YOUNGSTOWN | Planning and zoning

The city planning commission handled this item Tuesday:
Canceled a hearing on a Community Development Plan, also known as a slum and blight study, for the area bounded by Front Street and the Mahoning River and the South Avenue and Marshall Street bridges. The study is part of the proposed arena project. Hearing notices sent to nearby property owners contained incorrect information, so the session was canceled. It will be rescheduled, probably for early October.
The city zoning appeals board, whose members also act as the city planning commission, handled these zoning cases Tuesday:
Granted four variances to St. Dominic Church to use residentially zoned property for parking at Southern Boulevard and East Auburndale Avenue. The variances are to: Permit parking within 10 feet of a home; reduce the front yard setback from 35 feet to 2 feet; reduce the rear yard setback from 25 feet to 10 feet; and reduce the side yard setback from 10 feet to 2 feet.Deferred a decision on seven variances for Sam Valentini and Jim Sutman to turn an office at 117 S. Champion St. into an adult vocational rehabilitation center. The city first wants to review the affect that a requested loading and drop-off zone would have on Champion Street traffic. The variances are to: Reduce the minimum lot area from 18,000 square feet to 11,700 square feet; reduce the minimum frontage from 100 feet to 75 feet; increase the ratio of the building to the total lot area from 20 percent to 46 percent; reduce the front setback from 50 feet to zero feet; reduce the side yard setback from 20 feet to zero feet; reduce the rear yard setback from 87.5 feet to 25 feet; and waive the 6-foot fence requirement along all side and rear yard lines.