Skylar Sutton - Hudson City Council

D11 Zoning (JoAnn's):

As the only council member around for more than 2 years, I am the only one qualified to give you the complete story:

* JoAnn went bankrupt twice, all real estate was sold to IRG (a national developer) during the first one. IRG leased the building back to JoAnn until the second one. IRG still owns the property today.

* The JoAnn building does not conform to current zoning code (too large), so IRG has 2 years from the closure of JoAnn's to backfill it. If they don't do that, they will need to split, modify, or replace the building to meet current code.

* IRG scheduled at least two meetings with City Staff (2023 / 2024), outlining their vision for the property. That vision was heavily focused on "mixed use" with a "live work play" mentality, consisting of townhomes and retail shopping. How do I know this? City staff invited me to two of those presentations. I saw IRG's slideshow and drawings with my own eyes. I heard their representative say it.

* Hudson's Charter and laws require Council to use a "Comprehensive Plan" as a guide for land use and growth plans. We update the plan roughly every 10 years.

* The Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee was a group of your neighbors, who spent 18+ months researching, surveying, and having thoughtful discussions with your neighbors about the next 10 years. Their final work product is the "2024 Comprehensive Plan", which was UNANIMOUSLY adopted by Council in Oct. 2024. [Editorial: To those of you dismissing the nonpartisan hard work these folks did, I find it really disrespectful]

* I can't speak for the Comp Plan Comm., but I was their Council Liaison and attended the meetings, so I am qualified to give you my recollection of the discussion. They had some deep discussions about south Hudson (knowing that JoAnn and LittleTikes might not be around forever). The intersection of 91/Norton (old "Darrowville") was suggested for a residential/commercial mixed use to function as a gateway as you entered Hudson. Heavy industrial, and the accompanying truck traffic, was suggested for the Seasons Road / Rt. 8 area. Light industrial and office was suggested for Terex / Barlow / Georgetown triangle (inc. the JoAnns property).

* They were explicit that the area was to remain dedicated to high income tax uses. Hudson is primarily funded through income taxes, NOT your property taxes (those go to the schools). This is reflected in the "Future Land Use Map" contained within the Comp. Plan, and several Comp. Plan members have spoken at Council meetings stating the same.

* After JoAnn closed, Council formed a subcommittee of Bird, Sutton, Foster, and several city staff members to discuss the future of the site. The subcommittee met a few times by itself, at least once with the IRG - the developer (wrong IMHO), and made a visit to the Valor Acres project in Brecksville which I was unable to attend.

* A rough draft of a new zoning district (D11) came out of those meetings. Like anything made by committee it is a blend of ideas, some good, some bad. Council discussed it a few times, and then sent it to Planning Commission (PC) for review and comment.

* PC are the land use experts. They know our land use laws inside and out, and are in the best position to point out errors, conflicts, and concerns. Hudson's laws require them to review land use changes we want to make. Interestingly, several of the current PC members were also on the Comp Plan Comm. and are in a unique position to provide expert guidance.

* PC discovered several items of concern, but ran out of time to fully investigate all of them. There is a time limit on how long PC can keep an item, and they must fit the discussion in around other required duties. PC sent D11 back to council with proposed changes, but also explicitly requested more time to go deeper on some of the topics.

* Sutton and Brezovec requested that council honor that request and send D11 back to PC, but Council declined.

* Council paused the vote on D11 until May, and no further discussions have occurred to date.


What is currently proposed for D11?

Use by right:
* Commercial: banks, medical clinics, offices, business parks, small hotels, rec facilities, media studios, restaurants, retail up to 10k square feet, showrooms
* Industrial: light, distribution, research labs
* Civic: government buildings, hospitals, public safety

Conditional Uses:
* Residential: townhomes and multifamily (within a Planned Development)
* Commercial: studios, bars, nurseries, day care centers, grocery stores up to 40k square feet, large hotels, retail up to 20k square feet, repair facilities (except auto), vets, wireless facilities


Weren't you on the subcommittee / Where do you stand on D11?

