Medina County pauses developer-agreement public hearings, seeks outside consultant to rewrite documents

Medina County commissioners voted to cancel one of three scheduled public hearings on the county’s draft developer agreement and to keep a daytime hearing while pausing further public forums until a recommended consultant can review and help rewrite the documents.

County Administrator Matt Spreier and commissioners told meeting attendees they plan to retain an outside consultant with experience drafting developer agreements and subdivision regulations to help the planning department and planning commission produce a version suitable for public review and hearings. Commissioners said no final consultant contract had been executed at the meeting and that staff would conduct a screening process for candidates.

The board asked staff to notify interested parties, including Allison Hall and local home builders, that the evening meeting was canceled and that the daytime session would proceed. Commissioners also directed staff to solicit written comments while the consultant is selected and to report back at the next regular meeting with feedback received from the Home Builders Association and other stakeholders.

Members emphasized the decision reflected a desire for a more workable document and an independent, neutral voice to bridge perceived divides between county officials and the development community. Commissioners discussed retaining a consultant with experience in other Ohio counties and having the consultant review written testimony and offer a proposed scope of work and timeline.

The county’s immediate procedural action is limited to canceling the evening hearing and coordinating notifications; the larger work of rewriting the developer agreement and aligning it with subdivision regulations will proceed as a staff-directed procurement and consultant-selection process.