Vision clears Shady Grove site-plan review

FINDLAY — The City Planning Commission has approved a site plan for a 222-unit apartment development on the former Shady Grove Golf Course, U.S. 224 east. The commission voted 3-1 to approve the plan at a meeting held on June 11. Commission members include Dan Clinger, Kyle Inbody, Kerry Trombly and Service-Safety Director Rob Martin, secretary, with Mayor Christina Muryn as chair. Inbody, Martin and Muryn voted in favor, Trombly was opposed and Clinger was absent. The project, proposed by Vision Development, Columbus, covers roughly 20 acres on the northern portion of the property. Plans call for 18 apartment and townhome buildings, a clubhouse, a fitness building and three detached garage structures. According to the staff report, the tallest building would reach 42 feet, 3 inches, below the 50-foot height limit for the district. The commission's approval was contingent on two variances from Findlay's Board of Zoning Appeals: one for efficiency units that fall below the required 500 square feet for living space, and another for parking. The plan includes 388 spaces, where 489 are required by city code. Both were approved by the appeals board on Thursday. Access to the site would consolidate seven existing driveways along U.S. 224 into one full-access drive on the highway and another on Township Road 237. A traffic study found a westbound right-turn lane is warranted, and the developer will be required to install it. The development would use a private looped water system on Township Road 237, tie into existing sanitary lines east and west of the site, and construct a new stormwater detention basin on the west side of the property. On June 2, Findlay City Council approved annexation of the former Shady Grove Golf Course and zoned the property for high-density residential use, clearing the way for Vision Development to pursue the large apartment project on the city's east side. The vote followed weeks of public opposition and a packed hearing where residents raised concerns about traffic, pedestrian safety, stormwater and the scale of the proposal. Council approved the annexation and zoning 7-2, with Councilmen Rodney Phillips, R-6, and Dan DeLong, R-7, opposed. City legislation does not take effect for 30 days. The built-in waiting period that is meant to allow residents to review the legislation, with the option of filing a referendum petition. Petitions challenging the Shady Grove annexation and its M-2 zoning classification were filed June 8 by three Findlay residents — Holly Frische, Patricia J. Klein and Robin Welly. The annexation and zoning approvals cannot take effect unless the petitions are withdrawn, ruled insufficient or defeated at the ballot. Changes to Ohio's petition laws written into the new state budget, House Bill 96, approved in June 2025, make it significantly harder for residents to place local issues on the ballot. The amendment raises the signature requirement for municipal initiative and referendum petitions from 15% to 35% of the vote cast for governor in the most recent regular state election. A parallel change applies the same 35% threshold to township zoning referendums. The committee has until July 2 to file petitions bearing 4,417 signatures with the city auditor. The petitions must then be certified by the Hancock County Board of Elections for the issues to be placed on a citywide ballot in November. Only signatures from voters living in one of the city's seven wards are valid. Vision's broader plan for the entire 40-acre, high-amenity apartment development includes a six-year, two-phase buildout totaling 480 units, with projected construction costs of about $44.5 million for Phase 1 and $50 million for Phase 2. Concept materials show multiple pools, ponds, courts and other recreational features, along with green space between the creek and the Brookstone subdivision. Rents are projected to average $1,400 to $2,000. On Tuesday, council's Finance Committee held a preliminary discussion on whether to approve a post-1994 Community Reinvestment subsidy for the project. The developer has requested a 15-year, 75% property-tax abatement. Vision Development has cited rising construction costs and financing challenges as justification for the abatement. No action was taken. The Finance Committee is chaired by Councilman BJ Preston, R-2, and includes council members Dan DeArment, R-4; Phillips, DeLong and L. Reed Needles, R-at large. Legislation that would create the new, citywide post-1994 Community Reinvestment Area received its second reading at Tuesday's regular council meeting. The ordinance would replace Findlay's pre-1994 CRA, which can no longer be amended under state law, and would allow the city to negotiate property-tax exemptions on new construction or major remodeling. Terms would be set case-by-case in written CRA agreements requiring council approval. Council's Strategic Planning Committee voted on May 20 to recommend the development of the new post-94 CRA legislation. Members said they will work to develop a policy for how the city evaluates subsidy requests and how it negotiates with the schools. Members agreed that the city still needs clear criteria for when subsidies are appropriate, how terms are set and how compensation to the schools will be handled. The Strategic Planning Committee is chaired by Councilwoman Heather Kensinger, R-at large, and includes council members Nichole Coleman, R-1; Brad Wagner, R-at large; BJ Preston, R-2; Carol Smith, R-3; and the mayor. Matt Cordonnier, director of the Hancock Regional Planning Commission, and Auditor Jim Staschiak serve as ex officio members.