Green Council Weighs Redwood Rezoning, Tougher Vape Shop Rules and Wider Driveways

Green City Council held three public hearings on Oct. 13. Members dug into a proposed apartment rezoning, new vape shop regulations and a driveway width change. Council rules barred votes on any of the three that night. All three are expected back at a future meeting. Mayor Rocco Yeargin also updated residents on the push for a single Green zip code, a yearlong Route 241 closure and six charter issues on the Nov. 3 ballot. Council member Richard Brandenburg was absent. All votes taken passed 6-0. Redwood Apartment Rezoning Meets Resistance What Is Proposed Ordinance 2026-24 would rezone about 27.8 acres on the west side of Massillon Road at Stein Road. The land would move from I-1 General Industrial to R-2 Multifamily Residential. RJS Corporation owns the property. Redwood USA wants to buy it for a single story apartment community. A Redwood vice president of acquisitions presented the plan. Redwood already operates 153 apartment homes on South Arlington Road in Green. Average rent there is about $2,162. Projected starting rent at the new site is $2,277 for its most common two bedroom unit. He said density would be about four units per acre. That is similar to quarter acre single family lots. Buildings would be kept shorter, with added stone veneer. Two access drives would come off a new public road connecting to Stein Road. Internal roads would be private, with Redwood handling maintenance and snow plowing. Buffers and Site Conditions The site borders Interstate 77 and industrial property. Redwood plans a minimum buffer of about 135 feet along the highway. Berms and extra landscaping are under consideration. After planning commission feedback, Redwood added a possible fence along the north line. The gas company must still review that design because of a pipeline easement. Redwood also swapped in shallower units near the industrial neighbor. That added about 16 feet of separation. Soil testing found loose gray silt, which he said smaller building pads handle better than large industrial pads. Owner and Neighbors Weigh In RJS Corporation’s chief operating officer said the company has owned the land since 1966. It has never been developed. He said RJS tried to find industrial buyers and came up empty. The company employs 42 people in Green. He said the sale would help it keep building. A representative of a neighboring industrial company that runs around the clock raised noise concerns. He said Redwood made adjustments that now work for his company. A developer who owns land at the south end of the Pickle Road circle opposed the change. He said he is in talks with two companies, one international. He told council industrial clients will not build next to residential neighbors who may complain about trucks and shifts. City and Council Concerns Planning Director Wayne Wiethe said the administration recommended against the rezoning. He said the city values its industrial land. The Planning and Zoning Commission still voted 3-2 on Aug. 19 to recommend approval. Noble, who sits on the planning commission, said once industrial land becomes residential, that job and income tax potential is gone for good. He also cautioned against mixing zoning. He reminded members this is a traditional rezoning, not a plan tied to this specific project. Humphrey asked how residential and industrial revenue compare. Wiethe said industrial income tax helps fund projects like the Massillon Road corridor. He added that Redwood residents typically add few students to schools. DeVitis pointed to Solon, where he works, as a city with contiguous industrial zoning. He said that continuity draws industry. Speight said residents have spoken against more apartments. “Good things come to those who wait,” he said. Neugebauer called the plan a “pocket of residential” amid industry. A resident also emailed council opposing the rezoning. Vape and Smoke Shop Rules Get Tighter Distance Limits Ordinance 2026-22AA creates Green’s first zoning rules for vape and smoke shops and smoke establishments. Speight is the sponsor. A moratorium on new shops took effect about a year ago. Staff said it expires sometime in November. As written, a shop could not open within: 1,500 feet of another vape or smoke business 1,000 feet of a school or licensed child care center 500 feet of a public park, library or place of worship 150 feet of R-1 or R-2 residential zoning Council favored raising the park, library and worship buffer to 1,000 feet. Speight cited a resident email asking for that change. Wiethe said the amended version can be ready in two weeks. Speight asked that the law director vet it. Where Shops Could Go Shops would need a conditional use permit. They would be limited to B-4 Highway Business, B-5 Airport Commerce and I-1 Industrial districts. The planning commission removed B-1 and B-3 from the original draft. Speight asked about dropping I-1 too. Staff said distance rules would already rule out most of that area. Operating Standards Other rules include: