Administration Seeks Public Input on Zoning and Party Houses

Council to hear proposal to outsource tax collection to RITA, vote on rooster ban

You may be immersed in the diversions of summer, but Stow’s administration and city council are busy working on initiatives for which they need your input, including the Planning & Zoning Code update project and an ordinance to allow residential homes to be converted to social gathering venues.

First up – your feedback needed on planning & zoning

Where future housing developments, retail and commercial buildings are built in Stow and how they look could change based on the input residents provide in an online survey.

On June 5, the city hosted a kick-off open house at City Hall for residents to learn more about the project to update the city’s Planning & Zoning Code and to provide input on key topics. This week, the city posted an online survey to gather more detailed input from residents.

Stow online survey for planning & zoning — Click image above to fill out the survey.

Why is the Planning & Zoning Code being updated? In 2017, the city developed a Comprehensive Plan, which outlined desired planning policies based on resident feedback at that time. The Comprehensive Plan was just a visionary document, it wasn’t made into a law at that time. Additionally, a diagnostic report of the city’s code in 2022 by a consulting firm determined that the city’s code is overly complicated, has various inconsistencies and is obsolete.

According to Planning Director Zack Cowan, the last update to the Planning & Zoning Code was done in 2007.

“The City has had some form of zoning code since at least the ‘50s,” he said. “Since then, it’s been piecemealed together through amendments here and there with major updates in 1979, 1993 and 2007. However, even those major updates were not a complete rewrite of the code. We still have language in the current code that has been in place since 1979.”

So, to implement the vision of the 2017 Comprehensive Plan, incorporate any updated priorities since then, and address the deficiencies identified in the 2022 diagnostic report, the Planning & Zoning Code must be rewritten.

Council At-Large Kyle Herman, who also serves as chair of council’s Planning Committee, stressed the importance of getting input from Stow residents.

“I know planning and zoning can be wonky, but this survey is really about asking residents what kind of city we want to live in and how our generation can improve Stow's quality of life for generations to come. The changes we make to our code will help guide the types of homes and businesses that are allowed or encouraged in various parts of our community as redevelopment takes place at a natural pace,” he said.

"Stow's outdated code is burdensome for homeowners and businesses and is very restrictive and contradictory to our city's goals – for example, the current code prioritizes giant empty parking lots instead of allowing more walkable and sustainable commercial and mixed-use neighborhoods to develop,” Herman added. “I hear from many residents who wish Stow had more walkable town centers or even a downtown area with restaurants with outdoor patio seating and storefronts closer to sidewalks. Liberating our code could unlock Stow's potential, but we need community input and buy-in as we undertake this rewrite.”

Now’s the time to speak up on this project. Fill out the survey here.

Public hearing scheduled to get feedback on social gathering venues in residential neighborhoods

City Council has scheduled a public hearing on July 18 at 5 pm in council chambers to get resident feedback on proposed legislation to allow homes in residential neighborhoods to be used or converted for use as commercial social gathering venues.

Stow public hearing on social gathering venues legislation

The conditional use allowance would only apply to properties that have a minimum lot size of 1 acre and that comply with parking, lighting and signage requirements.

The ordinance was introduced as a result of a request by Stow residents Stephen and Deana Cheatwood, who have already built cabins and a pavilion at their homesite on Hudson Drive Extension, to rent the facilities for weddings and other events. City Council discussed the ordinance at its last meeting on June 13, then set the July 18 date for public comment as prescribed by law. The proposed ordinance was denied in a 3-2 vote by the Planning Commission on May 28 after more than a year of negotiation between the Cheatwoods and the city administration over regulations for this conditional use. You can listen to audio of the May 28 discussion by Planning Commission or read the meeting minutes.

To override the Planning Commission’s vote to deny the ordinance, City Council would need to vote by supermajority, 5-2, in favor of it.

At issue for the Cheatwoods is the ordinance’s requirement that their property comply with state fire codes for commercial buildings, which they said would place an unreasonable cost and burden on them as residential homeowners, as well as requirements for a minimum number of parking spaces and signage.

The Cheatwoods and their attorney David Worhatch presented their concerns at council’s Planning Committee during the last meeting, including allegations that the administration was unfairly applying punitive regulations on their endeavor.

See council’s discussion of the ordinance here during Planning Committee and additional public comments here during the main council meeting.

A related piece of legislation presented at the last meeting was approved by City Council 7-0. The ordinance to allow the Cheatwoods to use their cabins as boarding houses utilizes an existing designated use in the city’s code.

Finance Director to propose outsourcing tax collection to RITA

At City Council’s Finance Committee meeting on Thursday, June 27, Stow Finance Director Kelly Toppin will ask council to approve legislation to outsource the city’s tax collection efforts to a third-party vendor known as RITA.

The move follows an evaluation of staffing needs in the department after a resignation on April 12.

