Council committee hears neighbor concerns as 7 Brew drive‑through seeks variances at 4397 Kent Road

The Stow City Planning Committee on May 8 heard a detailed site‑plan application from 7 Brew for a drive‑through coffee shop at 4397 Kent Road, including requests for two variances and conditional‑use approvals. Neighbors and several councilmembers raised traffic‑management and cross‑access concerns; the committee agreed to hold the item for further analysis and additional information from the applicant.

The issue matters to nearby retail and restaurant operators and motorists because the proposal would alter access and circulation behind an existing commercial strip and rely on a cross‑access easement that several neighbors say was intended for low‑volume use.

Planning Director Mr. Cowan summarized the application: the 0.75‑acre site would be redeveloped for a 7 Brew drive‑through, demolishing an existing Rent‑A‑Center building and replacing it with a roughly 400–543 square‑foot primary building, a west‑side drive‑through canopy with two drive‑through lanes and 16 on‑site parking spaces. "Our code does require a minimum of 20 [parking spaces], regardless of the size, so they are requesting variance from that requirement," Cowan said. He described other requested variances: a parking setback variance on the east side (approximately 4 feet where code requires 10) and the use of a rear access drive covered by an existing reciprocal easement.

Applicant representatives said the site was designed to keep stacking internal. An engineer at the podium said the project "has the ability to stack 23 cars" on site, beginning at the pickup window under the canopy and wrapping around the building. Matthew Amos, representing the applicant, said the REA was negotiated between the current property owners and that 7 Brew would staff the site during peak periods to assist traffic flow.

Committee members and residents worried the proposed stacking still could spill onto the public street or onto neighboring parking aisles. Councilmember McIntyre said he has observed a nearby 7 Brew location that had queuing impact on adjacent streets and called the issue a potential safety concern. Neighbor Ian Katz, who represents adjacent property owners, said the easement "was never contemplated" for a high‑use drive‑through and asked the committee to require stronger assurances that the easement and adjacent properties would not be blocked.

Planning staff and the applicant agreed to provide the committee more technical information: (1) a vehicle overlay showing 23 cars to scale so engineers can verify on‑site stacking; (2) trip‑generation and peak‑hour queue data used in the traffic study for review by the city engineer; and (3) documentary evidence regarding attempts to notify and coordinate with nearby property owners about the cross‑access easement. Mr. Cowan said the applicant's property owner could provide a written statement on the reciprocal easement if helpful.

The committee did not vote to approve site plan or sign variances. By unanimous consent the committee "held this in committee and return[ed] to it at our next meeting," giving staff time to review the applicant's traffic materials and any further neighbor outreach.

The committee also discussed a related sign variance application for the same business (agenda item moved separately). Planning staff said the applicant proposes a monument sign 8 feet high, a drive‑through sign and building signage totaling 43.6 square feet where the code permits roughly 23.5 square feet based on building frontage; the planning commission recommended approval up to 31.1 square feet. The sign variance was likewise held for further review.

Next steps: applicant to submit scaled stacking overlay and trip‑generation data to the city engineer; staff to confirm easement documentation and contact records; item to return to planning committee at the next meeting.