05/26/2026
I appreciate the constructive responses to Stow's long-time vision and goals in our Comprehensive Plan. Planning and zoning are complex, and I think it would help some residents to read the 2022 Zoning Diagnostic Report that explained why Stow's code needed to be rewritten to align with our goals — and how these objectives are interrelated:https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/1570870/Diagnostic_Report_CombinedFile_StowOH_2022-09-21.pdf
To summarize why amendments remain necessary to work toward the stated objectives:
⚖️ A. The 6-unit-per-acre cap on multi-family dwellings undermines the code’s "clarity, efficiency, and consistency" because it’s below Stow’s current average and contradicts other parts of the rewrite that relied on the cap being lifted — resulting in what Stow’s Planning Director has called a “broken code.”
🌳 B. “Prioritizing single-family dwellings over other types of dwellings may negatively impact the environment, as single-family dwellings may generate more impervious surface per unit and consume more energy to heat and cool per unit, on average.” *The rewrite already protects single-family neighborhoods from increased density; removing the cap would just allow more efficient housing to be proposed in strategic areas like commercial corridors.
🚶 C. "By encouraging automobile use, the zoning code makes walking less safe and less desirable... Denser residential development adjacent to retail could boost commercial activity and encourage walkability."
🏘️ D. "Housing diversity is important to maintaining a population base: young professionals and older households have different housing needs and preferences than families with young children... senior housing options could allow older Stow residents to age-in-town."
🪙 E. "If denser housing surrounds commercial centers... there could be more residents within walking distance, resulting in increased sales."
🏬 F. "Through caps on density... the code performs poorly in promoting a reimagination of failing strip malls."
🐾 G. "High-density, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use areas in strategic locations that could support a community identity are not permitted, let alone encouraged, by this code."
Long-term city planning like this relies on market forces and incremental implementation across generations. Updating the zoning code simply creates the conditions to allow more walkable neighborhoods to form organically over the coming decades if/when private investments match public interest — zoning just empowers Council to approve site plans if they fit into the puzzle instead of the city spending tax dollars to force redevelopment to happen.
Attracting investments by enabling foot traffic in strategic areas is how we allow a downtown to start to form, revitalize our commercial strips, and give residents amenities they want while expanding our tax base to meet our needs like replacing aging infrastructure. I am open to further clarifying where higher density should be allowed — and it’s already limited by restrictions on height, footprint, etc — but my hope is that we can collaborate in the short-term to put Stow on a fiscally-responsible path toward our goals in the long-term.
