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MINUTES OF THE AVON LAKE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING March 3, 2026 A regular meeting of the Avon Lake Planning Commission was called to order on March 3, 2026, at 7:00 P.M. in Council Chambers with Chairperson Ma presiding. ROLL CALL Present for roll call were Mr. Leitch, Ms. Lissner, Dr. Ma, Mr. Reynolds, Mayor Spaetzel, Director of Law Ebert, City Engineer Howard, Community Development Director Esborn, and Planning & Zoning Manager LaRosa. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. Leitch moved, and Mayor Spaetzel seconded to approve the February 3, 2026, meeting minutes as presented. Motion carried (5-0). COUNCIL REPORT Mr. Reynolds reported one item: City Council approved the Matthews Hollow preliminary plat. SWEARING IN PUBLIC COMMENTERS Director of Law Ebert swore in applicants and members of the audience who plan to speak to items on the agenda. NEW CASES Case No. CPC-25-21 Site Plan Approval for a New Learwood Middle School at 340 Lear Road by the Avon Lake City School District. Ryan Schmidt of TDA Architecture in Willoughby, after stating his name and that he had been sworn in, presented the site plan and described the project’s overall layout, including circulation, parking, emergency access, stormwater approach, roadway improvements, landscaping, building elevations and materials, and the construction phasing plan. Mr. Schmidt explained that the new school would be built in the current grassy area while the existing school remains operational, with the phase sequence ultimately removing the existing building and front parking after the new facility is complete. He described a site design that separates parent drop-off/pick-up from bus circulation, provides perimeter access for safety services, and includes additional parking to better serve field and activity areas. Mr. Schmidt also reviewed the roadway improvement concepts shown in the packet, including widening, signalization, and turn-lane adjustments, noting that design work was ongoing. He concluded with elevations, materials, and renderings indicating a neutral palette with school-color accents and architectural elements intended to reflect school identity. 1 March 3, 2026 Public Comments: William Zimmerman, after being sworn in, stated his concern regarding roof drainage based on prior experiences with roof leaks at school buildings and asked whether the proposed roofs would provide adequate slope for runoff or be flat. In response, Mr. Schmidt stated that the roofs would not be dead-flat and would be pitched to drains (either toward internal drains or to edges), with overflow provisions to move water off the roof ifa drain were blocked. Dr. Ma asked staff about pending reviews, and it was stated that Police and Public Works comments had not been received. Dr. Ma also asked about environmental features; Mr. Schmidt indicated that wetlands are located north of the stadium near the property edge and would not be impacted by the work. He further explained that the stream near the property line would be protected consistently with EPA requirements, with construction work set back from the stream, and that stormwater would ultimately be discharged at an approved rate consistent with required standards. The Chair also asked about pedestrian circulation, Mr. Schmidt described primary access ways and marked crossing points designed to minimize conflict points, including the use of a truncated curb crossing that functions as a pedestrian crossing and can accommodate safety vehicles if needed. The Commission asked about tree impacts, and Mr. Schmidt stated the intent is to preserve perimeter and major frontage trees where feasible, with attention to protecting root zones, while acknowledging that some smaller trees near the current building footprint would likely be removed due to the new construction location. The Chair asked about the existing maintenance/garage building near the entrance, and Mr. Schmidt stated it would remain, be refurbished to match the updated character, and that storage needs would be addressed both through this retained structure and additional building storage planned inside the new school. Lighting and neighborhood impacts were discussed. Mr. Schmidt stated that lighting would be designed to minimize spillover at the site edges, with fixtures directed downward and toward the site, consistent with contemporary photometric approaches. The Chair asked about field lighting, and Mr. Schmidt stated that no additional field lighting was proposed. Traffic and roadway improvements were discussed, including the question of who would pay for roadway work. Mr. Schmidt stated that design work was underway and that funding and responsibility had not been finalized; staff noted that while safety-related funding avenues may exist, no funding is guaranteed. Mr. Reynolds asked about safety precautions during construction while school is in session. Mr. Schmidt stated that construction logistics plans typically include fencing, controlled access, signage, staging away from student areas, coordination with life safety services, and construction manager planning to minimize impacts during sensitive periods such as testing. Mr. Leitch moved, and Ms. Lissner seconded to approve Case No. CPC-25-21, Avon Lake City School District Board of Education, Site Plan for construction of the new Learwood Middle School at 340 Lear Road, subject to final engineering, grading, and stormwater plan approval by the City Engineer. Motion carried (5-0). 