Planning commission continues study of driveway-paving ordinance (Ord. 51-2025) and agrees to draft language options

The Macedonia Planning Commission continued discussion of Ordinance 51‑2025, a pending proposal that would address driveway paving, driveway width/expansion and related site appearance standards. Commissioners agreed to gather example language from other communities and to work with the city law department and council staff to produce draft amendment language for future consideration.

At the meeting staff recalled that council originally referred driveway-paving language to the commission for study. Commissioners noted several competing goals: addressing widening and unsightly gravel driveways visible from the public right-of-way, avoiding heavy-handed requirements that unduly burden rural-property owners, and ensuring any ordinance will be enforceable given the city’s nonconforming-use provisions. One commissioner summarized the technical problem: under standard nonconforming‑use rules, long-standing gravel driveways are often grandfathered unless abandoned for a statutory period, limiting immediate enforcement.

Commissioners suggested a middle-ground approach (for example, requiring paved surfacing for the first portion of a very long driveway visible from the street, similar to a provision in Twinsburg that requires the first 45 feet to be paved when a front-yard setback exceeds 100 feet). The commission discussed having legal staff draft options and searching ordinances used in nearby communities (Hudson, Brecksville, Twinsburg) for models. The item was continued to the next planning commission meeting to allow staff and legal to prepare proposed language and examples for commissioners to review.