Commercial & Industrial Projects

General

All commercial and industrial projects must first be approved by the City Planning Commission before actual construction can begin. Commercial developments do include multifamily housing with four or more dwelling units per structure.

These projects have a somewhat unusual review process in that zoning compliance and site plan review are under the purview of the City, but actual commercial building permits, building plan review and building construction inspections are under the jurisdiction of the Medina County Building Department. The Commercial Development Guide provides a step-by-step summary of the site development and review process. Site Plan Requirements detail the information that must be provided on a typical site plan that will be evaluated by the Planning Commission.

For more information about the review process for commercial & industrial projects, see: Commercial Development Guide.

For additional information regarding the commercial building permit process, contact the Medina County Building Department at 330-722-9220 or view the Medina County Building website.

Waste Water Treatment Issues

New projects and major expansions to existing facilities may need to complete a waste water pre-treatment questionnaire. View the Water Pollution Control Pre-Treatment Questionnaire (PDF).

For more information, please contact John Clark, Wastewater Division Supervisor at 330-336-2894.

In addition, food service uses must install fats, oils and grease (FOG) interceptors to minimize the amount of these materials entering the wastewater system. The City of Wadsworth follows standards adopted by the Medina County Sanitary Engineers Office. To view the standard visit Medina County Department of Sanitary Engineering (PDF).

For additional information regarding FOG interceptors, please contact the City's Engineering Department: 330-335-2751.

Signs

In most cases, all new or replacement signage will require design review approval and a zoning certificate before they can be installed. For more information, see Signs.

Commercial & Industrial Use Changes

A use change occurs whenever a new commercial or industrial business opens in an existing structure that is properly zoned for the proposed use. A use change needs to be evaluated for both zoning compliance and building/fire code compliance.

Zoning compliance is evaluated by the City's Building & Planning Department, while building & fire code compliance will need to be determined by both the City Fire Department and the Medina County Building Department.

Use Change Review Procedure

1. Determination of Zoning Compliance

Applicants should submit a cover letter and site plan describing the proposed new use and any site modifications that are required for the new use. The Planning Director shall review the proposal and determine whether the proposal requires approval of the City Planning Commission. If Planning Commission review is not required, the applicant will be notified and will then be able to obtain a zoning certificate for the use change. If Planning Commission review is required, a zoning certificate cannot be issued until after the Commission approved the new use.

City Planning Commission review is typically not required when the proposed use is similar to the previous use (for instance, opening a new restaurant or food service operation in a location previously occupied by a restaurant) and no site modifications are proposed (e.g. building addition, parking lot expansion, etc.).

Use changes where the proposed use is dissimilar to the former use (for instance, opening a retail shop at the site of a former restaurant) may require approval by the City Planning Commission. Each case will be evaluated by the Planning Director. 

2. Determination of Building & Fire Code Compliance

Even though a new use is found to be in compliance with the City's zoning ordinance, each new use must demonstrate compliance with the building and fire codes applicable to the proposed use.

Applicants should contact the Medina County Building Department to determine whether or not a special inspection/use change inspection is required. Applicants should also contact the City Fire Department to set up a fire safety inspection as well.

If the inspections indicate that building modifications are necessary to bring the property in compliance with building and fire codes applicable to the proposed use, the modifications will need to be completed, inspected and approved before the County Building Department will issue a certificate of occupancy for the use change.

3. Certificates of Occupancy

Two occupancy certificates must be obtained for use changes, one from the County Building Deparment (certifying that the structure complies with all commercial building, fire & health codes. The second certificate is issued by the City and certifies that the structure and use comply with zoning requirements in addition to demonstrating compliance with commercial building and fire codes.

Other Agency Contact Information

View Agency Contacts (PDF) for phone number and mailing addresses of other City, County and State agencies typically involved in the site development process.