City Council - Special Meeting

Good evening. We're going to call Akran City Council special meeting for our public hearing to order. At this time, our clerk will read the role. Balden, I. Boy, I Connor, Davis, I. Garrett Greer I Hannah I Kr Iardo I Mkhitrich I Somerville I Wilson I We have all members present except for Councilman Garrett.

We have two items up for public hearing. At this time our clerk will read in item number one. Notice is hereby given that the following open comment public hearing will be held by the council of the city of Akran on Monday, May 18th, 2026 during a special meeting to be held at 5:00 p.m. Ordinance authorizing a conditional use to construct a housing development at Exit Road and Ericson Avenue, parcel number 6762680. This notice was advertised in the Akran Beacon Journal on May 2nd and on Akran City Council's website beginning April 29th.

Mr. Hosbog. Thank you, Madam President. Uh, the petitioner is requesting permission to construct a multifamily housing development on Extor Road east of South Arlington Street. Conditional use approval is necessary to establish multif family residential in a two family residence use district. The petitioner is proposing to construct 10 modest one one-bedroom homes on 2.3 acres of vacant land within the southern portion of the 7 and 3/4 acre site. The homes will be accessed from a private roadway extending north from Extor Road with a connecting drive to the adjacent Valor home and its parking lot to the west. The drive will have a width of 24 ft with a 4ft wide sidewalk along the east side. Although the land will not be subdivided, each home will be provided its own outdoor area. Two of the eastern units will be ADA accessible. Land between the drive and the VA valor home will be reserved as open space featuring landscaping and a walking path. The developer will be able to connect into a sanitary sewer that transexs the larger property connecting to Ericson Avenue. Future phases on the remaining vacant land would include two and three-bedroom units in addition to more singlebedroom units. The petitioner states that the 800 ft² one-bedroom homes will serve low-income veterans, including individuals experiencing homelessness, and others with complex or disabling conditions. Each home will include a full kitchen, a combined living and dining area, laundry room, and bathroom. Each will also have a driveway providing off- streetet vehicular parking. The homes will be constructed using insulated concrete forms to ensure durability, resilience, and superior energy performance. Plan staff has made several recommendations to enhance the future development. A tree line should be provided between the roadway and

sidewalk to promote a stronger neighborhood feel and enhance pedestrian access, circulation, and safety throughout the site. Furthermore, providing a sidewalk for pedestrian and wheelchair access to services along Arlington Street is vital for the community. The staff also requests that the developer provide an overall plan for the entire site, including the location of roadways, utilities, and open space in addition to the placement of dwellings. Finally, the plan staff recommends that the front roof overhangs extend a minimum of 5 ft from the building and that they be supported with post columns to provide better shelter for the residents. The proposed development is compatible with surrounding properties and the overall character of the area. One goal of the land use and development guide plan is for the city to promote a variety of housing types and price ranges to meet the needs of its population. The petitioner's project to establish permanent housing for low-income veterans helps to fulfill a need for housing within the city. It will also develop an underutilized vacant parcel that will contribute to the neighborhood vi viability and support nearby businesses. Both the planning staff and planning commission recommend approval. Thank you.

Thank you. At this time, we're going to open up our public hearing. Do we have anyone here in the audience who wishes to speak in favor or against item number one? If so, we're going to ask that you please stand at this time so that you may be sworn in by our clerk. Could you please raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you give will be the truth? If so, please say I do. Thank you. Thank you. And you can approach the podium and just please give us your name and address for the record.

Hello. Uh my name is Matt Slater. I live at 454 Palisades Drive in Akran, Ohio. Um, thank you um for allowing us to be here tonight um and to talk about this project. I work for Access Family Services, which um is the nonprofit um owner and developer of this. Um we also operate Valor Home, which is uh 36 beds of transitional housing for homeless veterans there on Exit Road. Um this is such a needed project. We um expanded from 30 beds to 36 beds at Valor Home about 2 years ago and uh today I could tell you if we had um all those 10 units um we could fill them all and still have a waiting list for Valor Home. Um we know and it's not just Akran, it's not just Summit County. We know across Ohio in the country there is a real need for safe, affordable, well- constructed housing um that is looking at building a good, healthy community. Um and we know that this is something that we can do with with our veterans there and have the ability to expand it um beyond that. So um we're really excited about this project. Um we have our access point health clinic for those vets that aren't getting their health care from the VA um right there. Also, we have the vet service commission across the street and uh the VA health clinic a mile down the road along with we have our Valor home staff which is already staffed 24 hours. So we have staff support on site for 24 hours. So we're really excited. um about um what we can do with this vacant property and creating uh affordable safe housing for um our vets, our most vulnerable vets who need it. Thank you.

