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Stow City staff previews accessory-structure formula, code updates and double-frontage lot fixes
Summary
At the March 10, 2025 meeting, Stow City planning staff outlined proposed zoning-code changes intended to reduce accessory-structure variance requests by tying allowed accessory square footage to parcel acreage and flagged double-frontage lots and fences as priority issues; the board requested written materials ahead of the next meeting.
Stow City planning staff on March 10 outlined proposed zoning-code changes that would alter how the city calculates allowable accessory-structure area and said staff will circulate draft language to the Building and Zoning Appeals Board before the next meeting.
Staff described a proposed formula to replace current accessory-structure guidelines: acres times 800, plus 400. Using that example, staff said a 0.20-acre parcel would be allowed 560 square feet of accessory structures under the proposed formula and a 1-acre parcel would be allowed 1,200 square feet. Staff and board members said the change aims to reduce the number of variance requests for sheds, detached garages and similar structures.
Board members and staff also identified recurring issues the draft code will address, including fences and “double-frontage” or corner lots where a single parcel effectively has two front yards and therefore no rear yard. Staff said some standards, such as minimum distances between accessory structures and principal buildings (currently set in Section 11.43.07(a)), may be relaxed in the new chapter but no final distances have been adopted.
Staff said it will circulate a revised, more polished write-up and graphics with the next agenda and invited members to submit specific priorities for review. The board also discussed scheduling: a public-records and open-meetings training presented by the law director was postponed because the law director could not attend and will be rescheduled.
Ending
Staff asked members to review the materials before the next meeting so the board can provide substantive feedback on the draft accessory-structure provisions and other zoning-code changes.
