Planning committee recommends revocable permit instead of vacating Maple Row right-of-way

The Findlay City Planning & Zoning Committee recommended on voice vote that a property owner seeking to put a fence along Maple Row receive a revocable permit rather than a permanent vacation of the public right-of-way.

A staff member told the committee that the strip along the west side of South Blanchard Street is public right-of-way and that vacating it could create a ripple effect of lost right-of-way. "Once you give it up, you really can't get it back," the staff member said, arguing the city needs to keep the land available for utility easements and future work. Instead, staff recommended denying the vacation and documenting a revocable permit with the city engineer that will remain with the property file.

An attendee who identified himself on the record as Nestor was asked to speak; another participant described the proposed fence alignment and estimated the encroachment at about 8 feet where the curb jogs. The staff member said the city would coordinate with the property owner on precise placement and that, under the revocable permit, the city could remove the fence temporarily if utility work required it and would typically communicate and reinstall the fencing after work.

Chair moved to recommend the revocable-permit solution and call the vacation denied; the committee approved the recommendation by voice. The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript; the outcome was a recommendation to pursue a revocable permit rather than vacating the right-of-way.

Next steps: staff will document the revocable permit through the city engineer and place the permit in the property file before the item advances to council for final action.