The Delaware County Regional Planning Commission (RPC) had a 90-minute special meeting/workshop on April 16 at the Byxbe Campus that featured a policy discussion.
Concord Township Trustee Joe Garrett “explained that their main issue of concern is that their zoning code isn’t being followed based on the RPC recommendations,” said the commission’s notes of the meeting. “A recent rezoning request was approved without conditions by the RPC and was unanimously turned down by their (Concord’s) Zoning Commission because there was missing information. At the (Concord) Trustee meeting, the developer’s attorney said they should approve their request because Regional Planning recommended approval. Mr. Garrett said their Zoning Code and Comprehensive Plan should be reviewed against all applications and if they do not meet their requirements, it should be denied. He said there should be specific guidelines that the RPC follows in making their recommendations.”
The notes explained why the RPC staff recommended approval of this particular rezoning application.
“Garrett questioned the multiple county departments that have voting privileges,” the notes said. “Although they do agree those departments serve an important role as technical advisors, they do not believe they should have a vote. Concord also questions why the County Commissioners have three seats on the Board.”
An attorney and elected officials said the RPC’s review standards should be consistent to avoid conflicting recommendations and lawsuits.
Officials from Berkshire, Berlin, Brown, Delaware, Genoa, Liberty, Orange, Porter, Scioto, and Troy townships made comments.
Among the issues they brought up were annexation requests, big picture vs. details, conditional approvals, cut-throughs, denials, extensions, getting materials ahead of time, submission dates, and what document holds more weight — the zoning resolution or the comprehensive plan.
Of the latter, legal counsel for the RPC said, “the comprehensive plan is just a guide. The zoning code is going to control.” It was noted that if the RPC does have more input, it could also mean more applications recommended for denial.
Two Genoa Township residents had comments as well. One “encouraged the commission to think of Delaware County as a whole and the curb appeal.” Another said, “more emphasis is being put on the needs of the applicants than the needs of the residents in the townships.”
RPC staff then showed a PowerPoint that summarized their duties and considerations as it relates to rezoning. The same template doesn’t apply to all applications, though.
“We do everything we can, so the township doesn’t have to table the application for another month,” the RPC said. “If the townships support us being stricter, we certainly can try to be.”
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].
