The Stark County Planning and Zoning Commission approved final subdivision plat FSP0125 for the Michael subdivision, roughly 204.49 acres, on July 31, 2025, conditioning the approval on a county-reviewed road maintenance plan, a county-approved weed-control plan and the completion of a section-line vacation, county staff said.

The action matters because the conditions determine who maintains the internal roadway and clarify legal access and utility easements for lots in the new subdivision; the plat will next go to the Stark County Commission for final action on the vacation and final plat recordation.

Andrew Schrank of Highlands Engineering, representing the applicant, told commissioners the final plat combines previous Lots 2 and 3 at the southwest corner into a single large lot and adds a utility easement along the front of Block 1 “to allow for a future Southwest water line.” Schrank said the applicants also added road names and addressed county engineering comments. He said the applicants recently closed on an approximately half-acre parcel in the northwest corner that will be added to the boundary description once the document number is finalized.

County planner Steve Josephson said staff reviewed the submission with the road and weed departments and recommended approval with conditions. “So staff recommends approval of the final subdivision plat,” Josephson said, noting the county had received application materials on July 8 and revised information on July 18 and July 23.

Josephson and road and weed staff outlined the conditions: recordation of the subdivision must occur only after the county receives and reviews a road maintenance plan for the internal subdivision road, and the applicant must submit a weed-control plan approved by the county weed officer prior to final plat approval. Josephson added that any additional engineering review costs will be paid by the applicants.

Todd Miller, road operations specialist, said the primary section-line road adjacent to the subdivision is not built to county standards. “Far as I know … that road would be maintained by them unless it's built to county spec,” Miller said. Schrank confirmed that the road is not “100% built to county standards,” noting limited right-of-way on the east side, wetlands the designers sought to avoid and a scoria surface instead of county-standard gravel.

Schrank said the applicants provided a 40-foot private access and water easement across the north side of Lots 1 and 2 to replace the existing section-line access for one neighboring structure that currently sits partly within the section line. The applicants asked the county to consider taking over maintenance of the improved road, but commissioners were told that county maintenance would require the road to meet county construction standards or for a separate agreement to be recorded.

Commissioners voted to approve FSP0125 “subject to the conditions previously discussed,” including the section-line vacation, weed-control agreement and the road maintenance plan. The roll call recorded aye votes from Commissioner Claris, Commissioner Goldsmith, Dr. Baer, Commissioner Nicholas, Commissioner Larson, Commissioner Riddle and Chairman Francheck; the motion carried.

Next steps: the section-line vacation and the final-plat approval will be heard by the Stark County Commission at its Tuesday meeting. The subdivision will be recorded only after the county has reviewed the road maintenance plan and the weed-control plan has been approved and all required documents (including the recently closed half-acre parcel document number) have been added to the plat.