MEDINA, Ohio – Council is considering the addition of a number of amendments to Medina’s zoning code particularly regarding short term rentals within the city. The body recently conducted a public hearing on the matter where no one spoke either in favor or against the proposed amendments.
Community Development Director Andrew Dutton said the proposed amendments were reviewed and recommended by the planning commission July 11.
“Currently there are a number of short term rentals within the city near the historic district, but we don’t have any regulations for short term rentals,” Dutton said.
Dutton said city officials reviewed regulations other municipalities have in place.
“In some other communities, short term rentals are regulated in a variety of ways including a registration process,” Dutton said. “We have gone the other way with more general regulations.”
Dutton said the proposed regulations would allow short term rentals in the C2 commercial district and the MU district and they would be conditionally allowed in R2 and R3 residential districts that are located within 4,000 feet of the center of town.
“That is where they are all currently located,” Dutton said. “The regulations would call for a minimum number of parking spaces, a maximum occupancy depending on the number of bedrooms and prohibit events at short term rentals.”
The proposed amendments also focused on fitness facilities, giving them their own definition within the zoning code. Fitness facilities would be permitted in the C3 commercial district and conditionally permitted in C1 and C2 commercial districts and also in industrial districts.
“This change was necessary as we are seeing fitness facilities evolve,” Dutton said. “You are seeing things more like CrossFit which are commonly found in industrial areas.”