Toledo committee hears broad opposition to proposed school and daycare zoning changes in Ordinance 15,925

TOLEDO — The Planning and Zoning Committee met in June 2025 to consider Ordinance 15,925, a proposed zoning amendment that would add use regulations for schools and certain early-learning programs and create spacing requirements between schools and businesses such as restaurants, convenience stores, automotive shops and tobacco retailers.

The hearing drew more than two dozen public commenters, many of them childcare center owners, school leaders and sector advocates who said the proposal would harm neighborhood childcare capacity and education options. Committee members and staff said the change was intended to strengthen student safety through site-plan reviews, pedestrian and traffic protections and landscaping requirements.

Council Member Komise, who introduced the measure for discussion, said the proposal grew from a long-running review after several incidents involving students. "We care about student safety and making sure that they get to and from school safely," Komise said, describing the ordinance as "a step in the process" rather than a final decision.

Deputy Director Cottrell of the planning department said staff and the plan commission performed a peer-city review and recommended focusing on pedestrian safety, traffic studies and specific use regulations. "The city of Toledo does have some of the most stringent regulations now regarding schools," Cottrell said, and staff proposed adding conditions such as traffic-study requirements to the land-use review for schools.

Many speakers representing childcare providers and charter or private schools urged the committee to pause and study the ordinancebefore…