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Regional planning director seeks county approval to refresh comp plan and pursue farmland-preservation grant

Portage County Board of Commissioners · January 16, 2026

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Summary

Todd Pizz of the Portage County Regional Planning Commission asked commissioners to allow use of technical‑assistance hours to update the county plan and said he will apply for a $25,000 Ohio Department of Agriculture farmland‑preservation grant (10% match). He proposed interactive story maps and QR codes to promote local farms.

Todd Pizz, director of the Portage County Regional Planning Commission, briefed commissioners on two planning items: using about 100 technical‑assistance hours to review and refresh the county's comprehensive plan adopted in 2023, and applying for an Ohio Department of Agriculture farmland‑preservation grant.

Pizz said the comprehensive plan (and its interactive story map) should be updated to reflect legal, technological and condition changes since 2023 and recommended starting with 100 of the county's available technical assistance hours. He said the farmland‑preservation plan was last updated in 2000 and that the Department of Agriculture offers a $25,000 grant for a farmland‑preservation plan (with a 10% local match, which Pizz offered to provide in part). Pizz described building a public-facing story map to list local agricultural products and producers and adding QR codes to public materials to help residents find local farms, markets and agritourism opportunities.

Commissioners expressed support for refreshing the plan and asked for a scope of work tied to the technical‑assistance hours. Pizz said he would return with a resolution asking the board to authorize the grant application (the deadline discussed was Feb. 27).

What's next: Pizz will use roughly 100 TA hours to begin the plan review and will return with a resolution for the county to authorize the grant application and its required match.