Neighbors object to tactical training center near Eastwood Park; council delays vote

Council members paused a decision on a proposal to convert the former Eastwood swim club at 1928 Eastwood Avenue into a private defense education and training facility after residents and council members raised concerns at a March 9 special meeting of the Akron City Council.

Planning staff told the council the petitioner would place a modular, recessed training structure inside the property’s drained pool bowl, producing a three‑level containerized facility roughly 3,840 square feet in footprint and recessed so its 27‑foot height reads as about 20 feet above grade. Staff said the site would host fire and EMS drills, law enforcement training and private personal‑defense courses; the proposal calls for simunitions (reduced‑energy marking rounds) rather than live ammunition and for video recording to enable performance review. Planning staff and the planning commission recommended approval subject to conditions.

The Walker family’s attorney, Mark Serno, framed the proposal as a neighborhood reuse: “It’s indoor. It’s not a shooting range,” he said, adding the owners intend small, scheduled sessions and that simunitions “are no louder than a lawnmower.” Ben Stassic, who identified himself as deputy fire chief for the city of Talmage but said he was speaking in a personal capacity, described the value of an indoor, video‑recorded training environment for smaller departments.

But neighbors and park advocates who spoke at the public hearing urged the council to reject the conditional use. Nicole Husty, who lives across Eastwood, said she bought her first home there in 2019 and told the council, “I’m not comfortable with it across the street directly across the street from my home.” Other residents raised similar concerns about noise, traffic and the prospect of diminished property values; Melissa Riley, who said her home is within 100 yards of the site, cited studies estimating a potential decline in value and urged caution.

Ted Forsber, secretary of the Friends of the Metro Park, said the property abuts parkland and noted a conservation easement; he urged the council to protect wildlife habitat and neighborhood access. Several residents also told council they were worried about future scope creep if ownership changed, or if uses expanded beyond the simunitions described to the council now.

Council discussion focused on enforceable conditions and the limits of conditional‑use zoning. Councilman Fusco offered a substitute amendment that the council read into the record; among the provisions discussed were an explicit prohibition on live ammunition in condition number 4 and a new condition number 8 limiting hours of operation to 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Sunday. Councilman Garrett summarized neighbors’ concerns, asking whether the city wants “a militarized facility right across from Miss Nicole’s home where she has a disabled individual child.”

After extended debate — and despite an earlier committee report favoring the amendment with suspension of rules — council members asked for more time to consider enforcement, notification and long‑term safeguards. The council granted the request and tabled the matter for further review; no final zoning ordinance was adopted that night.

What’s next: The council granted the committee additional time to resolve outstanding concerns and to provide clarifying language for conditions and enforcement; the item will return for future consideration. Residents seeking updates were advised to contact the ward council member and planning staff for maps and further details.