The Elyria Finance Committee voted Aug. 11 to recommend a 50% reduction in building permit fees for Open Door Christian School’s renovation and expansion, a multi‑phase project the school described as a roughly $24 million undertaking.

Denver Daniel, head of Open Door Christian Schools, told committee members the multi‑phase plan — branded “ODCS 2” in materials handed out to council — includes four phases totaling about $24 million in improvements that focus on middle‑ and high‑school programming. Phase 1 includes new entrant areas, playground upgrades and infrastructure work; a later phase includes construction of an approximately 800‑seat gymnasium.

“We are entering what we are affectionately referring to as the hard hat era of our school,” Daniel said, describing plans for a multi‑year, donor‑driven capital campaign. He told the committee the school has already secured $7 million of the $12 million needed for the first phase and intends to begin portions of construction and sewer tie‑in later this year.

City staff estimated permit and plan‑review fees for the work could be roughly $300,000; a 50% reduction would amount to roughly $150,000 in waived fees, according to the estimate provided in committee. The committee voted to recommend an ordinance authorizing the 50% reduction; the motion passed after members said they supported the school’s plan and noted community benefits.

Committee members asked about traffic and dismissal procedures; Daniel said the school has already trialed revised dismissal patterns and that managing arrival/dismissal congestion is a high priority. Staff said the sewer package plant at the site will be abandoned where the city sewer tie‑in is completed.

The committee recommended an ordinance authorizing the fee reduction; the matter will now proceed to Council for ordinance drafting and final vote.