Copley fine-tunes hotel definitions, seeks to avoid problems
Copley Township officials are working to gain more control over local hotels and motels in an effort to avoid blight and concerns with criminal activity.
Trustees recently approved new definitions for types of hotels in the community as part of the effort.
Under the township's new definitions:
Extended stay hotels are those who can accommodate patrons for stays up to and more than 30 days, with transient hotels having accommodations for patrons for less than 30 days
Makes extended stay hotels a conditional use in the township's office-retail district. They would not be permitted in any other zoning; and
Existing transient hotels would not be allowed to convert to extended stay.
"We did not have a definition for each of the hotels, which the Ohio Revised Code does, as well as the state fire marshal's office," said Economic Development Director Loudon Klein. "So it was important to be consistent with that, because there is a difference between the two."
Klein said there are eight hotels in Copley.
"Between Copley, Fairlawn, and Bath, we are saturated in terms of hotels in this area, so we do want to monitor the hotel market in Copley to some degree," Klein said. "Hotels are a difficult use to reuse or update when they have hit the end of their useful life. That in turn has resulted in several hotels that have changed ownership, name, and at times ended up in poor condition."
Retail and office buildings, Klein added, are easier to adapt and reuse.
Running out of time: Clock ticking for Springfield Twp. hotel to address litany of complaints
Here's what you need to know: Akron has new rules for Airbnb property owners
Another issue is the amount of safety calls hotels and motels generate, Copley Fire Chief Chris Bower said. The township averaged about 185 calls a year to Copley's hotels and motels over the past two years.
"That is around 6% of our total call volume," Bower said. "The vast majority are fire alarms and EMS calls." The fire chief added that Copley's policy is to have police officers respond to motel and hotel calls along with the fire department.
Copley Police Chief Michael Mier said the township has seen two problematic hotels shutter in recent years — the now-razed Motel 6 and the Hawthorne Inn & Suites.
"Both of those hotels were poorly run and had low daily rates," Mier said. "Once both of those closed, we saw a significant decrease in criminal activity at our hotels. Although, any of the area hotels attract persons that use them for criminal activity."
Common issues, Mier said, are drugs, prostitution and fugitives trying to seek refuge.
"We see almost exclusively adult females involved in prostitution," Mier said. "They are not held against their will. These persons use hotels throughout the county and advertise their services on social media. They move frequently so as to avoid detection by the police. Social media and cell phones allow them to advertise and arrange encounters in such a way that they might work in Copley for a day or two and then work out of other hotels in the area on other days."
Bath hotel may site may be redeveloped
There are currently three hotels in Fairlawn and six hotels in Bath, officials said. Neither community has regulations similar to Copley. Of the combined 17 hotels and motels, more than half are near the Route 18 and Interstate 77 area in Montrose.
The area has had two hotels close and another is on property that could be sold and redeveloped in the future. A Motel 6 in Copley, on Rothrock Loop in Montrose, was purchased by local businessman Tim Adkins, who razed the structures before selling the land.
On the other side of Medina Road, the land where Holiday Inn Akron-West is located might be redeveloped as a new gas station and new restaurants under a tentative proposal submitted to Bath officials. Township Administrator Vito Sinopoli said there would be a public hearing on the rezoning proposal requested for the development at 6 p.m. May 3. The hotel is still in operation, although an adjacent restaurant is closed.
Township trustees are scheduled to vote on the rezoning May 22. Meetings are in the Township Hall, 3864 West Bath Road.
Support local journalism: 6 reasons why you should subscribe to the Akron Beacon Journal
Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Proliferation of hotels has led Copley to tighten regulations
