Planning Commission reviews study-item rezoning for a drive-through coffee at former nursing-home frontage in Stow City

The Stow City Planning Commission reviewed PC2026-018 as a study item; no action was taken. Staff explained the concept is to rezone the front portion of a property west of Meijer and adjacent to Sheetz and Chick-fil-A from R3 to C3 to permit a small drive-through coffee use, after which the applicant would pursue site-plan and conditional-use approvals for the drive-through.

Applicant Lance Osborne described the proposed building as "just under 1000 square feet" with no indoor seating and a bypass lane around the drive-through. He said the parcel would need a lot split and lender consent from the nursing-home operator and that the operator might need an updated certificate of need with the State of Ohio. On access, Osborne said the entrance would align with the Sheetz full-access point and that the driveway shown in the applicant's traffic study would be expanded by a lane. "We included this in our traffic study, and we're expanding that driveway by basically a lane," staff said, summarizing the plan to add an additional lane to handle turning movements.

Commissioners asked about market saturation—one commissioner observed the area already has several coffee options—and about whether the coffee use would be accessible from Kent Road. The applicant and staff addressed access and driveway alignment and said they will proceed with a tax-parcel lot split and return with a rezoning application to change the parcel from R3 to C3 and an updated site plan.