Plain City’s Design Review Board will no longer exist, as village officials solidify a path that they believe will be more straightforward for design changes to the Uptown.
Council members voted 5-0 during their most recent meeting to eliminate the village ordinances that govern the Uptown Historic District and establish the DRB, instead creating an “Uptown Commercial Overlay District.” Council member Jim Eudaily was absent.
In November, Village Planner Derek Hutchinson explained that the zoning overlay would aim to keep the historic look and feel of the area but would remove the historic design guidelines and DRB.
Throughout 2023, council discussed changing the process through which Uptown design changes are reviewed and approved.
Village staff have said that Design Review Board consistently has trouble obtaining a quorum, which results in canceled meetings and delayed applications.
Village Administrator Haley Lupton said that difficulty has continued into this year, as turnover on the board rendered it unable to meet to process Certificates of Appropriateness, which are required for the majority of exterior changes to Uptown buildings.
Hutchinson has also encouraged council to consider an option that allowed for less significant changes, like the installation of exterior signs, to be reviewed administratively instead.
Under the previous code, planning staff could only approve window signs, changes to the color of an existing awning of painting when the color is in the approved historic palette and doing so will cause no structural damage.
The changes approved administratively were often called “fast-tracked,” but occurred on a limited basis as even protruding signs required DRB review.
Since the overlay will eliminate DRB, Hutchinson has said that major exterior modifications will go before the Planning and Zoning Commission for review and to ensure they are compatible with surrounding buildings.
Minor changes would be reviewed by staff and approved or denied administratively.
Throughout discussions of possible revisions to the building code governing the Uptown Historic District, council members suggested including a visual guide to accompany it, similar to a “menu” of permissible design options.
The overlay approved Monday includes a written code that details design standards and guidelines to be followed within the area. It is paired with a “style guide” that includes photo examples of the types of building designs and features that have been approved by the village.
Planning and Zoning Commission recommended council approve the proposed overlay.
No council members spoke on the topic Monday, aside from casting their vote.
One resident, Eric Medici, spoke during public comments to share his opposition to the measure, as he has in the past.
He said he worries that design decisions will now be “indefensible” if appealed in court.
“All I can do is say, ‘I warned you,’” Medici told council.
In other business:
– Council briefly discussed whether it will take action surrounding the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Lupton noted that the Ohio Revised Code does allow local governments to prohibit the sale or recreational marijuana within their municipalities.
However, she said the state’s Division of Cannabis Control, which will implement licensing requirements, may not be established until the end of the year, meaning it would not be until then that cannabis operators could sell recreational marijuana in Ohio.
Lupton said it is an option to adopt a moratorium on recreational marijuana businesses while further legislation occurs.
Council member Michael Terry said he feels a moratorium is currently the best option, as it is unclear what regulations will be adopted by the state government.
“I hate to punt, but it feels like a good time to punt,” he said.
Ashley Hetzel, legal counsel for the village, said “a moratorium is what a lot of local governments are choosing to do at this point.”
Lupton said the Logan-Union-Champaign County Regional Planning Commission (LUC) will help draft legislation to come before council for an official vote.