Ordinances Committee Meeting

March 29, 2012
Thomas Worthington High School

The Ordinance Committee of the Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Thomas Worthington High School, Worthington. The following committee members were present: Chair Jenny D. Jones, Co-Chair Scott K. Gordon, Carolee Noonan, Michael Jones, and Jacalyn Shlemmer. Also present was Pamela M. Colwell. At 7:09 pm, the Chair called the meeting to order.

The Chair welcomed the attendees and thanked them for their participation in the subcommittee. She explained that the Council has charged the Ordinance Committee with reviewing the current ordinances to review conflicts, remove obsolete or unnecessary items, and simplify the planning approval process. She also indicated that nothing was off the table and suggested the group use this meeting to determine its goal and work plan.

The group agreed with the need to eliminate redundancies and outdated code and to address gray areas in the code. Carolee Noonan suggested the goal should be to develop a user-friendly code of ordinances that is reflective of our village (“little village, little codes”) and presents fewer hassles for both residents and the Planning Commission.

Mike Jones discussed concerns he’s had regarding the codes and the Planning Commission. Specifically, he suggested the need to define “maintenance” which would reduce the number of emails he gets from residents who inquire about whether they can proceed with home improvements that simply fix or replace existing structures. He also pointed out that there is no mechanism in current code to ensure that work completed matches the work approved by the Planning Commission or to address situations where improvements are made without permission from the Planning Commission.

It was decided that the group would focus on the ordinances involving land use and zoning since it represented the bulk of the work of the Committee. In addition, the group agreed to review the ordinance governing signage.

The group suggested the following ideas for consideration:

  • What do other villages do? Can we copy or modify their rules or processes?
  • Can building codes be eliminated because it would be covered by Franklin County codes or Ohio residential building code?
  • Are the standards for the certificate of appropriateness well-defined? Consider revision of the Certificate of Appropriateness.
  • Are minimum standards are defined clearly?
  • Can we make the Planning Commission more about rule and less about people? Most cities have employees who decide if plans meet standards. Riverlea has neighbors doing it, which makes it personal. Can we look at how positions on the Planning Commission are filled?
  • Do we need a Planning Commission? What about a zoning board? Would that be any different?
  • Review rule regarding hardscape coverage. Currently, the restrictions are not fair to smaller lots that have long driveways.
  • Can Riverlea require a bond from residents to assure the improvement completed is in accordance with what was approved? If so, homeowners would get the deposit back.
  • Consider the intent versus practice of the sign ordinance stated goal of safety. Does the current language support this goal?
  • Do we need a Marshall?

The Committee members will submit their suggestions regarding the ordinances in these identified areas to the Chair by April 22, 2012. The Chair will then compile and distribute to the group for review ahead of the next Committee meeting, scheduled for April 30, 2012 at 7:00 pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 pm.

PREPARED BY:

CHAIRPERSON: