Elyria adds dedicated city planner

ELYRIA — The city has officially added a designated city planner for the first time, which the administration hopes will make it easier for businesses to move to and grow in Elyria. During a City Council meeting on Monday, Mayor Kevin Brubaker introduced Chris Schoenig as the city's new city planner. He said that Schoenig would be responsible for ushering business owners and developers through the process of zoning and land use for building or expanding in Elyria. "We're gonna get back to where the city of Elyria is a friendly place to do business, that's really what the design of this is," Brubaker said. "And (Schoenig) will hold their hand from the time we start having these initial conversations between (the administration) and a developer or builder, we'll turn them over to him and he will walk them through until we cut the ribbon." A native of North Olmsted and graduate of The Ohio State University, Schoenig recently moved back to Northeast Ohio after seven years as a city planner in Florida. Brubaker said that he felt Schoenig's familiarity with the area and varied experience as both a public and private city planner made him a perfect fit. "(I'm excited about) just making a difference in the community," Schoenig told The Chronicle on Monday. "You know, being a native of Northeast Ohio, we've seen decline in Cleveland and everywhere else, and I just want to make a difference here in Elyria." Elyria is in the process of updating some of its zoning ordinances, and Brubaker said that Schoenig would have a crucial role in explaining changes to residents and business owners. Schoenig said that he saw a lot of opportunity for growth in Elyria, but that he was most excited to work on the redevelopment of the area surrounding the former Midway Mall. "There's a lot of opportunity there," Schoenig said. "You see throughout the country malls are dying, it's not a local issue, it's a national issue, and just see what we can do to fill in the property and make a difference." The Midway Mall property is owned by the Lorain County Port Authority, which is in talks to sell the property for redevelopment as a business park, but the city is helping multiple redevelopment projects in the Midway area move forward. In addition to his work with business owners, Brubaker said that Schoenig would oversee the development of an online portal where residents would be able to track and learn about ongoing development projects throughout Elyria. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.