planning and zoning commission overview Mark Wachter, Council Member The Planning and Zoning Commission members are the Mayor, one Council member and four residents. The residents are selected from city districts as established by Council. One resident appointee is considered to be “at-large” and can be from any part of the city. Among other duties, P & Z reviews new plans for construction, other than single family residential homes and considers variances. A family-friendly 12 mile bike tour of historical sights in Beachwood. Do all or part - travel at your own pace. No bike? Drive or bus tour available. Sunday, June 28 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Starts at Beachwood City Hall $15.00 per person - 10 & under are free Registration required at WWW.BEACHWOODOHIO.COM beachwood honors soldiers Proceeds benefit Beachwood Historical Society Questions? Visit www.beachwoodhistoricalsociety.com Occasionally, a proposed project does not conform to the building requirements. A lot may be too small for the necessary parking or the configuration of the lot may not allow for a reasonably sized building to be within the setbacks. P & Z would hear an application for a variance. If the variance involves property, other than residential property, the commission makes a recommendation to City Council which has the final approval. The most visible activity of P & Z is its advisory capacity of a rezoning request. If a property owner requests rezoning of property, the application is first heard by City Council. Rezoning applications must be heard by City Council at three meetings and a public hearing must occur before passage. After the initial hearing, the City Council refers the rezoning application to P & Z for a recommendation. The application is then referred back to Council, with P & Z’s recommendation in favor or opposed, for subsequent readings and a public hearing. Although P & Z has authority limited to the use of real property within the city, the role is very important as decisions can affect traffic, taxes and the nature of neighborhoods for years to come. I serve as Council’s representative to the Planning and Zoning Commission along with the Mayor and commissioners Bill Mann, who serves as the chair, Craig Cohen, Rochelle Hecht, Orry Jacobs and Brian Zabell. The City of Beachwood will once again be creating a field of American flags to honor and commemorate the soldiers who lost their lives in service to our country. “It will be a tribute to the true meaning of Memorial Day and a powerful message of community support to the families of these fallen heroes,” expressed Mayor Merle S. Gorden. View the display at Beachwood City Hall (on the lawn facing Fire Station #1) the week before Memorial Day. The agenda and minutes of the Planning and Zoning Commission are posted on our website. I encourage you to review the minutes and attend a future meeting. city tweets pd tweets @BeachwoodOH @BeachwoodPolice Council Update 30 Beachwood Buzz n May 2015 like us on facebook www.facebook.com/BeachwoodOH