City planning staff, consultant present complete rewrite of zoning code; council schedules public hearing

Planning staff and consultant Housal Levine presented a full rewrite of Stow’s zoning code on Oct. 23, asking the City Council to begin the adoption process and schedule public hearings. The Planning Department said the draft consolidates and modernizes districts, adds objective design and development standards, and updates review procedures.

The Planning Director, Zach Connolly, told the committee the project began March 15, 2024, and included seven steering-committee meetings, a public survey and two public open houses. “The goal of this project has been to address those concerns and…create a user friendly code that reduces barriers to development, promotes sustainability, and ensures compliance with federal and state laws,” Connolly said.

Hema, a consultant with Housal Levine, walked the committee through the proposed structure: 14 chapters covering general provisions, base and overlay districts, objective design and development standards, subdivision and conservation standards, access and mobility, signs, floodplain rules, review procedures and a full definitions chapter. The rewrite consolidates multiple commercial and industrial…