Bexley board delegates routine Main Street design approvals to staff under code with safeguards

The Bexley Board of Zoning and Planning voted to delegate authority to city planning staff to review and approve routine, minor changes to building exteriors in the Main Street and campus planning districts under Bexley Code section 12.20.06(d).

The motion, made during the meeting’s later business, implements an existing code section that permits the board to delegate review authority for specified design changes. Planning staff and multiple board members framed the change as an operational improvement to speed minor approvals — examples cited in the discussion included modest façade updates, small signage matters and window replacements — and to reserve board time for larger, novel or contested applications.

Board members and staff agreed on two safeguards: the staff review will apply only to items the board identifies as minor or administrative; staff can decline to act and forward an application to the board; and applicants retain the right to request full board review. During the discussion, board member Andrew Rosenthal’s prior suggestion to assign 1–2 design advisors as day‑to‑day reviewers was noted as a useful model; staff will follow an internal procedure and consult the city’s design consultant when needed.

Chairman Behar and members said they expected staff to be conservative in applying the delegated authority and to forward any borderline cases. The board adopted the delegation by voice vote and asked staff to codify the internal protocol for which types of changes are eligible and how staff will notify the board of delegated approvals. Planning staff will return a written rules‑and‑regulations update to the board that lists the minor categories and describes how applicants or neighbors can ask for board review.