* Sure was. Like anything made by a committee it has some good and some bad. I don't support everything in it, but the legislative process is iterative. We're supposed to iterate and refine until we get it right, however long that takes.

* There is no deadline on this. I'm not sure why some of my peers feel the need to "get it done". I'm disappointed that some of my peers have spent time finger wagging at residents for getting involved late in the process. I'm just happy people are talking about it at all. If we need to take time to further refine D11, so be it, we should take that time and get it right.

* At the end of the day, some kind of zoning refinement needs to happen... we just need to make sure D11 is what Hudson wants it to be.

* My personal opinion? Get rid of any reference to residential. Limit the uses to light industrial, medical, and office (this is what currently surrounds JoAnn on three sides). Provide somewhere for office workers to eat lunch by restricting retail to a limited number of sit down dining options facing 91 (ex: would two new free standing restaurants facing the street be out of the question?)


What's Next?

* Council can vote on D11 again in May. It remains to be seen what (if any) changes Council will make before that vote.

* If you want {something} or don't want {somethingElse} in that area, you can send your thoughts to Council or read them into the record at a meeting.

Feb 2026 updates

* Staff update on adaptive traffic signals
* Staff wants to update gazebo for America 250, design proposals posted on web for feedback
* Action on proposal for a new zoning district (D11) at former JoAnns location deferred until March
* President Bird proposes new rules for board/commisions, I remain opposed to the current draft which puts council members at the table for quasi-judicial boards like AHRB, PC, and BZBA.
* City manager contract (finally) renewed
* Staff proposed changes to the "engineering standards" sections to align with modern standards
* Purchases approved for city software, Velocity equipment and contracts, culverts
* Changes to concealed handgun policy
* Melody (bird statue) dislay extended, was set to expire this year
* Council on recess until 3/3

Today, a wrong is righted.

In the 1940s, a discriminatory German law was used to strip my grandmother of her citizenship. My grandparents were able to enter the United States with the assistance of an international refugee organization, and while my grandmother was a legal alien - she lived a "stateless" life (e.g. belonged to no country).

She never returned to Germany to visit her mother or sister out of fear that she would not be allowed in, or that her alien status might not be enough to return to the United States where her husband and children lived.

The German government repealed that law in the 70's, but did not restore the lost citizenships. But In 2021, a new law was passed that restored citizenship for anyone impacted by the previous laws.

German citizenship passes from parent to child ("jus sanguinis"), regardless of where the child is born. When my grandmother's citizenship was stripped from her, my mother and her descendants lost their right to German Citizenship as well.

With the assistance of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany (specifically the Minneapolis, Columbus, and Chicago consulates), and the help of some kind people in the Nürnberg, Nienberg, Amberg, and Hohenfels Staatsarchiv (city archives) we have obtained all necessary documentation and completed our Erklärung (declaration).

Oma is no longer with us, but this packet contains the proof and declaration of German citizenship for my mother, myself, my brother, and our children.

It will take the Bundesverwaltungsamt (Federal Office of Administration) a few months to process the paperwork, but when it is complete, we will be dual citizens of the United States and Germany.

2026.01.06 Notes:

- Despite what at least one other councilor has posted we did not "approve Firefighter training" this week. Said training was included in the 2026 Budget, which was approved back in December.

What was approved this week was a "THEN AND NOW CERTIFICATE". In Hudson, the city does not get access to the whole annual budget on day one. We issue appropriations (money) on a quarterly schedule.

In Ohio, a city may not enter into a contract unless the funds have been appropriated. Technically, if money is spent before it was appropriated, a law has been broken. The T&N Certificate is the tool we can use to fix that, by certifying that the money required to pay for the purchase existed in our bank accounts when the order was placed (THEN), and still exists (NOW). In this instance, because the training was approved to happen in 2026, the City Manager (correctly) booked the training for the best available date, which required him to pay for it before the money was officially the City's to spend. [To be clear, no one erred here - T&N Certificates should not be abused, but are unavoidable on some level].

