Akron planning committee hears proposal for Amazon same‑day fulfillment center at 2322 Manchester Road

Developers proposed a same‑day fulfillment center and distribution facility for 2322 Manchester Road, describing a 387,860‑square‑foot precast concrete building set roughly 10 feet below Manchester Road grade, 19 truck docks, two employee and delivery parking areas, and an expandable truck parking area. Cody Garrison of Ambrose Property Group said the facility would operate 24 hours with outgoing deliveries between about 3 a.m. and 7 p.m. and described hiring and benefits available to employees.

Planning staff and the planning commission recommended approval subject to conditions. Staff described required site adjustments — additional glazing along the Manchester elevation, extended sound walls and landscaping, signal timing adjustments recommended by traffic engineers, and property boundary modifications, including a proposed transfer of narrow strips of land to adjacent abutters and the sale of a 1.5‑acre city parcel to the petitioner. Staff said traffic modeling projects 3,774 daily trips attributable to the site and that city traffic engineering will continue to refine signal timing and striping to mitigate congestion.

Several neighbors joined the hearing. Deborah Welsbie, an abutter, said she supports redevelopment of the heavily‑disturbed former church site but urged the petitioner to provide explicit, written guarantees that small parcels discussed with abutters will be deeded at time of sale; she said the draft agreement provided Friday is ambiguous and she has not had time to consult counsel. Planning staff confirmed a substitute amendment before the committee adds conditions, including resolving a property split at the north side of the site as a requirement for project approval.

City staff and developers stressed mitigation measures: a 525‑foot Trex composite sound wall and landscape buffer along the residential north property line, shielded site lighting and photometrics to prevent spillover, and commitments to work with ODOT and City Traffic Engineering on signal timing and other roadway modifications. The developer said the finished floor elevation and extensive earthwork are challenging but that prior wetlands review and coordination with the Army Corps, FEMA permitting where applicable, and other environmental reviews are being addressed.

Separately, the committee considered a proposed sale of a surplus city parcel (Parcel No. 6717398) behind the adjacent elementary school to AMS 2025 BTS Akron, Ohio LLC. Planning staff said the sale would include easements to preserve drainage for the school and would not close until conditional use approval is confirmed; the committee placed the sale on the consent agenda and approved it by voice vote. The committee invited attendees to the full‑council public hearing at 5:00 p.m. for final consideration and indicated the project cannot proceed unless the north‑side parcel condition is resolved.

Next steps: The planning committee will forward a recommendation to full council after the 5:00 p.m. hearing. The committee and staff said they will continue traffic engineering coordination and finalize conditions, including the parcel resolution requested by staff and neighbors.