Hudson, Ohio Planning Commission Meeting — 2019-08-12 — Downtown Phase II Final Plan Public Hearing

The Hudson, Ohio Planning Commission met Monday, August 12, 2019, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and called to order at 7:33 p.m. at Hudson Town Hall. The agenda lists Thomas Harvie as Vice Chair, while the minutes and transcript identify the presiding officer as Chair Kagler. The sole public hearing was case PC 2019-673: Robert Warner of Environmental Design Group, on behalf of the City of Hudson as property owner, sought approval of the Final Plan for Phase A of the mixed-use Downtown Phase II Planned Development, located west of Morse Road and north of Owen Brown Street. After sworn public testimony and extensive discussion about the plan's consistency with the approved preliminary plan, the Commission continued the public hearing to Monday, August 26, 2019, with the stated intent of taking final action then.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the July 8, 2019, Planning Commission minutes on a motion by Lehman; Vitale and Chuparkoff abstained.
• No correspondence, non-agenda public discussion, or old business was taken up; those agenda items were handled without action.

Public Comments & Testimony

• One resident complimented City Council, the Testa Companies (appearing as "Tested Companies" in the transcript), the Planning Commission, and city staff for taking a large amount of public input after the recent election and revising the plan accordingly.
• Multiple residents expressed concerns: the plan includes no or very little usable community space open to the public; the three-story building in Block C is a concern; and the plan appears "geared slightly very different" from what was originally envisioned, yielding a product that may have only a 20-year life for a project planned for 30 years.
• One resident stated that City Council asked for apartments to be removed and that apartments "are still here." The applicant's presentation and the meeting minutes state the attached apartments were eliminated, a discrepancy the record does not reconcile.
• In traffic-focused remarks, a resident said traffic counts on Owen Brown Street would not be higher than current levels, expressed support that the plan would create no more traffic than the prior bus use, suggested on-street parking be allowed except between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m., and referenced the Ohio EPA Section 319 grant pursued with the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District for an area north of the Owen Brown Bridge.
• One speaker stated the property generated an estimated $191,000 in annual revenue between income tax and property tax before Phase II, and called the financial agreement a key discussion piece for City Council.
• Another speaker urged the Commission to "make a decision that is for the good of the entire community and not just the loudest speakers that say no."

Discussion Items

• Community Development Director Greg Hannan introduced the Final Plan for Downtown Phase II, Phase A, reviewed the summary table in the staff report, and noted staff's recommendation was approval. He added that City Council requested the final plan be forwarded to council for acceptance, though the Land Development Code does not require it.
• Robert Warner of Environmental Design Group presented the applicant's plan, stating the attached housing apartments had been eliminated in favor of other housing types.
• City Solicitor Matthew Vazzana outlined the approval framework: the Planning Commission recommended approval of the preliminary plan in July 2018 and City Council accepted it on September 4, 2018; the Land Development Code requires the final plan to conform in all respects to the preliminary plan; final plan changes must relate to conditions imposed with the preliminary plan; City Council has the right, but not the obligation, to review final plan submittals; and final plan approval is a Planning Commission action.
• Commission members discussed whether the final plan still conformed to the preliminary approval, with one member reading the code requirement that the final plan "conform in all respects" to the preliminary plan and observing the plan moves "further and further away" from it. Members noted the pocket neighborhood and zero-lot-line detached single-family housing types were not present in the preliminary plan and asked how a restriction would be handled in Phase A rather than "punted" to Phase B.
• A member cited preliminary-plan condition 4D requiring a north-south street or other traffic restrictor in the least restrictive form. Traffic circulation was discussed: under the future design, southbound Morse Road traffic would enter the development via one of two streets, and street parking would be provided throughout the development.
• Commission members expressed concern about the three-story building in Block C, and discussed how the developer and city reduced building massing by presenting eight or nine different homes.
• Staff and applicant clarified that the Windstream property is part of the Phase A approval process; although the city does not yet own the parcel, Windstream consented in writing to including its parcel in the development plan application.
• Fire marshal review was discussed: initial discussions acknowledged the ring-road concept can work, but a different design would require additional study, and any approval would require fire marshal acceptance of the final design.
• On stormwater, it was stated that the full 20-acre site would meet the city's land development and engineering standards for stormwater management.

Key Outcomes

• No final vote was taken on PC 2019-673 during the August 12 meeting.
• The public hearing was continued to Monday, August 26, 2019, at 7:30 p.m., with the specific intent that the Commission take final action at that meeting.
• The applicant agreed to address the Commission's comments, supply additional documentation and updates, and issue a revised staff report by Thursday, August 22, 2019.
• The Commission noted the preliminary plan approval has a one-year duration running from City Council's September 4, 2018 acceptance, establishing a deadline for final action.
• The July 8, 2019, minutes were approved on the consent calendar (Lehman moved; Vitale and Chuparkoff abstained).