And no, I don't think I'm being pedantic. I think it's important that your elected leaders understand WHAT they are voting on. A "Then and Now Certificate" is a bookkeeping item. It is NOT ratification of a project, goal, or initiative.

In other news:

- Barlow Dam Repairs approved

- Revisions to the PC submission requirements approved

- LDC change to limit transferring ownership of projects with a conditional use permit was approved

- Recommendation to not implement the growth management plan in 2026 was approved.

Upcoming Public Hearings:

- 1/15 - BZBA - Appeal of #2025-1507 (6335 Elmcrest Drive, rear yard setbacks)

- 1/15 - BZBA - Appeal of #2025-1509 (229 N Hayden, nonconforming structure and side yard setbacks)

December 2025 notes:

- Council on recess until Jan 6

- PC Chair provided memo citing the charter and codified ordinances that give PC or Council the right to initiate zoning changes, to clarify the record and correct statements falsely made by former Councilor Kowalski.

- Dan White sworn into office as Ward 2 Councilor

- Bird elected President for the 2026-2028 Council, 6-1 (Sutton)

- Council directed City Manager to proceed with Ravenna Street sidewalk contract

- Deferral of "Thirty Acres driveway easement ( #25-185)" to April 7, passed 7-0

- Repeal of "PC Moretoreum on new applicatons" ( #25-190) passed 6-1 (Sutton)

- Deferral of "Remove of Assisted Living from certain zoning districts" to Feb 3, passed 5-1-1 (Sutton - No, Bird - Abstain)

- Deferral of "Employment contract with Thom Sheridan (City Manager)" to Feb 3, passed 6-1 (Sutton)

Misc. Notes for Nov and Dec

* Public Hearing 12/16 for 25-167 (PC Submission Req'ts)
* Public Hearing 12/16 for 25-168 (Transfer of Conditional Use Permits)
* Public Hearing 1/6 for 25-174 (Not to impl. the Growth Mgmt Plan in 2026)

* Councilors Weinstein, D'Eramo, and Brezovic sworn in.

* Council appointed Dan White to Ward 2 vacancy, 5-1 (Sutton). I remain of the opinion that this should have been sent to the voters.

* Public Comments: Several thanking incoming and outgoing members. Of note, several members of the gallery, including members of of one councilors family, were severely disruptive during public comments. The mayor had to remind the gallery of the decorum rules and I was incredibly disappointed with the childish behavior exhibited. I have, and will continue to, fiercely defended EVERYONE's right to be heard in our government (I even sponsored the legislation codifying your right to be heard at board meetings). Just because you disagree with what someone is saying doesn't make it acceptable to talk over them, boo them, or laugh at them (or give them the bird when they walk away from the podium, like one council members family did). We are all neighbors, with first amendment rights, and deserve respect. Is this the civility we've been promised by the new council?

* Council did NOT approve the Ravenna Street sidewalk bid, and has deferred any action until January, despite letters from Hudson residents requesting the project proceed. The justification was that a subdivision MIGHT materialize SOMEDAY. To date, no approved subdivision plans exist. The sidewalk plans DO exist, and have been in the works since 2021, are funded, under budget, and designed. This is your new normal Hudson, cancelling projects the residents demand to benefit campaign donors.

* Mike Bird appointed Council President through December, 4-1 (Sutton)

* Consent agenda items: Fire dept. renovation bids and bank account, 3% raise for city staff, 2026 meeting schedule approved (I have received a resident concern that the meeting schedule violates codified ordinances, and have submitted that concern to the solicitor for review), 2026 purchase agreements and sale of unused property, inclusive playground bids

* Legislation: Zoning changes to re-develop old JoAnn property deferred until 2/17, lower Hines Hill speed limit to 35 MPH passed 4-1 (Sutton) over resident objections, 5 year plan and 2026 appropriations passed 5-0, agreement to use Stow Road property as turnpike construction staging yard passed 4-1 (Sutton), City Manager contract renewal deferred to 12/16 meeting, commemorative plaque for Pres. Lincoln approved 5-0, creation of a Clerk Pro Temp passed 5-0

Looks like the shenanigans are starting early. Kowalski motioned to change the agenda order to place the Council President discussion in front of the Ward 2 vacancy discussion. She explicitly mentioned the president's authority to appoint someone to the Ward 2 seat (the implication being that by backfilling the president first, we could immediately fill the Ward 2 seat).

