Council to look at changing zoning code

BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (AP) -- This picturesque lakeside community may end its 42-year tradition of taking a hands-off approach to zoning for some institutions.
Voters in Bay Village and many other suburbs decide whether to allow zoning changes when a business wants to build on land not zoned for commercial use.
But Bay Village's zoning code exempts churches, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, museums, community centers and libraries from having to seek voter approval.
The reasoning behind the exemption was to attract those entities to the young city in the 1960s. All six churches are in neighborhoods.
Now Bay Presbyterian Church wants to build a parking lot on land that once held five houses, and Bradley Bay Nursing Home last year bought seven acres and has talked about expanding, Law Director Gary Ebert said.
A moratorium was placed on expansions in July 2003. Now many residents are pushing to let voters or zoning officials have approval powers, Ebert said.
At a meeting April 26, city council will consider a proposal that would remove the exemptions for all institutions but public schools. Council also will discuss increasing the requirements for green space and buffers between homes and other types of buildings.
Bay Village officials considered a similar move in 1999 and 2000 but decided against any changes.