Elyria releases draft zoning code that cuts districts from 18 to 8 and broadens permitted uses

Elyria city planners on Tuesday unveiled a draft zoning code that would reduce the city’s zoning districts from 18 to eight and expand the range of uses allowed in the downtown and corridor areas.

City Planner Chris Schonick led the presentation and said the draft is an early, not-final document that will next be reviewed by the city law department and later by the planning commission and city council. “I want to emphasize that. The city will be having public meetings at a later time, formal public meetings with planning commission, city council, when this is a little more ready,” Schonick said.

The proposed rewrite condenses district categories into broader zones intended to attract local businesses and permit development on vacant parcels, officials said. Under the draft, downtown—expanded to cover from Fifth Street to the river—would allow a wider mix of uses including restaurants, brewpubs and residential units; corridor districts along major arterials such as Cleveland Street and Broad Street would be more flexible and encourage pedestrian and bicycle connections; and the commercial district would continue to serve auto‑oriented shopping centers such as Midway Mall and Chestnut Commons.

Schonick said the city is balancing greater flexibility with safeguards: some uses remain conditional and others will require use‑specific criteria. “We have gone through this considerably. There was changes compared to our February meeting where some things did become conditionally permitted,” Schonick said, adding that conditional review remains part of the process so incompatible uses can be filtered by planning commission and council.

The draft also adjusts parking requirements, generally lowering minimums in some zones to reduce what Schonick described as “red tape” for developers and to encourage redevelopment. He said the zoning update is a response to the city’s last comprehensive zoning update in 1998 and that other Northeast Ohio cities such as Medina and Cleveland Heights have implemented similar, more flexible codes.

City staff described the next steps: the legal department is reviewing the draft now; after legal signoff the draft will go to planning commission for recommendation, then to a city council committee and finally to full council for three readings and a vote. Schonick said the city is “looking at tentative approval by the end of this year, late 2025,” but cautioned that timing could change because the project has many moving parts.

Public input to date has been incorporated into the draft, Schonick said; staff encouraged residents to attend future planning commission and council meetings and to sign up for updates. The draft zoning document and an interactive map are available on the city planning web page and staff are offering address searches so property owners can see proposed zoning changes for specific parcels.

Officials emphasized the draft status and invited further feedback before any formal action. For more information residents were asked to contact the planning office or watch the legal/committee notices published prior to planning commission and council hearings.