Cuyahoga Falls City Council holds regular meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Council committee meetings are held on the first and third Mondays in order to allow councilmembers to publicly discuss pending legislation that will be voted on at regular meetings. The public is free to comment on pending legislation during the allowed time set aside as part of committee meetings.
On Monday, April 17, during the council meeting, a public hearing was held by the public affairs committee to discuss proposed Ordinance B-16, an ordinance creating a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) known as the Downtown Cuyahoga Falls Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area. Committee Chair Rachel Loza explained to the 60+ people in attendance that she would call upon those in favor and those not in favor of the legislation three times to make sure all who wished to speak on the ordinance were heard.
According to Mayor Walters, his office has researched turning our downtown area into a DORA and he feels it will be a good fit. Assistant Law Director Conner McHugh took the podium next and went into the nuts and bolts of boundaries and the regulations under which the proposed plan would operate. The zone encompasses an area roughly from Grant Street and the banks of the river to the south to Moe’s Restaurant and Second Street. Within those boundaries patrons have the option when purchasing an alcoholic beverage to pay an additional $1 charge and receive their drink in a special disposable cup with the DORA designation marked on it. They will then be permitted to leave that establishment with their drink and wander throughout the downtown area. They will not however, be allowed to carry a beverage purchased at bar A into bar B, nor can they carry a beverage out of the designated area. Several other city officials took their turn at the podium including Carrie Snyder, Director of Neighborhood Excellence, who said the Falls Downtown Fridays would be treated like any other establishment and would also sell beverages in the designated DORA cups. Parks and Recreation Director Sara Kline, whose office maintains the riverfront area, stated that her department would be able to meet the demands of keeping the area clean and litter free as part of the plan and see to it that recycling cans would be placed in the riverfront area. Police Chief Davis saw no problems with the agreement and said his staff is always just a phone call away if needed.
Kaylee Piper, President of the Downtown Cuyahoga Falls (DTCF) Partnership went on to explain that her organization had initiated the request for the DORA after receiving multiple requests from its partner and volunteer base. The DTCF Partnership was developed with the cooperation of the City of Cuyahoga Falls by the National Main Street Center of the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a community-based 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to enhancing and promoting historic downtown Cuyahoga Falls and its riverfront as a vibrant destination for residents, visitors, and businesses. The partnership will be the one to sell the cups to the participating businesses and any downtown establishment with a liquor license will be required to enter into an agreement with the DTCF Partnership for the provision supplies (cups etc.).
Opening the floor for comments from the public, several business owners and residents spoke in favor of creating the district and the repeated comment was “we have been asking for this for quite a long time.” When it came to comments from those opposed, the largest concerns came from residents who live in the condos at the northern boundary of the district. The concern was with public urination and trespassing to which Chief Davis said to call the police. Litter was also a major concern. There was also a repeated comment that the zone passes through 40 residential homes to include only one establishment. After both sides were heard and the hearing was closed the public affairs committee and council discussed the measure and questions were fielded by the law department and the DTCF Partnership. The general public’s comments that came in the form of speaking at the meeting and letters to the clerk were 17 in favor and 6 against creating the district with both the positive and negative commenters offering suggestions to city council and business owners over the plan in general. Councilwoman Loza called the discussion very productive and informative. Asking the committee for a motion and a second, they voted to bring this ordinance out for a vote next Monday April 24, provided that council is given answers to some of the minor questions brought up during the committee discussion.
For the complete map and document city council we be voting, on visit https://www.cityofcf.com/sites/default/files/editor/CD/DORAApplicationwithExhibit.pdf
In other council business…
Planning & Zoning:
B-34: An ordinance authorizing and approving the Final Subdivision Plat for dedication of the Bellaire Lane cul-de-sac located on Bellaire Lane approximately 2,500 feet west of Quick Road. This was presented by Planning Director Rod Kurtz, who said it was approved by the planning commission and called for adding a driveway to a cul-de-sac so that a single family home can be constructed on a 14-acre parcel. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote next Monday.
Public & Industrial Improvements:
B-36: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the Second Street Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation. This item was presented to the committee by city engineer Tony Demasi. The measure would authorize the city to spend $52k to line a section of failing sewer near Second Street between Harmon Court and Grant Street. The amount was budgeted and by contrast lining proved to be more economical than the $524k price tag to excavate the entire area for repair. The committee voted to bring this measure out for a vote next Monday.
