Planning Commission Authorizes Letter to Senate Select Committee on Housing
Planning Commission – September 10, 2024
Meeting: The Geauga Planning Commission met in Regular Session on September 10, 2024 at 7:30 am at the Geauga County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Chardon, OH 44024. This meeting was in person with no virtual attendance option. The agenda is normally available online prior to the meeting. A copy is also available at the meeting. Observer Note: The website presents the minutes and meeting dates, and the agenda is included in that section.
Public Comment Policy: No formal policy, but in practice, public comment could be permitted at the Chair’s prerogative. However, this does not happen. No public comment is solicited or offered except in cases of matters where an applicant or zoning inspector is present to answer questions regarding an item on the agenda.
Board Attendance: Chair Nick Gorris, Vice Chair Dennis Bergansky, Commissioner James Dvorak, and Members Walter (Skip) Claypool, Caterina Cocca-Fulton, Matt Johnson, Jim McCaskey, and Dan Miller. Commissioners Ralph Spidalieri and Tim Lennon were absent. Secretary/Treasurer Gary Neola was absent.
Staff Attendance: Linda Crombie, Planning Director, Allyson Kobus, Planner II, and Pamela Irizarry, Administrative Assistant
Others Attending: Chris Alusheff, Chester Township Zoning Inspector and this Observer. No members of the press were present.
Minutes - Minutes are available online here. Scroll down until the section on Minutes and Agendas.
Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call, Approval of Minutes - Minutes for the July 9, 2024 meeting were approved. Observer Note: the August meeting was canceled due to lack of quorum.
Approval of Agenda/Addendum Items - One change was made to add an item to the Correspondence section to include a letter from Burton Township.
Financial Report as of September 3, 2024 and Approval of Expenses - Approved
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Expenses -$148,781.63
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Balance remaining as of date of the meeting: $97,328.37
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Fees received year to date: $5,519.00
Director’s Report - This report was given at the end of the meeting.
Other Business: Planning and Zoning Workshop
The Director attended and said that interesting presentations included the following:
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Lake County Development - review of economic development in Lake County, looking at their website to present “Living and Working in Lake County”
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New Community Authority (NCA) - this is a method of financing development costs. See Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 349.01 that was discussed
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There was a presentation from a Housing Authority regarding using “Family self-sufficiency” in the Section 8 voucher program. Observer Note: This is a voluntary program outlined in Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations: “Promotes the development of local strategies to coordinate public and private resources that help housing choice voucher program participants, public housing tenants, and tenants in the Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) program obtain employment that will enable participating families to achieve economic independence and reduce dependence on welfare assistance and rental subsidies.” See HUD website for more information.
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Comprehensive Plan information was presented.
Major Subdivisions to be Reviewed: None
Township Zoning Amendments to be Reviewed:
The Amendment will remove the application for zoning change from the Township Zoning Amendment so that they can change the Application without changing their zoning. There were a few comments that were suggested for this section. Chester Zoning inspector Chris Alusheff stated that they would like to create new applications that would be just for signs, Accessory Buildings and fences that would have more pertinent information for those specific uses. Mr. Claypool asked a question about churches as a conditional variance and stated that he feels that churches should get a perpetual conditional variance. This was not one of the changes recommended by the Board.
Approved with minor changes recommended with Mr. Claypool voting no.
This section contained various changes, including a zoning certificate requirement for fences and walls. In Shopping District and Industrial areas, the amendment removes language that is duplicative. Approved
This is a text amendment regarding the number of feet that a swimming pool can be built from a septic system or well. The amendment states the new distance as 10’ and brings this in line with Geauga Public Health regulations. Approved
This Amendment adds regulation of signs to the Institutional Zone and amends the Table of Contents to include this addition. Approved
This was a very large amendment to eight chapters and numerous sections within chapters. There was a lot of discussion and numerous comments were approved to be communicated to Bainbridge, some of which were minor. Key recommendations and sections are as follows:
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Section 131: Adding “Professional Office District.” Director Nick Gorris pointed out that this district is already on their zoning map. This amendment would limit those in the district to non-retail activities. Mr. Claypool said that, “It's a little socialist to me.” He said that an optometrist might also sell eyeglasses. It was agreed to recommend that “incidental retail use” could be added.
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Section 153: Regarding Farm Markets and Agri-tourism. Recommended use of “shall” get a zoning certificate rather than “may.” It was noted that Townships are permitted to regulate Agri-tourism
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Section 159: Environmental standards. There were a lot of changes regarding storm water. Recommended deferring to Geauga Soil and Water, as they would regulate this area and not zoning.
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Section 160 - Minor change to wording recommended. The Director noted that they are referencing sections that have not yet been approved, and it was recommended that they wait to put forward this section of the amendment until after the new sections that are referenced are approved and added.
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Section 169 - Off Street Parking. The Amendment lists a new minimum driveway width of 12’. The old width was 10’ but the Fire Department had recommended 12’. Mr. Claypool asked “How often do you need a fire truck?”
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Another section that elicited a lot of discussion was a change in parking at school parking lots, adding spaces to accommodate more student use of vehicles. Mr. Claypool said that “zoning shouldn’t decide how much parking is required.” Mr. Dvorak suggested that they consult with the Ohio High School Facility Commission recommendations. See Ohio Facility Commission for more information. It was recommended that more research be done by Bainbridge on this section.
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Section 169.10 - Adding minimum driveway setbacks. This area was deemed to be confusing, and it was stated that ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) has standards that would apply.
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Section 177 - Prohibited Uses. They have added this section on prohibiting small wind farms and small solar. It was noted that Townships are permitted to regulate small solar and wind farms. Mr. Claypool pointed out that if the use is agricultural then ORC (Ohio Revised Code) says you must permit it. Recommended adding an exception for individual household use (under 50 megawatts power).
This Amendment was approved with the suggested changes to be communicated to Bainbridge.
Correspondence
This was correspondence from Chris Alvarado from Chris Ronayne’s office. Observer Note: Chris Ronayne is the Cuyahoga County Executive. Chris Alvarado is the head of the Cuyahoga County Department of Regional Collaboration. It was stated that “they” wanted to use the Planning Commission Director’s name on a survey to go out to all counties in the region. It was stated in the letter that they are trying to identify best practices across all counties. Ms. Crombie sent them the link from their website on public officials. Observer Note: Vibrant NEO studies are listed on the NOACA website as resources here. It is not clear if this is a followup to those surveys or a separate effort by Cuyahoga County.
Mr. Claypool said he objected to having anything to do with this survey and was glad that the Director did not let her name be used. Mr. Bergansky said regarding Grace Gallucci, “Wasn’t that the girl that came in and talked to us?” Observer Note: Grace Gallucci is the Executive Director & CEO of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). She attended the meeting of the Planning Commission Board on October 12, 2023.
Motion to not sign the letter passed unanimously.
This analysis is required to receive CDBG (Community Development Block Grants). Every five years it is required to list impediments to fair housing. Local agencies are invited to attend meetings. The Planning Commission staff shared the results of the housing inventory completed this summer on apartments, triplexes, etc. A consultant is still working on this report.
Mr. Claypool asked the question of staff at Geauga County Metropolitan Housing Department, “what is fair housing?” He said that no one could define it, and, “A lot of this is bogus. I personally would turn this money down.” Mr. Bergansky asked “Do we really have impediments?” Mr. Claypool said it had to do with subsidized and section 8 housing. Mr. Bergansky said, “Do they actually come up with impediments?”
Observer Note: No action was requested or taken on this matter, as the survey is being conducted by the Community Development Department of the County which administers the CDBG grants.
Mr. McKaskey left the meeting at this point, but there was still a quorum
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Burton Township - The Director reported that Burton Township is working on their Land Use Plan and has asked the Planning staff for assistance with their survey. The director did not think it would entail a lot of work. She reported that Burton also asked for assistance with mapping. Assisting Burton Township was approved, with Mr. Gorris abstaining.
Old Business - Senate Select Committee Letter to Ohio Senate Select Committee on Housing
There were a few changes to this letter as in accordance with a prior request by Board Member Gary Neola to add information about subsidized housing that it should not be for a lifetime. The letter was approved and printed so that all board members could sign. The letter was obtained by this observer through a request to the Director. As of this date, it is not signed by anyone who was not present at the end of the meeting to sign the letter, and it is not on the Planning Commission website.
The letter is addressed to: Senator Michele Reynolds, District 3 Senate Select Committee on Housing, Chair.
The subject line is “We, the Geauga County Planning Commission, submit this letter in support of township zoning.”
