Stow City Council Approves New Panda Express and ODNR Deer Study Discussions

The Stow City Council approved a site plan for a new Panda Express restaurant at 4185 Kent Road during their April 24, 2025 meeting, granting several variances for the project which will transform a residential property into a commercial restaurant with drive-through service.

Note: Details of this development were initially presented during the Planning Committee meeting, which appears at the beginning of the council meeting video (starting around timestamp 5:36), followed by the Finance Committee meeting (14:02) and Committee of the Whole (22:46).

Panda Express Development Details

The 4.5-acre property, currently containing a single-family home, is located next to Meijer Gas Station on Kent Road with Mission Baptist property on the west side. The development will include:

• A 2,700 square foot restaurant building
• 36 parking spaces
• Two access drives (one for ingress/egress from the Meijer gas station access drive, another for egress onto Kent Road)
• A potential future connecting drive to the neighboring church property
• Extensive landscaping with 98 new trees and 120 shrubs after removing 58 existing trees

During the council discussion, Councilman Riehl expressed frustration that the developer’s representatives didn’t attend the meeting to answer questions, noting this was “the second meeting in a row where a corporation has asked this body to approve something and didn’t bother to show up.” Despite these concerns, Resolution 2025-111 passed unanimously.

City Partners with ODNR for Deer Population Study

Council President Feldman initiated a discussion about deer management within the city, noting that he’s received multiple comments from residents concerned about deer herds. One resident had asked, “What are you going to do?” while another reported frequent deer sightings in their area.

Law Director Reilly revealed that the city has already taken steps to address these concerns, informing the council that “we have entered into a contract with ODNR to study the population of deer in the city to help us get that data.” Although specific details about the study’s methodology and timeline weren’t provided, this partnership marks an important first step in developing an evidence-based approach to deer management.

Councilman McIntire raised questions about potential impacts of deer on public lands, asking if there were costs associated with deer damage to parks, golf courses, or other city properties. The discussion revealed that while deer occasionally cause minor damage to the city golf course, primarily to bookmarks on the greens about once per year, there haven’t been significant impacts reported.

Councilman Riehl raised concerns about past deer management efforts at nearby Kent State Airport, where sharp shooters were reportedly used. He expressed displeasure that these operations occurred without notification to surrounding residents and businesses, noting “anybody who’s trained in firearms, it’s not just the target” that must be considered. He also suggested that alternative methods like bow hunting might be more appropriate for urban settings.

Councilman Herman noted there seem to be “mixed feelings about what if anything should be done about it,” with some residents concerned about garden damage while others believe “we are losing our green spaces and we’re losing the natural habitat for those animals and they’re not invading our homes we’re invading theirs.”

Several council members also mentioned receiving resident complaints about coyote sightings, particularly near Silver Springs.

Major Business Investment Approved

In other significant business, the council unanimously approved Resolution 2025-108 authorizing a Community Reinvestment Area tax incentive agreement with 600 Seasons Business Center, LLC. The project includes construction of a 250,211 square foot industrial building representing a $16.5 million investment.

Property owner Mike Earl addressed the council, noting this would be his company’s eighth building in the area. He explained that despite current economic challenges, “Northeast Ohio remains very scarce industrial market vacancies for the kind of buildings we’re building across Northeast Ohio are the three and 4% range which means they’re virtually full.”

The agreement provides a 100% tax exemption for 15 years, though the schools will still receive payments amounting to about $140,000 per year. Earl mentioned that in January, his company made payments of $430,000 to the schools for buildings one through six.

Charter Amendments and Other Business

The council tabled five proposed charter amendments pending prioritization from the Charter Review Commission. These amendments concerned acting mayor procedures, public notice posting requirements, Charter Review Commission timeline, and provisions for acting finance and law directors.