Thank you so much. If there's no one else wishing to speak in favor or against, we're going to go ahead and close our public hearing. Councilman Kr, what is the committee's pleasure? Uh thank you, Madam President. I'd like to pull my committee for a favorable report. Uh Connor Balden, I uh Boyce, hi Hannah. Hi.

Thank you. Uh obviously, uh this is a great project. Uh we welcome this in our city. It's it's definitely needed. Uh the folks have a proven track record of helping our veteran population. And uh with that, we're asking for passage. I do know the ward council person is highly in favor of this and uh not sure if he has any comments. But with that uh we're asking for passage. Thank you so much, Councilman. Are there any comments? Councilman Hannah.

Thank you, Madam President. Uh again, I'd like to stand in support of this project uh as a uh ex veteran. Uh that property had been empty for over 50 years. It was just standing there. So, thank you so much for getting involved with this project and I hope that these homes will give a homeless veteran a new hope and a safe place to live. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you. Any other comments, Councilwoman Moian?

And I too appreciate you doing this. Um just curious would these homes be um can they purchase them or they So uh with the the first 10 um they are rental. So uh we are leveraging dollars from Federal Home Loan B and OA's housing development grant funds to do that. But um I we're certainly open to um with the other properties looking at that if COC and the community says, "Hey, we need some affordable homes to sell also." Okay. Thank you. Yep. Thank you. Any other comments? Councilman Greer.

Thank you, Madam President. I just wanted to to say again how uh thankful I am to access uh just an amazing nonprofit and one within the COC that's making a huge impact. I can't speak highly enough of the Valor home. They have such a phenomenal staff. So again, thank you for bringing this much needed asset. Thank you. The committee's report is favorable. All in favor signify by saying I. I I. Any oppose? The eyes have it. This ordinance passes 12 to zero.

Notice is hereby given that the following open comment public hearing will be held by the council of the city of Akran on Monday, May 18th, 2026 during a special meeting to be held at 5:00 p.m. Ordinance authorizing a conditional use to establish a towing operation and impound lot at 1065 Dublin Street. This notice was advertised in the Akran Beacon Journal on May 2nd and on the Akran City Council website beginning April 29th.

Mr. Hosbwalk. Thank you, Madam President. The petitioners requesting permission to establish a towing impound lot at this location which requires conditional use approval in any district. The petitioner is the current District 2 towing operator for the city of Akran and currently operates a towing and impound lot at 645 Carroll Street. Their fleet consists of seven trucks with five drivers, two managers, and one dispatcher. Because their contracted tow area has increased, relocation to a larger lot is needed to accommodate their operations. A paved customer parking lot will be located west of the building along with the landscaped bed along Dublin Street. According to the proposal, the impound lot area, including six employee parking spaces at the northwest corner of the building, will contain gravel or chip and seal. Access to the parking and impound areas will be from a curb from an existing curb cut west of the building. Egress from the impound area will be from an exit only gate at the southeastern corner of the property. A 6ft slatted chainlike fence will enclose the impound storage area. Goals of the land use and development guide plan include encouraging the expansion and development of commercial and industrial activities in areas suited to their needs and improving the appearance of industrial developments in areas. The area surrounding the proposed impound lot is characterized by a mix of commercial and industrial uses and vacant buildings and land. The proposed use is compatible with the surrounding uses. However, the proposed gravel and chip and seal for parking upon a current grass surface is not supported by the Akran Engineering Bureau, nor is it aligned with the guide plan's goal of improving the appearance of industrial areas. The zoning code requires that all parking, storage areas, and driveway be paved. Because impounded cars often leak fluids, a paved lot allows for proper

containment, drainage, and eventual treatment. Additionally, non-paved lots for business purposes often feature dust, potholes, and standing water. Allowing a non-paved surface for this use could negatively impact the nearby Kent Street Park being developed and the little Kyhoga River, both on the west side of North Case Avenue. The proposed development would reserve the portions of the property along Case Avenue for future development. If properly developed with paving, a towing operation at this location would be an asset to this Mbury neighborhood. But the plan staff and planning commission recommend approval. Thank you.

