The city of Akron’s proposed new zoning code for the Merriman Valley is getting a positive reception from residents. City officials took questions from residents at a townhall Wednesday night.
The city is proposing to change the zoning code in the Merriman Valley and Schumacher Area to a form-based code. Form-based code allows for mixed use of spaces and focuses on the character and layout of a community to make it more walkable and environmentally friendly.
Akron’s current zoning code is more than 100 years old.
“We are coming fairly late to the ball game on form-based code," Councilmember Shammas Malik, the city’s presumptive next mayor whose ward includes part of the Merriman Valley, said. "There are other cities in Ohio and across the country that have 100% form-based code across their whole city, so we can learn from that.”
The city is seeking feedback from residents before the draft comes to city council.
“You’re seeing this draft before it comes to Akron City Council, before it comes to Cuyahoga Falls City Council, because we want to get your feedback," Malik said. "We can tweak things.”
The draft was created in conjunction with neighboring Cuyahoga Falls, which is also working on a form-based code for its part of the valley.
One of the proposed areas in the draft plan is called Conservation Neighborhoods. These neighborhoods will be walkable communities with access to permanently conserved open space, City Planner Daniel DeAngelo said.
“And what that means is that we’re going to require that 70% of the land on those parcels is set aside for open space," DeAngelo said. "It’ll protect the creeks, the steep slopes, the wetlands.”
Developers would be able to increase the density of housing on the rest of the property.
Other proposed areas include walkable neighborhoods with access to local businesses and walkable neighborhoods with both residential and commercial spaces.
The draft proposed by the city aims to realize the goals laid out in the Merriman Valley Schumacher Area Master Plan completed last year, which focuses on transforming the community into a gateway to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
The new code will ultimately shape future development of the valley, DeAngelo said.
Cuyahoga Falls plans to hold a similar meeting in July. DeAngelo hopes to have the code in front of Akron City Council's Planning and Economic Development Committee in August. Cuyahoga Falls is on a similar timeline, he said.
