HOWLAND — The future of a bustling area of the township looks promising, and proposed zoning changes could rethink its arrangement.

Officials met an hour before Wednesday’s special meeting for a hearing on proposed amendments to the township’s zoning map and text.

The amendment, if passed, would change an area west of Niles-Cortland Road SE and south of state Route 82 from Corridor Review District-2 and Commercial to a Mixed-Use District, according to a legal notice published in the paper April 17.

Additional amendments to the zoning text would include development standards for roads and criteria for rezoning requests.

Planning Director Kim Mascarella said the township’s zoning commission, which develops the amendments, conducted its first public hearing on Feb. 18, noting that there was strong interest in the changes from residents and landowners, who submitted comments.

Mascarella said the hearing was continued to March 18, and the zoning commission made modifications to both the text and the map, which were unanimously approved.

Mascarella explained the proposal reimagines an area of the township that she noted as “uniquely positioned” on a busy yet developing commercial corridor.

“It’s uniquely situated just north of the Eastwood Mall complex and all the related businesses that go along with that, south of Sam’s Club and Lowe’s,” Mascarella said. “On three sides of it, it’s seeing growth and increased commercialization.”

Mascarella said the area has been zoned CRD-2 for over 20 years, originally petitioned by the residents in the area to go from residential to non-residential for commercial development purposes. Mascarella said the township’s comprehensive plan underwent a “major update” in 2023.

Outside consultants were hired to bring a new perspective, interviewing property owners and conducting public hearings for the plan.

“[The consultants] did recommend that because of those reasons, because of its unique situation and positioning in the township,” Mascarella said. “It would be good and beneficial to consider mixed-use zoning down in this area.”

Mascarella said the pink area on the township’s zoning map borders the Eastwood Field and mall complex, is 67% owned by investors, and is non-owner occupied, adding that the property is in a varied state of transitioning or getting ready to transition to not being solely for residential use.

“This was very impactful on the zoning commission when they were developing the mixed-use standards,” Mascarella said.

Mascarella provided examples of other mixed-use areas, which would have non-residential uses in one area and residential uses in another, but are closed by a civic space, like an amphitheater that would bring people together.

“You would probably see people walking to get from destination to destination, and something like this,” Mascarella said.

Mascarella said the example was one of real situations that could also happen in the township, noting the Cleveland Browns and their move to Brook Park as something similar that planning officials across the state are envisioning.

Mascarella said the Crocker Park shopping area in Westlake was another example, as it was “very successful.”

“The same concept, just commercial and residential mixed — getting people closer to the services that they want and desire without having to get into your car, and they have scheduled festivals and markets, and there’s green space with concerts,” Mascarella said.

“That is kind of what we’re envisioning for this area down there, for it to be a coordinated development that can bring all these uses together eventually.”

Mascarella said officials were trying to set the stage for something similar to potentially happen in Howland, but clarified that the topic at hand was only a proposal to change zoning.

“It’s not a proposal to approve any development. We have seen zero plans from anybody. It’s just trying to do a reset for zoning — take it out of the CRD-2, provide a little bit of flexibility,” Mascarella said. “Pull things together in a more dense way, maybe taller, and incorporate the amenities that people are now valuing.”

MODIFICATIONS

Mascarella said she’s heard a few comments about the mandatory requirement coupling residential with non-residential uses, which was the basics of what officials wanted to do.

“We did change it to allow, on a case-by-case basis, to do commercial first, if there’s some assurances that residential will be coming, either an adjacent project or a different phase of the project,” Mascarella said. “The owners have to prove that and to make sure that the commercial first project meets the whole mixed-use purpose is on staff, so staff have to write findings, and that has to be filed with the application.”

Mascarella said they’ve also made changes to the property size, noting the zoning commission and outside consultant recommended a 10-acre minimum to encourage a coordinated and organized development.

“By the time the zoning commission got it to a final draft, it was reduced to six acres after they looked at the lot sizes and the map that showed which properties are nonowner-occupied owned,” Mascarella said. “After we heard from residents and some property owners, it was dropped down again to three acres.”

Mascarella said the zoning commission has addressed parking, too, initially requiring it to be on the side or rear of a building, but realizing occasions where front parking might be needed or justified.

QUESTIONS

Trustee James LaPolla noted that other areas purchased for development typically have one owner, creating a homogeneous area developed into a whole, but six different developers could aim for six different themes.

He questioned whether there were guidelines that would make any development fit a particular visualization set, such as protecting wetlands.

Mascarella agreed that it was definitely easier to have one developer, noting the variety of property owners as a challenge in considering zoning changes.

“That was really the purpose of our 10-acre minimum: to try to create bigger projects and try to sew them together with some common threads,” Mascarella said.

“Like the use of the architectural standards, to make sure they look similar, that they play well together.”