As the person who requested the discussion on the Ward 2 vacancy, my goal was for us to define the HOW, not the WHO.

The motion to rearrange the agenda passed, but her subsequent motion to appoint Dr. Bird as Council President failed all three times that she made it. As such, we have no Council President, and no one was appointed to the Ward 2 vacancy.

Council will accept applications thru next Wednesday (11/26) and attempt to interview and appoint in December.

The Charter states that any Ward 2 appointment is only temporary and the voters will ultimately determine who finishes the term with an election required in November.

My position remains that we should send it to the voters now, and let Ward 2 decide who they want their voice to be.

Today's Hudson Hub headline story is incorrect (shocking, right?). They are correct that Contigo Health is closing, but the Hudson office only had about 10 employees - not the 175 employees they are reporting.

[Edit: Official city page is now saying the confirmed headcount is "4"].

The City notified the Beacon last week when it ran the same story. The same parent company owns both the Beacon and the Hub, so they had over a week to correct it before it ran in the Hub but chose not to for some reason.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Please see below. While I'm disappointed in Mr. Fosters decision, it was his to make.

To answer the "Who is President?" questions: Per charter, the presidents term runs through December and the body will need to decide who fills that void for a few weeks.

As the longest serving member / President Pro Tempore ["temporary"], I asked the Clerk to add a discussion to our next agenda (11/18). We will discuss this and the Ward 2 vacancy as a group, and decide on a path forward at that time.

To the folks saying "Now do Skylar"... Sorry, Ward 3 elected me to be their sometimes loud, often annoying, voice. I'm planning on being here for them.

This morning, Council President Chris Foster notified the City that he is resigning from City Council, effective immediately. Foster has served on Council as Ward 2 representative since December 3, 2019, and as Council President since December 2021. Read more: https://bit.ly/3WBR9r8

Unofficial election results below.

At least one of the races is close enough that it might automatically require a recount, so the BOE may take a few days to move everything from unofficial to official. That is a Secretary of State / Board of Elections process, the city is just along for the ride.

Congratulations to the winners, onward and upward.

Turnout:
- Summit County: 28% (120k / 368k)
- Hudson: Not Available Yet

Hudson City Council:
- Weinstein
- D'Eramo
- Brezovec

Hudson Board of Education:
- Dzurec
- Toth
- Peterson

Issues:
- #2: Cap Summit County Property Tax Changes --> Yes 79.8%
- #30: General Cleanup --> Yes 54%
- #31: Council Term Limits --> Yes 70.4%
- #32: Board Term Limits --> Yes 66%
- #33: Lowering Recall Threshold --> Yes 52.2%
- #34: Raising Council Pay --> Yes 50.3%
- #35: Chartering Veteran Commission --> Yes 60.5%
- #36: Combining Boards --> No 48.9%
- #37: Tax Levy Rules --> Yes 52%

2025.10.28 workshop notes

- Note: Council is on recess until 11/10 due to the election

- Discussion

(x) Community Calendar. Per previous post about this, the City calendar can only legally hold entries for City meetings or events with a City permit. Council asked staff to determine how to create a community calendar that is open to all community groups / a "one stop shop" for what's going on in Hudson this week. Staff reviewed several options and selected one that will allow manually created events and RSS feeds (so the schools, city, etc. can keep using their existing calendar and those events will be imported into this one automatically). Cost is $12k per year, city will cover year one and then we will re-evaluate, HCF will be the legal entity that manages the calendar. 2026 beta testers will be City, Schools, Library, HCF.

(x) 91 / 303 truck turn radius. The 2018 council declined a $1M ODOT grant to widen the turn radius at this intersection for trucks. Engineering presented several options but none of them really fix the issue, short of altering the radius. Council agreed we do not have $1M in the budget right now. Staff will research altering the location of the stop bars (paint) and return to us in a few weeks.

