ELYRIA — For years, design review in Elyria has been synonymous with red brick as the primary building material and an approval process that lagged for weeks.

That could come to an end soon.

City leaders are proposing to dissolve the Design Review Committee and lessen some of the most stringent guidelines.

The new responsibility of approving building projects in the city would fall to the chief building inspector and director of Community Development and Planning.

“In every case, we brought down standards and streamlined the process,” Mayor Bill Grace said. “In some ways, beyond certainly what I would have liked to see, but I would like to say it’s a reasonable compromise.”

The Planning Commission will review the proposed changes today. City Council’s Community Development Committee will receive the revisions at the end of the month, and then the full City Council will vote.

The current moratorium on the design review process will end Oct. 18.

New changes include builders needing to submit just one set of plans versus numerous sets, which now are required, cutting out the conceptual preliminary approval step in the process, allowing buildings to have flat roofs or roof styles compatible with other buildings in the area, and giving owners more authority to choose different building materials that are not red brick.

“Nowhere after this will red brick be in the guidelines,” Grace said.

That’s not to say the design review guidelines will go away.

There still will be rules — albeit less stringent ones — builders must adhere to before they are given permission to build, expand or renovate.

“For those who are critical of design review, this is a major step toward addressing those concerns. For those who wanted to dissolve design review, this will not satisfy them at all,” Grace said. “But it has to be understood that design review is not about pleasing the individual proponent, but about protecting the community as a whole. If you talk to builders or contractors who work in other cities, they will tell you our process pales in comparison to other design review processes.”

In late 2009, builders and developers, led by local businessman Dan Reaser, pushed for city officials to redo the process because they saw it as being bogged down with too many needless steps and requirements. Since then, there has been a City Council-approved moratorium on design review to give city officials time to revamp the entire process.

“It was Council’s intent and desire for everyone to come to a meeting of the minds to make this process acceptable to everyone, city leaders and developers,” said Councilman Tom Callahan, D-at large, head of Council’s Community Development Committee. “Obviously, steps are being taken to make the steps easier for everyone. We want to be less of a burden for people who want to come into the city to build. Time is of the essence in some instances, and we want people to know we are working to remove some of those barriers to make it better for everyone.”

Meanwhile, the volunteer Design Review Committee likely will be dissolved.

Grace spearheaded the process because of what he deemed haphazard construction that created blight around the city. The goal was to reshape the look of the community by promoting safe, functional and attractive development while unifying the aesthetic properties of buildings, making sure they blend into their surroundings, he said.

The revised process will give Chief Building Inspector Phil Lahetta the responsibility of handling most requests, something he has said he can handle as his office has the authority to interpret state building codes and zoning regulations.

Giving Lahetta, along with Angie Byington, director of Community Development and Planning, the final authority to approve projects will not increase their workload and in some ways may actually lessen it, Grace said.

“Before, they would review plans and proposals and submit opinions to the Design Review Committee prior to meetings. Now, they will just review plans and proposals and just make a decision,” he said. “If the applicant stays within the guidelines, approval can happen within hours or a few days.”

In instances where projects deviate from design review or require a variance from zoning regulations, proposals must still be approved by the Planning Commission and go through further review. Those projects are not about design review, but about ensuring due process to protect adjacent property owners. Public hearings are also needed in those instances.

“Whether right or wrong, Elyria has earned a perception that there are a lot of hoops to jump through for businesses to come to town,” Callahan said. “Going forward, I would hope that perception could be erased from the minds of those looking for a place to relocate their new or existing business.”

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

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