Findlay Council bans new small-box retail

Findlay City Council voted Tuesday in regular session to enact a six-month moratorium on the establishment of new small-box retail or dollar stores in the city. The vote was split, with council members Holly Frische, R-1, Jim Niemeyer, R-6, and Joshua Palmer, R-7, opposed. The Hancock Regional Planning Commission asked for the moratorium as city officials work to develop new rules for the number of stores and their locations. Emergency language included in the legislation, which bypasses a 30-day waiting period for new rules set by council, means the moratorium is effective immediately. The city currently has eight small box retailers and a ninth store in Liberty Township. Findlay presently zones the stores as C1 for light commercial use. Matt Cordonnier, director of Regional Planning, has said the stores generate enough traffic that they would be better placed away from neighborhoods and in more commercial locations with C2 zoning, like Tiffin Avenue. The goal of the moratorium is to stop the retailers from rushing to set up shop in Findlay before the new zoning rules are enacted. Legislation establishing the new zoning was tabled at the Oct. 18 meeting of Findlay Council after its second reading. The delay is meant to give city officials time to work out the new rules. That vote was also split, with Frische, Niemeyer and Palmer again opposed. Regional Planning has also asked that the city limit the number of dollar stores to no more than four within city limits, or one store for every 10,000 Findlay residents. Established stores would be grandfathered and allowed to remain in operation. Cordonnier has said "small box" retail stores serve a purpose and are welcome in the community, but the city should avoid a "density" of the stores, which tends to put pressure on conventional grocery stores, which offer healthier food choices. A similar moratorium was enacted by council in October on skill-based gaming parlors. Skill-based gaming is like gambling, but the games require a component of skill to win prizes like vouchers or game cards. Ohio prohibits cash prizes. There are currently six skill-based gaming parlors in Findlay. New zoning rules are also being developed for the gaming parlors, and, again, the moratorium is meant to avoid a rush to establish more before the new zoning takes effect. The parlors require permits to operate and are currently zoned for commercial areas, as either C1 for light traffic, or C2. Regional Planning is recommending zoning of I1, or light industrial, with the goal of discouraging the parlors from locating in the city. The recommendation is to also limit the gaming parlors to only four within city limits. Established parlors would also be grandfathered and allowed to remain in operation. In other business Tuesday, a request by Mayor Christina Muryn to extend the hours of Findlay's "Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area," or DORA, on St. Patrick's Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, will be introduced to council in the form of legislation. Businesses participating in the DORA are requesting a change of hours on the holidays. A DORA is a specific area in which alcoholic beverages may be sold by licensed liquor establishments for outdoor consumption. Patrons can enter one of 18 local establishments inside the DORA and order an alcoholic beverage in a designated cup. They can then travel freely with the beverage among establishments inside the DORA boundaries. In Findlay, the boundaries are from Center Street to Lima Street and from Putnam Street to Factory Street. Hours are between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily.If approved by council, DORA's hours would be extended on St. Patrick's Day from 7 a.m. to midnight. For the New Year's holiday, DORA's hours would be extended for 36 hours straight: from 11 a.m. on New Year's Eve to 11 p.m. on New Year's Day. On Tuesday, Councilman Dennis Hellmann, R-2, said if the DORA's hours are extended on the holidays, the modified hours should be for one year and then reviewed annually. While Findlay's DORA may circle the clock for the new year, Muryn said city establishments must still abide by state laws regarding serving times. Last call is at 2 a.m. statewide in Ohio. Some licenses allow businesses to serve until 2:30 a.m. Council first voted to approve a DORA in downtown Findlay in March 2021. On Monday, Muryn said it has gone well, with no issues.