Akron City Council opened a public hearing on an ordinance to allow a 65‑foot double‑faced digital advertising display on McIntosh Avenue adjacent to Interstate 277 but referred the item for further review after residents raised concerns about drainage and site disturbance.

Planning staff said the proposed display (48 by 14 feet per face) would sit on a steel monopole and include automatic brightness controls meeting industry lighting standards; the proposal meets most zoning requirements and staff and the planning commission recommended approval subject to conditions. The display would be roughly 810 feet west of recently approved billboards on the opposite side of the highway.

Applicant Dan Nielsen, speaking for Kensho/Kenjo Outdoor Advertising, said the sign would occupy a 144‑square‑foot foundation within an 8‑acre parcel, that the company holds wetland permitting with the Army Corps of Engineers, that the team plans to place power underground, and that access would be extended about 300 feet with care not to disturb drainage features.

Opponents raised concerns about longstanding drainage and flooding on and near the parcel. Jason Prosser said water flow has been disrupted on the property, that a drainage ditch “no longer drains,” and that flooding has affected nearby yards for years despite prior complaints to city and federal authorities. A neighboring resident similarly said portions of the property flood and expressed concern about tree removal and how utilities would be brought to the site.

Council closed the public hearing and moved to refer the item for further consideration rather than vote on it that evening.

Why it matters: The referral reflects lingering site‑specific concerns about drainage and flood risk that council and staff will need to resolve before a zoning decision. The applicant cited existing permitting and minimal disturbance; members of the public described unresolved flooding that they say has persisted for years.

No formal conditions or ordinance numbers were recorded at the meeting; next steps were not specified on the record.