Hudson Council Eyes Main Street Patio Plan, Short Term Rental Caps and Sidewalk Funding Gap

Hudson City Council spent nearly three hours at its Tuesday, Oct. 27 workshop. Members weighed a bigger patio for a longtime Main Street restaurant, a new framework for short term rental limits and a five year budget that leaves sidewalk projects waiting. Council President Michael Bird chaired the session after missing the prior week’s meeting for a family commitment out of the country. Hudson’s Restaurant Pitches a More Open Main Street Front J.J. Altomare of Hudson’s Restaurant, 80 N. Main St., told council the restaurant marked 20 years at that location this October. He said the owners purchased the building this week after previously renting it. The owners want to renovate the facade and open the front of the building to the sidewalk. Altomare said an informal review with the Architectural and Historic Board of Review suggested moving the entry door based on historic photos. An architect is now preparing sketches. The current patio holds only about four tables because bike racks and other fixtures crowd the space. Expanding it would push the pedestrian walk zone toward the curb and change several angled parking spaces. City staff explained that outdoor dining on North Main Street began in 2020 as part of the COVID response. Staff requires a 7 foot walk zone on North Main and 5 feet on other streets. Further study is needed because the 2 foot brick accent near the curb is pervious and rough, and it holds street lights, trees, signs and bike racks. City Engineer Brad Kosco said the plan would cause a net loss of three spaces. He noted the staff text was mislabeled, though the graphic was correct. A parallel space in the hatched area was ruled out because it would sit too close to the crosswalk. Council Reaction Mixed on Parking Tradeoffs Council Member Samantha D’Eramo said she loved the idea. She added that she has safety concerns about the angled spaces there. Mayor Jeffrey Anzevino strongly backed the proposal. He compared it to downtown Cuyahoga Falls and said improvements like this bring people to Main Street. He also said he dislikes backing out of the angled spaces because visibility near the clock tower is poor. One council member raised concerns about precedent. That member asked for a legal opinion on whether approving the request would obligate the city to grant similar requests from other Main Street businesses, such as Kepner’s Tavern. The member also noted that quick in and out parking matters to merchants. Another member suggested the change might be framed as an expansion of the existing crosswalk bump out. Staff said the recently completed downtown parking study found enough capacity districtwide. Staff also said Park Lane could be studied for added parallel stalls. Bird asked staff for data on what losing spaces would mean, even if the entire street someday made similar changes. He also asked that handicapped parking stay close by. Altomare told council the neighboring building owner supports the plan. Midblock Crosswalk Could Return to the Table Anzevino suggested removing the midblock crosswalk and its flashing beacons, which could recover parking. Kosco said an earlier discussion on that crosswalk was dropped without a decision. According to Kosco, removing it and coordinating the remaining beacon with traffic signals could improve congestion along the corridor. He agreed about three spaces might be regained. Anzevino suggested bringing the crosswalk question back early next year. Staff will return with more study on the patio plan. Stokes/Steidl Property Will Likely Stay Open Space for Now Staff presented a use study for the recently acquired Stokes/Steidl property. The 34.37 acre parcel sits south of Veterans Parkway. The recommendation is to hold it as open space. Staff explained that council can designate parkland by ordinance, but undoing that designation requires a vote of the people. Anzevino recalled an earlier framework of roughly $8 million to $9 million for a possible phased project like an outdoor pool. He called a full $55 million facility a tough sell. Staff noted outdoor pools in Northeast Ohio get about three to three and a half months of use. Council Member Patricia Goetz said Ward 1 residents she has talked with want the land kept as green space, especially with the trail nearby. Another member said a recreation center study is in the preliminary 2027 budget, with a public process similar to Clinton Crossing. Special Events and Food Truck Rules Head to First Reading Two business code updates will get first readings Nov. 10. The Chapter 872 temporary special events update is mostly administrative, staff said. Its main change adds a risk based assessment of events to comply with the Ohio Administrative Code and Ohio Fire Code. Goetz asked whether the draft now requires $1 million in insurance for events on private property, such as an ice cream truck in a driveway or an inflatable bounce house. Staff said it would get an answer before council votes. Chapter 874 would l