Thank you. At this time, we're going to open up our public hearing. Do we have anyone here in the audience who wishes to speak in favor or against? You'll please stand so you can be sworn in. Could you please raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you give will be the truth? If so, please say I do. Thank you.

Thank you. Good evening. My name is John Elsie. I'm an architect with GBC Design 565 White Pond, Akran, Ohio. And I'm here on behalf been working with team towing on this project, not only for what we may be doing with the building, but also for the site. So our um our firm's working on and we we had prevented prevented had provided a uh aerial that's just up at the front there. So basically we have uh a 4 acre lot um and uh we're looking to probably fence in about half of that um for the impound lot. Um and then also uh realizing that everything will be off of Dublin and Dublin comes uh south off of Case and it's basically between uh Market and Newton uh across from Bank Street area. So it's down by Carter uh Carter Lumber. Um we're we're aware uh that we had suggested uh either the gravel or chip and seal, but understand that we would have to comply with paving and don't have any issues with that. Uh the owner is really excited and she's going to speak to uh her excitement of the location for her business uh for the building, but also for the benefit of uh residents, but also her employees. Um we be glad to answer any questions if there's anything else. uh that we need to clarify. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening. Uh Carol Coleman Crane um with Team Towing and Service. Uh we started in uh 2014 2015 um right down on Carol Street and um we have um been doing well since then. We kind of we took some u uh hits with the COVID um lost some employees, downsized with our trucks. Uh however, we've been um we kind of branched out in some new areas which I was speaking about earlier. Um we are doing we're making keys now. We're we've got a tire machine now. We've um uh we're working with the police. the most important thing. We're working um with almost 20% of the police contract, which is a a just a blessing, big honor for me. And um so we found this property on Dublin and it's just perfect. It's um 4 acres. It's big enough that we can accommodate all the vehicles that were um impounded for the police. Uh we have partial fencing up. We're going to get the remaining fencing up. And uh the building is in question. I like the building. Um, some of it needs um, you know, I don't we're kind of at the point where we don't know if we're going to um, rebuild or refurbish that one or if it would be cost-effective to just build a new building or what have you. But anyway, we we uh, the employees are excited about it. Um we have a branched out into a tire machine in case um somebody's car is impounded and they need a new tire or tire change. Just things like that. Um so the property, as I said, is 4 acres. Um we can consolidate the two acres uh the two um lots that we have into one area. It's um it's about it's less than 3

minutes from where we are on Carol Street. And as I was saying earlier today, the location is perfect because it we are our area after they've restructured everything we was talking about with Mr. McKitrich today. Um we go all the way like Case right here and then Newton Street that is all our area and then down into Goodyear Heights going down to the Gilchrist Road all the way to 224 and then back this way. So that's really like a better location than where we are right now. still close to the expressways this direction, that direction. So, we're it's a great location. So, um anybody have any questions?

No, I think we're good. Thank you. Thank you so much. Um so, at this time, we're going to close our public hearing. Uh Councilman Kr, what is the committee's pleasure? All right. Thank you, Madam President. I'd like to pull my committee for a favorable report. Uh Connor, I uh Balden I Boy, hi. Hannah, hi.

Well, thank you. Uh the like the petitioner said, she does have an ongoing relationship with the Akran Police Department, uh with the towing district. Uh she has a good standing order with the city of Akran and the police department. And this is a great location, a great move for her and her business. And I do know the W 10 council person's in favor. And with that, we're asking uh to move forward with passage. Thank you so much. The committee's report is favorable. All in favor signify by saying I. I. Any oppose? The eyes have it. This ordinance passes 13 to zero. Okay.

And there's nothing else coming before council at this time. So, u meeting adjourned. Council will meet in regular session at 6:30. Thank you.