Bright lights, big problem on Lotze Street

FINDLAY — A Lotze Street business whose outdoor lights made nearby homes glow "like Friday night football" has agreed to tone it down. On Thursday, the Findlay Planning Commission granted a conditional use permit to the property at 126 Lotze St., allowing it to continue to operate as a contractor shop. This use isn't automatically permitted in the city's C2 commercial district. Sean Hoover, owner of Ohio Snow & Turf LLC, told the commission he was unaware of how the exterior lighting was affecting neighbors. Hoover apologized repeatedly throughout the meeting and said he has already taken steps to address the most immediate concerns. He told commissioners that he has instructed employees to turn the vehicles so that their headlights no longer face the neighboring house and agreed to shut off the building's exterior lights at night while a long-term fix is worked out. At Thursday's commission meeting, Councilman Dan DeLong, R-7, said neighborhood residents first raised the issue to him last spring, and he contacted the Zoning Department months ago. The business is located in the 7th Ward. The permit's conditions — including fewer fixtures, shielded replacements, a new photometric plan, and immediate nighttime shutoff — came as the commission acknowledged that the issue exposed problems in how the city reviews and enforces outdoor lighting rules. Commissioners said the case may prompt tighter controls going forward, from requiring more lighting plans to strengthening shielding and verification standards citywide. Hoover said he wanted the situation corrected not only for his own operations but for whoever ultimately occupies the property next. He noted that most of his company's equipment and activity will soon relocate to a larger site he purchased elsewhere in Findlay, but said he still wanted to "get this right for the neighborhood." Several of the problems at 126 Lotze St. stemmed from how the previous owner brought the project through the permit process in 2023, when it was approved as an accessory building rather than a standalone contractor shop — a classification that avoided fuller review. The building at 126 Lotze St. was originally approved in 2023 as an accessory structure for a nearby countertop business, meaning the city never required a photometric plan. The city did not catch the later change in use until a zoning inspector visited the site months after the building was sold. To correct those issues, the commission required new buffering, landscaping, hours of operation, and fire-safety measures as conditions of the permit, all of which will apply to future owners as well. The conditions attached to the permit go well beyond typical requirements for C2‑zoned property. In addition to the lighting corrections, the commission ordered installation of a six‑foot fence tying into the neighbor's existing fence, expanded landscaping along the Lotze Street side, limits on hours of operation from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and a fire inspection that includes vehicle protection for any outdoor fuel tanks. Any future outdoor storage beyond vehicles must return to the commission for review.