Council holds public hearing on rezoning at 631 Marietta Road to allow neighborhood grocery and offices

A public hearing before the Canton City Council on March 5 focused on a rezoning and variance request for 631 Marietta Road that would allow a neighborhood grocery and professional offices.

Planning staff introduced the cases (RZON2511‑008 and VAR2601‑001) and said the 1.64‑acre site is currently zoned OI (office/institutional) and contains a vacant former church building. The applicant, Oswaldo Sias of Property, LLC, told the council the plan calls for renovating the existing 8,325‑square‑foot structure for offices and building a new 9,900‑square‑foot grocery, with about 70 parking spaces.

"The existing building of 8,325 square feet will be renovated for professional offices," Sias said, and "we are adding a new 9,900 square feet building for a neighborhood grocery store." He said the project originally proposed an 11,500‑square‑foot store but was reduced after engineering feedback and that the development would create an estimated 15–25 local jobs.

Sias described three items he said addressed neighborhood concerns: a community input meeting that produced no formal opposition, resolved code‑enforcement citations from 2025, and a voluntary offer to record conditional use restrictions running with the land to limit future uses to neighborhood‑serving retail, offices or coworking. On the requested buffer variance, he said the project proposes roughly 21.9 feet in place of the typical 50‑foot buffer and that dense evergreen screening and preservation of the existing masonry wall would provide adequate separation.

"I'm willing to accept conditionally a use restriction that is legally binding and run[s] with the land," Sias said, adding that deliveries would be restricted to end by 4 p.m. and that the project would coordinate with planned traffic improvements, including a right‑turn lane the city engineer requested and a nearby roundabout the applicant said would calm speeds.

Two residents who live near the site pressed the council for stronger safeguards. "Am I gonna be watching TV and feel like I'm in a fishbowl with all these spotlights?" asked Susan Woodard of 610 Marietta Road, who also cited existing speeding, truck cut‑throughs and two nearby school bus stops as safety concerns. She and others asked the council to restrict allowable future businesses through conditioned zoning so the property would not later host higher‑impact uses if a grocery fails.

Thomas Weaver, who lives on Old Marietta, said the corridor already carries heavy traffic and multiple nearby grocers mean the area "is certainly not a food desert," arguing the rezoning could open options that do not fit the Sunnyside neighborhood character.

Planning staff told council members that parking requirements depend on the final use and that the applicant's proposed 70 spaces reflected the minimums for the current conceptual plan; staff also confirmed the city engineer had requested a right‑turn lane, which the applicant incorporated into the revised site plan.

Council members sought clarifications on how many units are under construction nearby and whether the rezoning could be conditioned to grocery and office uses only. No final vote was taken; staff said the item will return for council action at a later meeting after any additional information and recommended conditions are prepared.

The public hearing record and staff report will be part of the next council packet when the council considers the rezoning and variance request.