Stark County planning commission recommends vacation and rezonings to let landowner combine lots for agriculture

The Stark County Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 30 recommended approval of a package of actions that would let landowner Jared Kessel combine multiple platted lots in the first replat of Norwegian Creek subdivision so they can be rezoned to agricultural use.

Kessel addressed the commission during a public hearing and said, “My name is Jared Kessel, and I guess I'm looking at getting it rezoned from industrial to to agriculture. I got land a half mile away and just like to fence it off and graze it.” County Planner Steve Josephson told commissioners the parcels were originally part of a platted subdivision; Kessel must assemble a contiguous area that meets the county’s minimum acreage for agricultural zoning (Josephson described a “minimum of the agriculture minimum 40 acres”) so the vacation is a prerequisite to any rezoning approvals.

The package included a subdivision vacation (listed lots totaling about 123 acres as read into the record), a future land‑use map amendment (FLM125) to change the properties’ designation to an industrial/agricultural category, and two rezoning requests split by a county road (RZ07‑25 for roughly 76 acres and RZ08‑25 for roughly 47 acres). Josephson said easements and road rights‑of‑way would not be vacated and that properties not part of the vacation would retain access to county roads.

Commissioners asked practical questions about existing uses on some lots; the applicant said two lots contain shops (one identified as a welding shop) and that there is right‑of‑way access to those businesses. Josephson said staff had sent the legal description to a consulting engineer who raised no issues and that staff recommended approval of the vacation and the companion map amendment and rezonings, with the formal rezoning approvals contingent on completion of the subdivision vacation.

Motions to recommend approval were made, seconded and carried by roll call. For the subdivision vacation (SV01‑25) the roll call shows Commissioners Vailick, Clares, Nicholas, Goldsmith, Murphy, Larson and the chair voting "aye." The commission also voted to recommend approval of FLM125; roll call recorded Commissioners Goldsmith, Nicholas, Baird, Clares, Larson, Murphy and the chair voting "aye." The two rezoning recommendations (RZ07‑25 and RZ08‑25) likewise passed by roll call.

All four recommended actions will be forwarded to the Stark County Commission for final action on Nov. 4. Josephson told the applicant staff will send follow‑up emails after the county commission acts and that the public can follow the county commission meeting online.

The commission’s actions were unanimous among members present; the meeting record shows one member, Brock White, absent.