2 March 3, 2026 Case No. CTA-26-1 Code Text Amendment Establishing the Lakefront Mixed-Use Overlay District. Todd Hunt Esq., Roetzel & Andress, LPA, Attorney for Avon Lake Environmental Redevelopment Group, LLC (ALERG), introduced members of the project team in attendance, including Scott Reschly, Head of ALERG and affiliated with Charah Solutions, Ed Bernier, Construction Demolition Manager for ALERG; and Dick Shields, Executive Vice President with Avison Young, the brokerage firm assisting with redevelopment planning and marketing of the site. Mr. Shields provided a brief history of the project, explaining that redevelopment discussions began around 2019 when the anticipated closure of the Avon Lake power plant prompted coordination with the City to explore future uses for the site, including public lakefront access. He noted that early concepts considered preserving portions of the plant for office and research uses, but those plans evolved due to market changes following COVID-19, leading to the current focus on residential-oriented redevelopment concepts developed between 2021 and 2024. Mr. Hunt provided background on the intent of the proposed overlay district as a framework and set of standards to guide future redevelopment, emphasizing that a specific development plan was not before the Commission at this stage. The presentation addressed prior iterations of redevelopment concepts, market changes affecting feasibility, and the rationale for proposed standards, including height, setbacks, density, and viewshed considerations. Jordan Burns, the City’s special zoning counsel, also addressed the purpose of the text amendment as establishing procedures and guardrails to guide future development plan review, with emphasis that permitted and prohibited uses, dimensional standards, and development plan review procedures are central features of the text. The proposed text amendment would establish the Lakefront Mixed-Use Overlay District and create the framework required before the overlay could be applied to the property and before related zoning actions could proceed. Public Comments: Rob Shamir urged the Commission not to rush the matter and asked that members ensure they have reviewed key supporting documents before making a recommendation. Mr. Shahmir identified, by name, the documents he believed should be reviewed before a recommendation: the Comprehensive Development Plan, the Economic Recovery & Resiliency Plan, the Redevelopment Infrastructure Plan, and the Development Economic Model. William Zimmerman stated that residents were not being provided clear maps and boundary information for the overlay and related concepts and asked that the materials be made readily available before the matter moves forward. Director Esborn explained that materials related to the LMU-O and the power plant redevelopment had been made available publicly for some time. He noted that the Gensler master planning materials had been available on the City’s website for several years, and the Interim Development 3 March 3, 2026 Agreement (IDA) and related documents were available as public records when City Council considered them. Dr. Ma noted the significance of the project and stated the Commission’s role is focused on the code text, while broader financial mechanisms and policy decisions ultimately rest with City Council. Commissioners discussed viewshed language and how it would be applied during future development plan review, with city council explaining that the code language operates as a performance standard requiring that development plans demonstrate building height, setback, and separation in a manner that preserves views of Lake Erie from Lake Road south of the buildings. The Commission also discussed timing constraints, noting that a recommendation timeline affects the Council’s legislative calendar and effective-date sequencing. Multiple commissioners expressed that revised materials were received too close to the meeting to allow adequate review, and they supported tabling to allow time for a clean updated document and further discussion, including the possibility of a special meeting with the full Commission present. After discussion, the Commission indicated an intent to table the LMU-O text amendment and to align it with the related rezoning case scheduled for the same meeting agenda. Mayor Spaetzel requested that the applicant revise the LMU-O text to improve clarity and readability, noting that simplifying the language and structure would help both the Commission and the public better understand the intent and requirements of the proposed overlay district. Case No. CTA-26-2 Zoning Map Amendment of the Former Power Plant site at 33570 Lake Road from I-2 and R-1A to B-3. The Commission discussed whether to proceed or to keep both cases aligned for a coordinated review; following discussion, the Commission agreed to table the rezoning item along with the LMU-O text amendment so both could be considered together with full review time. Ms. Lissner moved, and Mr. Leitch seconded to table Case No. CTA-26-1 and Case No. CTA-26- 2. Motion carried (5-0). GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENTS Carmen Pepe, a resident of Avon Lake, stated that she could not easily locate the updated proposals on the City website and encouraged the City to make materials easier to find; she also emphasized environmental concerns, including contamination cleanup and safety. William Zimmerman, a resident of Avon Lake, provided additional general public comment regarding transparency and opposition to the proposed public costs as described in public discussions. 4 March 3, 2026 Rob Shamir thanked the Commission for tabling and reiterated the importance of aligning infrastructure capacity and long-term maintenance obligations with realistic development assumptions and public commitments. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Lissner moved, and Mr. Leitch seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:51 pm. Motion carried (5-0). i Commission Recording Secretary : Chairperson Ma Kelly La Rosa 5 March 3, 2026