Green Council Sets Vape Shop Buffers, Approves Sewer Truck and Previews Public Art Plan

Green City Council approved every item it voted on Oct. 27, each by a 7 to 0 margin. The Summit County city now has firm limits on where vape and smoke shops may open. Council also signed off on a $324,672 sewer cleaning truck and a grant request to expand a fire division outreach program. Not everything moved forward. A developer pulled its request to rezone industrial land near Massillon and Stein roads for apartments. Meanwhile, residents got an early look at three longer term efforts: a citywide public art plan, The CORE’s first year results and a plan to attract more overnight visitors. Zoning and Development Where Vape Shops Can Go Ordinance 2026-22, adopted as amended, comes two weeks after a public hearing on Oct. 13. It defines vape shops, smoke shops and smoke establishments, then limits their locations. Under the new rules, these businesses: Need conditional use approval and may only locate in B4, B5 and I1 districts Must sit at least 1,000 feet from a parcel with a school or licensed child care center Must sit at least 1,000 feet from a public park, public library or place of worship Must stay at least 150 feet from residential property Must follow new hours and signage rules That park, library and church buffer started at 500 feet. Council doubled it after hearing public comment. Five such businesses already operate in Green, Planning Director Wayne Wiethe said. Those shops become nonconforming but can stay open. Closing for roughly 180 days would cost a shop that status. A sale of the business would not. Councilman CJ Meager co-sponsored the ordinance with Council President Justin Speight and Mayor Rocco Yeargin. Meager said he was motivated by aesthetics and signage. He said Speight focused on public health and students. Meager also worried the grandfathered locations could gain value. Planning staff demonstrated the measuring method. Distances run in a straight line from the property line using Summit County GIS. Asked whether child care centers belonged on the list, staff pointed to the risk of impaired drivers near young children. Law Director Lisa Carey Dean said nobody can predict a lawsuit until one is filed. She said Green studied other cities and state action before drafting. In her view, the rules hold up because shops are still allowed in parts of the city. Driveway Widths Capped Council also adopted Ordinance 2026-23. It applies to the first 10 feet of a residential driveway next to the public right of way. Driveways there may be 24 feet wide for a two car, street facing garage. Three car, street facing garages get up to 30 feet. Councilman Jeff Noble said frequent variance requests prompted the change. Apartment Rezoning Pulled Ordinance 2026-24 would have changed about 27.8 acres on the west side of Massillon Road at Stein Road from I1 General Industrial to R2 Multifamily Residential. It drew a public hearing Oct. 13. The applicant has since withdrawn, so council took no vote. Utility and Fiber Permit Fees Ordinance 2026-25 updates zoning and right of way fees. It received a second reading, and Noble requested more time. Wiethe described three proposed changes: A new fee for zoning verification requests, often from mortgage companies A flat $300 permit for linear utility conduit work, up from $40, no matter the length A $100 road opening permit for connecting a single parcel Some linear permits have stretched from 2,000 feet to three quarters of a mile, Wiethe said. He added that installers, including a fiber company working in Green, accepted the new amounts. Noble asked that clarifying notes move into the fee descriptions. Other members questioned whether each home hookup on a fiber project would cost $100. Wiethe said the fee is meant for single parcel digs, and most cable repairs happen inside existing boxes. Dean warned against wording that favors one utility over another. Equipment, Safety and Staff Sewer Truck Purchase Resolution 2026-R52 swaps Green’s aging sewer jet for a Vactor Impact combination sewer cleaner that also handles hydro excavation. A $50,000 trade in brings the net price to $324,672. Finance Chair Chris Humphrey said the current machine keeps going in for repairs, and parts are hard to find. Green has been borrowing a unit from New Franklin. Water excavation is also safer around buried lines than cutting, he said. Public Service Director Valerie Wax Carr projected about $60,000 in 2027 savings on contracted catch basin and vault cleaning. Handling every vault in house could save more than $100,000, she said. Renting instead would run $130,000 to $174,000 a year. Manufacturer training comes with the purchase. Humphrey said he would have preferred returning the money to the general fund at year end but called the truck necessary. Council suspended the three reading rule and adopted the resolution. A council member floated sharing specialized equipment with nearby cities through a council of governments. Carr said an earlier countywide attempt fell apart. She