The letter continues: “Zoning is complex and while it is not without its challenges for government officials, residents, businesses, and developers alike, it is an important community service and function of local government. “
The letter also weighs in on the topic of subsidized housing “Government subsidized housing also serves a need; however, the goal of the program should be short-term, not long-term or on a lifetime basis.“
The letter further offers six recommendations on zoning:
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Provide Zoning Education (to assist Townships) - there are multiple suggestions listed here.
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Update the Ohio Model Zoning Code: “The Ohio Department of Development used to maintain the Ohio Model Zoning Code. This should be updated as a comprehensive resource for all townships, cities, and villages across the state.“
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Define Affordable Housing - This section says in part, “If you ask five different people what they think affordable housing means, you will likely receive five different answers. Understanding the topic and why it is an issue is an essential first step…. Create a one-page info sheet explaining if more than 30% of your income is spent on mortgage/rent and utilities, you are living beyond your means. Show the math of a real-life example of a family of four making $40,000 and what they realistically can afford (depends on market location).“
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Basic Home Finance Tutorial - This section recommends providing education to help residents to learn how to budget. It says, in part, “Many do not learn the basics of how to budget and save money in their home life, or even realize that it is their responsibility to do so.”
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Encourage Government officials (to) meet with local experts at the Metropolitan Housing Authority, Job and Family Services agencies, housing councils, etc. to create relationships and understand the needs and solutions at the local level.
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Investigate other housing options such as manufactured homes or co-ops.
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The letter concludes with a request for more advanced notice of any public hearings on these topics.
Director’s Report - Observer Note: The Director referenced the fact that all Board members received a copy and mentioned some aspects of the report. The following includes what was mentioned at the meeting and items in the report that was obtained by this Observer.
Key items:
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Lot Splits - four - all on the eastern side of the County
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New Building Lots - Three (3) new building lot proposals were submitted in August as follows: Montville (2) and Newbury (1).
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Claridon Land Use Plan - “staff is still working on various chapters of the plan”
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Thompson Township Land Use Plan - As stated in the Director’s report: “The survey was mailed to all households in early September as part of the Township’s Thompson Tidbits newsletter.”
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A Township’s Guide to Updating a Land Use Plan - The Director stated in her report (but did not mention at the meeting) “Over the past couple of months as time permits, I have been editing the above referenced guide. I will present the draft at the October meeting.”
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Commercial Construction Activity, August 2024 - There were no significant construction projects for August 2024.
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Housing Inventory of apartments and multi-family dwellings. The Director reported that the intern who worked during the summer completed the housing inventory and found 1,416 apartment units, 1,357 condominiums, 664 duplexes and 156 triplexes.
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The intern also updated the soil layer data on maps.
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Legislative Activity - There was a lot of information in the August Director’s report, but only one item mentioned in which the Director took action. This was not discussed at the meeting: SB 299 (Enact Section 5325.01 regarding short-term rentals, introduced 6/24/24). The Director reported that she “notified the fiscal officers, zoning commission secretaries, and zoning inspectors so they are aware of it.” The bill is in Committee, and a summary is reported as follows: Limits the purposes for which townships, counties, and municipal corporations may regulate short-term rental properties. This bill would also require “the Superintendent of the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing to issue licenses to licensed real estate brokers and salespersons in an electronic format.”
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Legislative Action discussed at the meeting: SB52 - Allows County Commissioners to prohibit over 50 megawatts power generation from wind farms or solar. The commissioners can prohibit this in the entire county or parts of the county. See ORC 303.57 and following sections and ORC 4906: “The power siting board shall not grant a certificate for the construction, operation, and maintenance of, or material amendment to an existing certificate for, a utility facility, either as proposed or as modified by the board, to be constructed in a restricted area of the unincorporated area of a county, as designated by that county's board of county commissioners under sections 303.58 and 303.59 of the Revised Code, if the utility facility is of a type prohibited in the restricted area.”
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APA Ohio Advocacy Days - the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Society held a meeting on July 31 and discussed non-conforming lots, zoning to allow building in-fill development and the eight suburbs that changed zoning to allow for in-fill development. Observer Note: In-fill zoning, as it sounds, would allow small lot nonconforming development that is in between other properties. See APA website here for details.
New Business - none
Adjourned at 9:24 am.
Next meeting: October 8, 2024 at 7:30 am.
More Information about the Geauga Planning Commission is available online.
Observer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Anne Ondrey
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Submitted: 9/22/2024
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