Kent Planning Commission turns down rezoning bid, but city council will have final say

Kent’s Planning Commission on Aug. 19 unanimously rejected developer Grey Fox Capital’s request to rezone two parcels on Franklin Avenue from Industrial to R–3 High Density Residential.

Commission members cited concerns about remediating the property’s partially contaminated ground, Kent’s need for affordable housing, traffic concerns and the possible repercussions of rezoning the industrial property for residential use.

Grey Fox is proposing to install a 102-unit, all-rental housing development bordering the Erie railroad tracks along Mogadore Road just south of West Summit Street. To proceed with the project, it needs an 11.61-acre parcel at 600 Franklin Ave. and a 0.22-acre of vacant land bordering the post office parking lot to be rezoned.

The proposal is not completely dead. City council can, and often does, disregard the Planning Commission’s recommendations, planning commission member Amanda Edwards said.

The matter now proceeds to Kent City Council, which will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Sept. 3. Council’s committee of the whole will meet that same evening to discuss the issue and will vote on Grey Fox’s request. Barring a special session, city council could have the final say during its Sept. 17 session, or it may require a formal three-reading process. That could delay final approval — or rejection — until November.

Repeating what he last week told residents gathered at Hometown Bank, which owns the land, Grey Fox Acquisitions Director Jacob Shields said the target property’s shape, size and location is no longer suited for industrial use. Lacking easy access to highways and being close to downtown and city parks, it is more desirable for residential use, he said.

He also suggested that Kent businesses, including restaurants, would benefit from the proposed development, which would be evenly split between townhomes and attached ranch homes. The development would also feature a dog park, clubhouse and outdoor ball court. Monthly rent for the one-, two- and three-bedroom units would be $1,800 to $2,600 a month.

Shields has distributed conceptual drawings of the proposed development, but the city can’t consider them or a formal site plan unless city council overrules the planning commission’s recommendation, Community Development Director Bridget Susel said. Discouraging Shields and concerned residents from specifically referencing the proposed development, she said that when a property is rezoned, it is not for any specific project. If the parcels are rezoned, the new designation will hold whether or not Grey Fox’s proposed development materializes.

That was Edwards’ focus as she noted the permitted uses in R-3 zoning districts include single-family dwellings, two-family dwellings, businesses and accessory buildings.

“If that is a permitted use, we have no say over any of that. It can be whatever whoever buys it wants to do with it,” she said.

A number of community members also voiced concerns about increased traffic on Franklin Avenue, the cost of remediating the now partially contaminated property and the type of housing Grey Fox proposes.

Edwards referenced a housing study the city had commissioned, noting that only some 40% of Kent homes are owner-occupied when, countywide, that figure is closer to 70%. Saying that only 6% of Kent households at the median income opt to rent instead of own, she said high-end rentals would probably not be a draw.

Nearby property owners are receiving notices about the public hearing this week.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed information — “city council can, and often does, disregard the Planning Commission’s recommendations” — to Susel. It was Edwards who made those comments.