks, lighting, parking, signage, etc.) such as already exists in the Technology Park zoning district, the Chippewa Resort district, etc. so any potential developer or business owner could pull all the needed information out from one place in the text instead of starting in one section and then being referred to another section and then back to yet another different section.

 

Chair Schoonover will be contacting Patrice Theken (MCDPS) relative to some of the board’s discussion items.  In order for the ZC board members to have an “in-house” working document to review and/or for consideration of changes, the zoning secretary will start with the Local Commercial zoning district and pull out all relevant information referenced in other code sections into one draft document as suggested above.

 

Announcements

-         Comprehensive Plan meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. at the township administration building.

-         Next regular meeting of the Zoning Commission will be Tuesday, August 4, 2009, at 7 p.m. at the township hall.

 

Adjournment

Upon motion by Karen Schoonover, duly seconded by Dianne Wenslow, it was unanimous that the meeting be adjourned.  Adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

 

 

Marlene L. Oiler, Certified PP, PLS

Lafayette Township Zoning Commission Secretary 

 

 

(Note:  Minutes approved on 8/4/09.)