(x) Visitors Center update. As expected it is revenue negative (expenses ~$10k, sales ~$4k) - but we never expected the merchandise sales to be a significant source of revenue. Despite the spin some councilors have put on this, the intangible benefits the VC has provided are: public restrooms during events, hosted bus tours to bring visitors to town, accepted donations of historical documents, worked with Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Department to promote city events.

(x) 5y budget review, week two. Focus on personnel and operating costs. Slight increase in headcount due to retirements in PD and Communications, as well as new headcount in FD and Velocity to support operating changes.

- Proposed Consent Agenda: Transfer of alcohol permit for Aladdin's (LLC name change), purchase of pre-fab restroom for Oak Grove / Inclusive Playground, contract with Zupka & Assoc. for financial audit,

- Legislation:

25-110) Remove assisted living from some zoning districts. Will be third reading, public hearing, and actionable

25-146) Establish a D11 zoning district (JoAnns property), second reading

25-157) Simplify meeting rules to allow us to postpone an item with one motion instead of two, second reading

25-163) Lower the speed limit on Hines Hill from 45mph to 35mph, second reading

25-164) Adopt the 5 year budget, second reading

25-165) Appropriations for FY2026, second reading

25-166) Agreement with Beaver Excavating for use of temporary construction yard (we purchased the property with an existing lease), second reading.

25-169) Annual review / contract with City Manager, second reading

25-170) Memorialize the Abraham Lincoln plaque, second reading

TMP-8284) Define the City Manager and Asst. City Managers as Clerk Pro Temp in the Clerks absence = (speeds up meetings), first reading`

TMP-8307) Accept city manager rec. to not implement the Growth Management Plan in 2026, first read

Looks like it's time for the campaign season reminder that the only actions and speech you can control - are your own.

Let's pretend I was up for election this year. You, a third party, are welcome to drop a soapbox down on the green and tell everyone what a terrible person you think I am [I disagree: I like me, my wife likes me - but that's beside the point]. I think we all could agree that the words being shouted belong to you, not me, and not my theoretical opponent.

So why does logic go out the window when a third party sends a mailer out? The only thing that has changed is the media (print vs spoken). If the candidate coordinated, accepted, sponsored, or arranged that mailer in any way - they would have to disclose it as an "in kind" donation. So if you don't see it disclosed on a campaign finance report, it means it's unsolicited.

Many PACs have formed with a single stated purpose: fight the ideology of other PACs. These PACs legitimately don't even know / care who the candidates are. They see one of their "enemy" PACs supporting something, so they attack that thing.

To date, only one group of candidates have filled their social media feeds with endorsements from regional and national PACs. It happens to be the same candidates getting attacked in mailers. I'm not placing blame on them, their strategy is theirs to choose... but you don't get to have it both ways.

If you **invite** PAC endorsements, you **accept** PAC opposition.

[I'd like to be crystal clear that none of the above is meant to support, endorse, or advocate for PACs. That couldn't be further from the truth - and I have been on the record since day one opposing *all* PAC spending. SCOTUS really screwed the pooch in their Citizens United ruling. My point is simple: playing with fire comes with a risk - you're free to do it, but there is no one but yourself to blame when you burn your hand.]

The fact that (and even a councilor or two) have implied candidates Banweg, Heater, or McGinley are behind the mailers or will act a certain way because of who sent the mailers is **intentionally misleading**. Frankly it's just more of the fearmongering I've come to expect from candidates Weinstein, D'Ermao, and Brezovec.

To date, I've never endorsed a candidate, but as the German saying goes "Alles hat ein Ende nur die Wurst hat zwei" (everything has an end, except a sausage, that has two). It's gone too far this election cycle. The same people preaching civility are the same ones spending their day fearmongering, attacking, and spreading misinformation.

If you want civility, you want Chris Banweg, Karen Heater, and Will McGinley - they're the only ones practicing it.

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