Cleves officials review Hamilton County "model" zoning code, set follow‑up to prepare council for March decision
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Summary
Village of Cleves officials and Hamilton County planners reviewed a draft model zoning code intended to modernize local rules, discussed tailoring the document to local names and maps, and agreed to meet again to prepare council members for a March 11 target for adoption; a $30,000 planning grant for the Founders District was noted.
Village of Cleves officials met with Hamilton County planning staff to review a draft “model” zoning code and outline the steps needed to present a locally tailored version to council for final approval. Chris Schneider, Hamilton County community planning administrator, said the model code is intended to replace outdated provisions and add newer topics such as electric‑vehicle charging stations, food trucks and short‑term rentals.
The meeting focused on how to localize the model language for Cleves, reconcile district names and maps, and avoid the last‑minute questions that delayed adoption in neighboring communities. “This model zone code is very robust and includes lots of different things… electric vehicle charging stations, food trucks, short term rentals,” Schneider said, noting the draft is graphic‑heavy and designed to be easier for residents to use.
Mayor Chuck Berghoff told the group the village has a planning grant of about $30,000 to support planning and economic development in the Founders District on South Miami near the new library and urged that grant work be aligned with the new code. Berghoff said he set a March 11 target for council consideration and created a local Planning & Zoning committee (chaired by Ted Abel, with council members Mary Angeline and Stephanie Myers) to brief council and answer questions ahead of that date.
Staff described the draft as incomplete but circulated for committee review. Schneider said the county team and village staff will produce annotated responses to committee redlines and suggested having additional committee meetings to walk council members through the document so they come to the March meeting fully briefed. The committee also agreed staff would provide updated map appendices so text and map labels match.
Next steps: staff will consolidate committee comments, provide hard‑copy materials for council members, research a handful of legal questions flagged at the meeting, and circulate a meeting invitation for a follow‑up tentatively set for Feb. 3 at 2:00 p.m. if village administrator Justin Habib is available.
