Council rezones 300 W. Front St. to C-3; distillery would require conditional-use review
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Summary
Findlay City Council approved rezoning of 300 West Front Street from R-3 to C-3 on Dec. 16. Council and staff stressed rezoning does not automatically approve a distillery; a distillery would need conditional-use approval and fire-department and site-plan review.
Findlay City Council voted on Dec. 16 to rezone 300 West Front Street from R-3 small-lot residential to C-3 downtown commercial (Ordinance 2025-162). The rezoning passed after public comment from neighbors, a detailed staff explanation of permitted uses in C-3, and statements by the applicants that their plan is a small, low‑volume craft distillery with limited hours.
Neighbor Tom Demuth told council he is "not entirely against the C‑3 designation" but opposed adult‑entertainment or high‑traffic uses near homes, citing close property lines and limited parking. Planning staff clarified that while C‑3 lists many permitted uses (including bars and taverns), a distillery is not listed as a permitted use in the code and therefore would be considered a conditional use requiring a separate hearing at the City Planning Commission. "So if the rezoning goes through, they will have to go to City Planning Commission for their conditional use," a planning staff member said.
Applicants Sam Galick and his wife said they plan a small craft microdistillery and tasting room with low foot traffic and limited hours. Galick said they would proceed only if rezoning and conditional-use approvals occur. He described a low-volume operation and noted that onsite storage is limited by regulation: "By the rules, it's 500 proof gallons is all you're allowed to have at this level on-site without having a separate barrel house or a rick house," he said.
Council members debated neighborhood impacts, parking (staff estimated roughly 6–8 spaces at the rear), and the limits of rezoning versus conditional-use authority. After recorded votes were taken, the council adopted the rezoning ordinance; staff and applicants will proceed to the conditional-use and site-plan stages if the project moves forward.
Next steps: Applicants must apply for conditional-use approval with the City Planning Commission and submit site plans and fire-department review. The council and planning staff said they are considering tightening permitted uses in C‑3 to make bars and taverns conditional in future code updates.