In a detailed memo to City Council, Toppin outlined the tax department’s staffing needs based on a comparison with other cities that still fully manage their tax functions in-house, as well as the cost to increase staffing and other complicating factors, such as the complexity of maintaining updated tax software and being able to provide robust online tools to help Stow residents file their taxes.

He also provided detailed information on the expected cost savings by going with RITA and improved tax collection.

“By partnering with RITA, the Finance Department anticipates long-term benefits including reduced costs, increased collections, improved compliance, and increased services for residents. These results would not be guaranteed if we were to simply hire additional staff into our existing department. RITA brings reliability, efficiency, and expertise while proactively addressing the evolving challenges in tax administration,” the memo said.

The memo to council was co-signed by Deputy Director of Finance Jamie Twigg and Deputy Director of Finance/Tax Administrator Sami Wagner.

Toppin first alerted council to the need to evaluate staffing needs at the Finance Committee meeting on May 23. This year, he said, the tax department managed 29,000 tax filings with a department made up of one tax administrator, one full-time tax supervisor and two part-time employees. Ten years ago, the department handled 19,000 tax filings with one tax administrator, five full-time employees and one part-time employee.

Representatives from RITA will make a presentation and answer questions at the Finance Committee meeting at 5:45 pm Thursday in Council Chambers and also will be present at council’s main meeting at 7 pm that evening for its first reading. The ordinance is expected to have three readings in council before going to a vote.

The Finance Committee meeting, like the regular City Council meetings, are open to the public. Residents who would like to comment on this legislation can do so during the public comment period at either the Finance Committee meeting or main council meeting.

Councilmembers Coffey, Herman hope to save some roosters

On Thursday, council is expected to vote on legislation to ban roosters in the city of Stow, with an amendment that would exempt property owners with a minimum of 4 acres whose roosters are housed at least 100 feet from any property line.

At council’s June 13 meeting, Ward 2 Councilwoman Kelly Coffey recommended the addition of the amendment to enable small family farms located within her ward to keep their roosters. She said that in speaking with those property owners, none had said they’d received complaints about their roosters.

Council At-Large Kyle Herman expressed support at the meeting for exempting certain properties, in part as recognition for the city’s history as a farming community.

The proposed legislation will be the first item of business discussed at council’s meeting Thursday at 7 pm. See the proposed legislation here. A public comment period, during which residents can express their thoughts on the topic, will precede council's vote on the legislation.

Also on the agenda tomorrow

There are several other items of interest that will be introduced at the council’s Committee of the Whole meeting June 27 at 6:15 pm:

A resolution to allow the mayor and law director to accept a settlement reached by the State of Ohio with retail grocery chain Kroger, which was sued by the city as part of a national opioid class-action lawsuit. According to Law Director Drew Reilly, the amount the city will receive is dependent on the number of municipalities that agree to settle. The city should know what that amount will be sometime in August. In 2022, the city participated in a settlement with Giant Eagle. Funds from the opioid settlements are being used to fund the services of a drug abuse counselor at Stow-Munroe Falls High School and training for the city’s K-9 unit.
A resolution to approve the 2024 Summit County 9-1-1 Plan, which provides the funding and processes for managing the county’s 911 system. State law requires 66 percent of the county’s municipalities to approve the county plan for it to go into effect.
Legislation to allow the city to obtain bids to build a First Responders Memorial at the Safety Building. Council previously approved $70,000 for the memorial, with the city obtaining an additional $79,000 in private donations and $95,000 from a state grant.

Items of note from June 13 meeting

In addition to the discussions about the rooster ban and a new classification of zoning for social gathering venues, council voted on several items of note at its June 13 meeting:

Fireworks legislation that would have limited the use of fireworks in Stow to only the week of the July 4th holiday was defeated on a 5-2 vote, with just Council At-Large Kyle Herman and Ward 3 Councilman John Baranek voting in favor of the legislation. The current Stow law, which allows residents to shoot off fireworks on 21 days throughout the year on designated holidays, mirrors Ohio fireworks law. Councilmembers voting against the proposed legislation to limit the number of days previously expressed concern about restricting their use on cultural holidays and felt that improved communication by the city to residents about upcoming “fireworks holidays” would enable residents impacted by fireworks to be prepared. See council’s discussion and the vote on this legislation.
Council approved the creation of a new position and hiring of Sarah McGuinness as Deputy Director of Development on a 6-1 vote with Ward 4 Councilman Mario Fiocca voting against.
Council approved 7-0 the conditional use application for an adult day care center that would provide services to adults with developmental disabilities in a facility to be located in Graham Square Shopping Plaza.

Mark your calendars!

The next Stow Sunshine Project club meeting will be August 19 at 7 pm in the Safety Building community room. Police Chief Jeff Film will be the featured speaker and will discuss a number of topics, including: