Taco Bell rebuild at East Exchange referred after resident raises trash, pest and traffic concerns

Akron City Council decided to refer a conditional‑use request from Taco Bell for a rebuild at 414 East Exchange Street to committee for further review after extended public comment.

Mister Antonucci (presenting the item) described a proposal to replace the existing 2,237‑square‑foot drive‑through restaurant with a slightly smaller 2,102‑square‑foot building in the same location, adjust parking and relocate enclosed dumpsters. Planning staff and the planning commission recommended approval with conditions.

Josh Graver, an architect and engineer with GPD Group working on the project, said the design was intended to improve trash handling and traffic flow: the dumpster enclosure would be moved to allow trash trucks to pull in fully, some parking was reduced from 34 to 30 spaces and seating was reduced to roughly 26 to reflect reliance on the drive‑through.

Roberta Rogers, who lives at 420 Kern Avenue one house from the site, testified at length that trash from the existing restaurant frequently ends up on Kern Avenue, that rodents have been a problem for neighbors and that moving the dumpster closer to houses would worsen those issues. Rogers also raised traffic and safety concerns with drive‑through egress at the nearby exchange, and said noise and hours of operation were a concern for adjacent residents.

After hearing from proponents and opponents, Councilman Fusco moved to refer the item; the clerk recorded that the item will be referred instead of decided that evening. No final vote to approve the conditional use occurred; planning conditions and any mitigation measures will be topics for further committee consideration.