HUBBARD TOWNSHIP — In a meeting that featured a lengthy discussion about the wording of proposed zoning changes, trustees on Tuesday voted 2-0 to reject proposed zoning text amendments in relation to a military overlay district.

The amendments address the sustainability of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, the continuation of a process that started with a joint land use study with YARS in 2016. The county completed the study in 2019, and using the Military Installation and Sustainability Grant, contracted with Matrix Design Group, who procured zoning overlay district documents, maps and comprehensive plan document updates for what’s known as the Military Compatibility Area Overlay District.

In addition to the changes proposed to the township’s zoning text through the YARS Military Installation and Sustainability Project, the county’s planning commission requested that the township, as an outcome of the project, incorporate the military compatibility development into its zoning administration processes.

The Hubbard Township Zoning Commission recommended against approving the text’s amendment.

Meg Evans, the commission’s chairperson, explained during the public comment session that there were “a couple of items” they did not agree with changing.

“We were going to start over and make a couple of changes, a couple of scratch-outs that we didn’t agree with, and then resubmit it,” Evans said. “It would basically follow the template we were given, but with just a few changes that we weren’t real comfortable with.”

In terms of those changes, Evans also pointed to a page about confined livestock operations that she said felt “too open.”

“It made it sound like you really couldn’t have, for example, I have some friends who have a farm, they have a couple hundred acres, they have some cows — less than 20,” she said. “They sell the beef, so we kind of want to make that more specific because we don’t want to limit it.”

Evans said those individuals would already be grandfathered in, but for others trying to sell beef, she wondered if the resolution would limit them, as it didn’t specify personal or commercial usage.

David Roosh, a member of the township’s comprehensive planning commission, said they spent weeks to months going through the proposed plan, making modifications in favor of the township so it wouldn’t lose the authority it has over its zoning.

He asked Julie Green, director of the Trumbull County Planning Commission, if they were going to have two parcels removed from the Bird / Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) program.

“I believe we did provide you with a list of parcels; our recommendation was if you weren’t comfortable with adopting the BASH, then you don’t have to adopt the BASH overlay, that’s just one compatibility area,” Green said.

Green said the township choosing not to adopt it wouldn’t be a major deal, but she was going to encourage them to adopt it as-is. If not, however, she said the township would simply strike through.

Roosh said the planning commission questioned why they would put those conditions on such a small percentage of properties, but Green said the same argument could be made for keeping them on, adding that it would show community support for YARS.

“To clarify, I’m just here to educate on what is being presented. It is the township’s ultimate decision on what you include in your comprehensive plan, what you include in your zoning resolution,” Green said. “The only reason that we rejected the proposed zoning change was because there were so many changes to the existing language, not necessarily what you want to adopt or not want to adopt.”

Green said the township could adopt pieces and parts, but didn’t recommend changes to the language prepared by subject matter experts.

“Ultimately, according to the Ohio Revised Code, this is completely up to your township to either adopt it or reject it, or to strike through certain sections, even if you want to adopt it as is today,” Green said later.

Peggy Fluent, the township zoning commission’s vice chair, said a memorandum of understanding that they required both the township and YARS officials to sign would take the sole say of what changes were made in the adopted portion of the code from the township.

Green said the township isn’t required to enter the memorandum, and the documents the county’s planning commission presented were just template documents for them to either reject or accept.

“Brookfield Township does not have zoning, but they did pass a resolution of support,” Green said. “If you’re not comfortable with adopting all of this or any part of it, a resolution of support would even show community support.”

“We’re just trying to show that, to our federal government, that our one-of-a-kind Youngstown Air Reserve Station is very important to us, and we want to see it sustained long-term,” she added.