The City of Findlay Planning Commission on July 10 approved a site plan and a related conditional-use permit to convert an existing house and barn at 14120 State Route 568 into "Hope Barn Venue," a wedding and event facility, subject to multiple conditions intended to protect the nearby river corridor and address traffic and stormwater concerns.

Why it matters: The site is in the C-2 General Commercial district but sits adjacent to wooded river frontage and a regional trail; residents and neighbors urged protections for wildlife, tree cover and stormwater detention and asked the applicant to commit to buffers to preserve the river corridor.

Staff and engineering: Planning staff recommended approval of the site plan, conditioned on coordination with the city engineer and Heritage/Regional Planning Commission (HRPC) on parking and paving. Engineering advised the proposal will use the existing access from State Route 568, will use existing water and sanitary services, and proposed a new wet retention pond in the northwest corner sized to avoid increasing fill in the floodplain. The engineer’s review will ensure new impervious areas are accounted for and the pond meets stormwater requirements.

Applicant presentation: Owner/applicant Matt Douglas said the operation would keep ceremony and reception activities inside the existing barn and a new 5,400-square-foot building connected to the barn. "We're trying to keep everything kinda confined in between these two buildings," Douglas said. He said the house on-site will be part of the venue (for preparations) not a separate rental, and that the pond excavation will provide fill to raise finished floors of the structures above the flood elevation.

Resident concerns: Multiple neighbors testified about wildlife, hawk nesting, kayaker access, and periodic flooding on the low-lying field behind the property. One neighbor said the low area is effectively a swamp and urged careful engineering review. Commissioners and staff acknowledged the distance between the venue and many back-yard properties and the existing tree buffer, but residents asked specifically for conservation protections on riverfront trees and for assurance that additional paving would not increase neighborhood flooding.

Conditions the commission attached: The commission’s approval of the site plan and the conditional use included these requirements: (1) work with engineering and HRPC to finalize parking locations and surfacing (paved parking required for code-required stalls, with engineered overflow/stone parking acceptable where approved); (2) remove the western curb cut on State Route 568 so the site has a single main entrance/exit to improve flow and reduce conflict points; (3) add signage and lighting at the entrance to warn and protect Greenway Trail users; (4) require an executed conservation easement or equivalent instrument to preserve a buffer of mature trees along the river (to be finalized with HRPC/legal as part of the conditional-use approval); and (5) require indoor-only amplified music or otherwise comply with the city’s noise regulations and any other conditions enforced through the conditional-use permit.

Discussion versus decision: Commissioners stressed that many technical details — final parking layout, stormwater calculations, and the exact width of any conservation buffer — would be resolved between the applicant, city engineering and HRPC prior to permit issuance. The conditional-use approval carries enforcement mechanisms should operations later create noise or nuisance problems.

Ending: With the conditions in place, the commission voted to approve the site plan and the conditional use. Staff will verify engineering, parking and conservation-easement details before building permits and certificates of occupancy are issued.