Akron has taken another step toward realizing the transformation of the Merriman Valley.
Akron City Council this week unanimously passed nine pieces of legislation relating to the city’s adoption of a new zoning code for Merriman Valley and the city as a whole.
The ordinances are part of the master plan adopted by Akron and Cuyahoga Falls that transforms the Merriman Valley-Schumacher Area into a walkable, environmentally friendly corridor to the Cuyahoga Valley National Parks.
The group Preserve the Valley, which opposed the city’s plan to develop Theiss Woods, partnered with Akron and Cuyahoga Falls to craft the master plan for the Merriman Valley-Schumacher Area.
Akron’s new code aims to protect the surrounding environment through the use of two types of conservation districts.
The first type, Open Space Conservation Districts, are areas that will remain largely undeveloped with restrictions on what kind of buildings can be added to the site, and a stipulation that only native vegetation and landscape can be utilized. Trails and associated amenities like boardwalks, for example, are allowed provided they don’t interfere with sensitive habitats.
The second type, Conservation Neighborhoods, require a preservation of 70% of the green space in the area and a maximum of 12 dwellings per acre.
The code defines these neighborhoods as walkable with a diverse range of housing option, including single-unit detached homes, duplexes and townhomes that are nearby to permanently protected open space. The areas feature interconnected sidewalks and pedestrian and bicycle trails through the open space to nearby streets or trails.
What’s the difference between ‘use-based’ and ‘form-based’?
The old zoning code, adopted in 1922, is a use-based system, meaning that the land is divided into separate areas for specific uses.
A form-based zoning code focuses on physical character and layout rather than cleaving areas into sectors dedicated to particular uses, residential versus commercial, for example.
An Aug. 23 memo from the Akron Department of Planning and Urban Development to the city’s Planning Commission states that switching to form-based zoning will improve resident wellbeing by making the city friendly to healthier methods of transportation such as walking or biking and lowering carbon emissions by reducing the need to travel by motor vehicle.
Contact reporter Derek Kreider at [email protected] or (330) 541-9413