Green Adopts Vape Shop Limits, Buys a New Sewer Truck and Weighs a Public Art Plan

Green City Council packed its Oct. 27 meeting with zoning, equipment and art. Members adopted new limits on where vape and smoke shops can open. They also approved a $324,672 sewer cleaning truck and a grant request for the fire division's Quick Response Team. Every vote passed 7 to 0. A proposed apartment rezoning at Massillon and Stein roads is off the table after the applicant withdrew. Council also got a first full look at a public art plan, a year in review for The CORE and a strategy for growing Green's visitor economy. Council is also preparing to replace Law Director Lisa Carey Dean, who won a judgeship Nov. 3. Zoning and Development Vape and Smoke Shop Rules Adopted Council adopted Ordinance 2026-22 as amended. It follows the Oct. 13 public hearing. The ordinance defines vape and smoke shops and smoke establishments. It also sets where they can locate: Conditional use only in the B4, B5 and I1 zoning districts At least 1,000 feet from a parcel with a school or licensed child care center At least 1,000 feet from a public park, public library or place of worship (raised from 500 feet after the public hearing) At least 150 feet from residential property New rules on operating hours and signage Wiethe said five businesses of this type operate in Green today. They become nonconforming but may keep operating. A shop that stays closed for about 180 days would lose that status. Selling the business would not end it. Meager co-sponsored the legislation with Speight and Yeargin. He worried the grandfathered sites could become more valuable. He said he came at the issue over aesthetics and signage. Speight's concern was public health and students, Meager said. A planning staff member showed how distances are measured. Staff use Summit County GIS and draw a straight line from the property line. One council member asked whether including child care centers was narrowly tailored enough. Staff said the concern is impaired drivers near young children, not sales to kids. Law Director Lisa Carey Dean was asked whether the city could be sued. She said no one knows until a challenge comes. The city watched other communities and the state before drafting. She said the rules are defensible because they still allow these shops in Green. Driveway Width Limits Approved Ordinance 2026-23 also passed. It covers residential driveways within 10 feet of the right of way. Homes with a two car, street facing garage may have driveways up to 24 feet wide there. Homes with a three car, street facing garage may go to 30 feet. Noble said the change responds to frequent variance requests. Redwood Rezoning Withdrawn Ordinance 2026-24 would have rezoned about 27.8 acres on the west side of Massillon Road at Stein Road. The land would have moved from I1 General Industrial to R2 Multifamily Residential. Redwood Living Inc. had planned apartments on the site. Council held a public hearing on it Oct. 13. The administration said the applicant asked to withdraw, so no vote was needed. Fee Changes for Fiber and Utility Work Ordinance 2026-25 revises zoning and right of way fees. It had its second reading, and Noble asked for more time on it. Wiethe outlined three changes: A new zoning verification fee for requests such as mortgage company inquiries A $300 permit for linear utility conduit installation, up from $40, regardless of length A $100 road opening permit for a single parcel connection Wiethe said linear permits have run from 2,000 feet to three quarters of a mile. He said a fiber company working in Green and other installers accepted the new fees. Noble asked for the clarifying language to be moved into the fee descriptions. Members also asked whether each service connection along a fiber project would trigger the $100 fee. Wiethe said that fee targets single parcel digs. He added that routine cable repairs usually happen inside existing boxes. Dean cautioned against rules that favor one utility over another. Equipment, Safety and Personnel New Sewer Truck Approved Resolution 2026-R52 trades in the city's sewer jet toward a Vactor Impact combination sewer cleaner. It also does hydro excavation. The supplier offered $50,000 for the old unit, bringing the net cost to $324,672. Humphrey said the old machine has been in the shop repeatedly. Parts are hard to get, and Green has been borrowing equipment from New Franklin. The new truck can dig with water instead of cutting, which he said is safer around buried lines. Carr expects about $60,000 in savings on contracted catch basin and vault cleaning in 2027. Bringing all vault cleaning in house would save more than $100,000, she said. Renting a machine would cost $130,000 to $174,000 a year. Training from the manufacturer is included in the price. Humphrey said he would have liked to return the money to the general fund at year end. Still, he called the purchase necessary. Council waived the three reading rule and adopted it. One council member suggested sharing specialized equipment through a