Millersburg Planning Commission April 7 Meeting Now Available Online

The City of Millersburg posted the video recording of its April 7 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting to YouTube on the day it was held, making the full session available for on-demand viewing for anyone who missed the 6:30 p.m. proceedings at Village Hall.

The seven-member commission, which includes Kelly Hoffee, Robert Shoemaker, Andrea Kellogg, Jonathan McFarland, Dave Shrock, Dan Lode, and Brett Gallion, handles site-plan approvals, conditional-use permits, zoning district changes, lot splits, variances, demolition permits, and commercial sign permits, among other applications that determine how Millersburg's properties are developed or altered. The body meets the first Wednesday of each month at Village Hall, 6 N. Washington St., preceded that same evening by the Design Review Board, which convenes at 6:00 p.m., a half-hour before the commission's 6:30 p.m. start.

The posted recording captures roll call, staff presentations, applicant statements, and public comment from the session. Viewers can follow which properties came before the commission, whether the body approved, conditionally approved, or denied applications, and whether any items were deferred pending additional materials or plan revisions. Advanced notification is required to place any item on the agenda, so the video represents the full scope of what was scheduled.

For Millersburg, these decisions carry particular weight. As the county seat of Holmes County and a Home Rule community under Ohio law, the Village Council holds authority to create and modify regulations unique to Millersburg, and the Planning and Zoning Commission is where that authority first takes shape in practice. The village, originally laid out by Adam Johnson and Charles Miller in November 1815, was established in 1825 and incorporated in 1835; its own website describes it as having "maintained its beauty, history, and Victorian character through community planning and zoning."

Properties within the Historic Design Review District face an additional layer of scrutiny through the five-member Design Review Board, whose composition under the Design Review Ordinance includes one P&Z Commission member, one Village Council member, one Design District property owner, and two members with a demonstrated interest in historic integrity. The village's Historic District Design Guidelines, finalized in October 2023, govern that review. Robert Shoemaker and Jonathan McFarland serve on both bodies; Jill Eppley, Mike Uhl, and Tom Wengerd round out the Design Review Board.

The broader Holmes County context gives local land-use decisions regional stakes. Roughly 50% of Holmes County's population identifies with the Amish community, and Amish-related tourism generates approximately $2 million in annual spending countywide. The joint "Shaping Our Future" comprehensive plan, developed by engineering and planning firm Kleinfelder over an 18-month study period with both the village and the county-level Holmes County Planning Commission, reflects how tightly local zoning connects to the county's economic and cultural identity. That separate county body, which meets the second Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m. at 2 Court St. in the Old Jail building, administers nearly $1 million in federal and state grants annually on behalf of the Holmes County Commissioners.

Anyone seeking details on what the commission addressed April 7 can watch the recording on the Village of Millersburg's YouTube channel or contact Village Administrator and Planning and Zoning Administrator Nathan Troyer at (330) 674-1886 or nathan.troyer@millersburgohio.com during Village Hall hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Holmes County GIS portal provides the village's online zoning map for reference when tracking any properties discussed during the session.