Hudson Planning Commission Meeting – August 12, 2024

The Hudson Planning Commission met Monday, August 12, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 27 East Main Street, Hudson, Ohio. All seven commissioners were present: Chair David Nystrom, Vice Chair Sarah Norman, Fred Innamorato, Melissa Jones, Matt Romano, Ronald Stolle, and Erik Vaughan. Chair Nystrom swore in those who would give testimony. The commission approved three sets of minutes, continued a Laurel Lake conditional-use case, recommended approval of the 2024 Hudson Comprehensive Plan, approved an outdoor classroom pavilion for Ellsworth Hill Elementary, and recommended a sidewalk funds-in-lieu text amendment to City Council.

Approval of Minutes

• April 25, 2024 joint City Council/Planning Commission minutes were approved 4–0 with 3 abstentions (motion by Ms. Norman, second by Mr. Romano; Jones, Norman, Vaughan, and Romano voting aye).
• July 8, 2024 minutes were approved 3–1–3 after discussion about whether 14 individual findings of fact in the previous decision had been unanimously agreed to. Mr. Stolle objected to presenting them as unanimous findings of fact; staff and other commissioners noted the minutes corresponded to the written decision and that the single motion had passed. Voting aye: Norman, Romano, Nystrom; nay: Stolle; abstaining: Jones, Vaughan, Innamorato.
• July 22, 2024 minutes were approved 4–0–3 (motion by Mr. Stolle, second by Mr. Vaughan; Norman, Stolle, Vaughan, and Nystrom voting aye).

Public Discussion & Correspondence

• No member of the public spoke during the Public Discussion portion of the agenda.
• Commissioner Melissa Jones announced her resignation, effective after this meeting, because she accepted a position with the U.S. District Court in Akron; ethics and conflict rules require her to leave governmental boards. Chair Nystrom thanked her for her service. Mr. Vaughan will assume her role as the Industrial Subcommittee representative.

Old Business

Laurel Lake – PC 2024-221

• The applicant requested continuation of its conditional use/site plan request for seven additional duplex buildings (14 total units) at the Laurel Lake continuing care retirement community. A motion to continue to the September 9, 2024, Planning Commission meeting passed 7–0.
• Note: The agenda and minutes body state the request was to continue to September 9, 2024, but the minutes attachment list references a letter requesting continuation to the 10.14.24 meeting; the commission's voted action was to continue to September 9.

2024 Hudson Comprehensive Plan – PC 2024-820

• Steering Committee Chair Rebecca Leiter, 134 Aurora Street, and Vice Chair Jessie Obert, 76 Parmalee Drive, answered commissioners' questions and responded to prior comments, referencing an August 6, 2024 memo of agreed changes.
• Commissioners discussed the YDC property future land use designation. Mr. Innamorato expressed concern that designating YDC as office park did not align with the community survey, citing 88% resident support for parks and describing the property as a potential major park amenity. The Steering Committee representatives stated the committee deliberately chose to keep YDC as an income-producing/tax-base opportunity and modified the text to maintain passive open space until a transformative user is identified; they also noted the park district already has undeveloped parkland.
• Ms. Norman suggested clarifying photo captions and integrating Land Development Code language into the future land use descriptions; she circulated a comparison of proposed Plan language and LDC language for pages 64–70.
• Public testimony: Joe Matava, 312 Aurora Street, encouraged commissioners to use independent thought about land use rather than deciding solely by popular sentiment.
• Staff explained that the Planning Commission makes recommendations to City Council; Council may adopt, adjust, or send the document back to the Steering Committee.
• Motion by Ms. Norman, seconded by Mr. Vaughan: recommend approval of the Comprehensive Plan as presented and amended by the Steering Committee chair/vice chair, incorporating the agreed changes from the August 6, 2024 memo, and recommend that City Council consider refining the future land use language on pages 64–70. The motion passed 7–0.

New Business

Ellsworth Hill Elementary Outdoor Pavilion – PC 2024-816

• Hudson City Schools requested a conditional use to construct a 30-by-40-foot open-air outdoor classroom pavilion at Ellsworth Hill Elementary, 7750 Stow Road. Staff noted it would be an ancillary instructional structure, not adding classrooms or staffing, and would incorporate wood salvaged from the former Flood House barn at 1213 Barlow Road. Applicant representatives were John Peterson of GDP Group, 520 S. Main Street, Akron, and Tom Barone, Hudson City Schools director of operations, 76 North Hayden Parkway.
• Discussion covered: project timing (work could begin in early September and take about two months, with an early October start cutoff), use as a land lab, stormwater direction, removal of two small elm trees for the sidewalk, distance from the west property line (71 feet) and nearest west residence (about 200 feet), mature west buffer, roughly $135,000 budget largely funded by a $65,000 State of Ohio grant and donations, no installed electricity (viewed as a positive by some neighbors; cameras could be added to existing light poles if needed), and the community learning center designation.
• Commissioners also noted that the 21% impervious surface figure in the application was for the project disturbed area, not the entire 15.81-acre parcel, prompting the added verification condition.
• Public testimony: Suzette Talarcek, 7745 Stow Road, asked whether the pavilion would be limited to school/HCER use or open to outside organizations and the public.
• Commission deliberation included whether to attach use restrictions. Some commissioners cautioned against arbitrary restrictions, noted the precedent of the Seton School pavilion, and observed that the newly recommended Comprehensive Plan encourages use of public spaces. The commission instead relied on staff conditions.
• Mr. Stolle moved approval subject to the conditions on page 5 of the August 12, 2024 staff report; Mr. Vaughan's amendment, seconded by Ms. Jones, added a fourth condition to verify proposed impervious surface compliance. The amendment passed 7–0, and the final motion passed 7–0.

Section 1207.13 Text Amendment – PC 2024-842

• City Council directed review of an amendment to Section 1207.13 (Transportation/Circulation/Pedestrian Linkage) to allow sidewalk funds-in-lieu in all zoning districts with Planning Commission approval. The item arose from a Board of Zoning Appeals variance case at 1931 Georgetown Road where funds-in-lieu was not currently permitted.
• Staff and commissioners discussed that funds-in-lieu payments are restricted to sidewalk construction, calculated from an engineer's estimate using prevailing wage, and can be used for sidewalks elsewhere in the city. There was discussion about whether the amount is 100% or 70% of the estimate; the transcript shows speakers correcting to 70%, but the basis for that percentage was not explained. Commissioners also compared the proposal to parkland dedication and supported consolidating sidewalk regulations in a future amendment.
• Motion by Ms. Norman, seconded by Ms. Jones, to recommend City Council approve Ordinance 24-86 because it meets review criteria items a, b, c, d, and i in Section 1204.01. The motion passed 7–0.

Staff Update

• Staff noted pending September applications: Laurel Lake continuation and a possible replat along Barlow Road/Coolidge (previously introduced by John Carr).

Key Outcomes

• Approved April 25, July 8, and July 22 minutes.
• Acknowledged Commissioner Jones' resignation and Vaughan's assumption of her subcommittee role.
• Continued Laurel Lake (PC 2024-221) to September 9, 2024, by a 7–0 vote.
• Recommended the 2024 Comprehensive Plan to City Council (7–0), including agreed August 6 memo changes and a suggestion to refine future land use language on pages 64–70.
• Approved the Ellsworth Hill Elementary pavilion conditional use (7–0) with three staff conditions plus a fourth impervious-surface verification condition.
• Recommended Ordinance 24-86 amending Section 1207.13 to City Council (7–0).
• Adjourned at 9:52 p.m.