Plain City BZA swears in new member; residents ask about Airbnbs, park and crosswalks

The Plain City Board of Zoning Appeals opened its November 12 meeting by swearing in Nicholas Aylor to a term the oath recorded as ending Dec. 31, 2029. Speaker 2 administered the oath and Aylor repeated the pledge to support the constitutions of the United States and the state of Ohio.

During the public comment period, a resident (Speaker 4) asked whether short-term rentals (Airbnb) are permitted anywhere in the village. Speaker 1 responded, "We do not have regulations restricting Airbnbs anywhere in the village," adding that there has been no reported problem. The same resident asked whether a dog park near Central Avenue and Jackson Boulevard had been zoned and whether there had been public notification; staff replied that parks are permitted in the residential district, that the park is under construction (a shelter pad is in place and a fence is planned) and that the parcel is properly zoned for a park.

The resident also inquired about a removed crosswalk; Speaker 1 said that was an administrative and engineering matter and that the council would have additional details, and noted it appeared to have been grant-funded though the speaker did not provide specific grant information.

Planning staff also gave an administrative update: copies of an updated sign code were distributed and staff said a sign-related application may appear next month, and that the agenda that night was light with only one action item.