Lancaster · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Lancaster public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Eyman Avenue rezone to Advanced Manufacturing
A 1.8-acre parcel on South Memorial Drive is now zoned Advanced Manufacturing, locking in industrial use next to Biggs Group's existing 7.2-acre site. Supporters say residential use there was never realistic given floodplain and access issues.
Concentration of sober-living homes on one street
A new resident on East Mulberry Street says three sober-living facilities have landed on his block in under a year, including one with occupants wearing ankle monitors near playing children. He wants to know if there are limits per block.
Marijuana dispensary moratorium review
A resident asked council to lift the city's moratorium on cannabis, arguing Lancaster is losing consumer spending and tax revenue to other cities and that 52% of local voters supported Issue 2 in 2023.
Zoning map change and code overhaul
Council fixed a 2023 zoning mistake by rezoning the old LEP property back to advanced manufacturing and rewrote parts of the zoning code to reduce hardships on business owners. Both passed unanimously after unopposed hearings.
Zoning corrections for former LAP site and commercial properties
Council fixed a 2023 zoning error that wrongly turned manufacturing land residential, and restored commercial zoning to several businesses that had faced hardship. The changes passed unanimously after public hearings.
Stricter floodplain construction rules
New buildings in flood-prone zones must sit higher — 1 foot 3 inches above base flood elevation, and lowest floors at least 4 feet up in AO zones — spurred by the Vava Fairfield senior living project.
Two-year council terms
Council members' short two-year terms came up repeatedly as a possible reason to look at a charter. Law Director Hall pointed out the city can already switch to four-year terms through a simpler state-law process (ORC 731 and 733) without a charter.
Potential charter form of government for Lancaster
Lancaster is one of Ohio's largest cities still operating under the state's default statutory rules. A charter would let the city customize its government — council terms, how laws are passed, which offices are elected — but forming one requires a lengthy, expensive ballot process, and past attempts in 1951 and 1990-91 died at council.