(a) Organization. A Municipal Planning Commission shall be established which shall consist of five (5) members, one of whom shall be and serve as a member of the Sheffield Lake Board of Zoning and Building Appeals, not holding other municipal employment, office, or appointment in the City of Sheffield Lake, except as provided herein, to be appointed by the Mayor, with the concurrence of a majority of the members of Council. All members of this Commission shall serve without compensation. The members of this present Planning Commission shall continue in office until the expiration of their present term, with the one additional member to be appointed for a six (6) year term. All appointments thereafter shall be for a term of four (4) years. Any vacancy occurring during the term of any member of the Municipal Planning Commission shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as authorized in the original appointment. The Mayor, with the concurrence of two-thirds (2/3) of the membership of the legislative authority shall have the right to remove an appointed member for cause. The Building Inspector shall be an a non-voting, ex-officio member of this Commission, and shall not count toward the number of votes necessary to establish a quorum of the Commission, nor the number of votes necessary for the Commission to take any official action. (Amended 11-7-67; 11-7-78; 5-4-21.)
(b) Duties and Powers. The Municipal Planning Commission shall have such powers and duties as are or may be conferred upon it by the general laws of the State of Ohio, and such other powers as may be conferred upon it by ordinance or resolution of Council except as herein provided, concerning the plans, design, location, removal, relocation, widening, extension and vacation of streets, parkways, playgrounds, and other public places; and shall act as the Platting Commission of the Municipality in the approval of plats for subdivision of land and for the zoning of the Municipality or for any other lawful purpose, in order to provide for open spaces for traffic, utilities, access of fire fighting apparatus, recreation, light and air, and for the avoidence of congestion of population. The Commission shall constantly endeavor to formulate plans for the future physical development of the Municipality.
(c) Mandatory Referral. No public building, street, boulevard, parkway, park, playground, harbor, dock, wharf, airport, landing strip, bridge, tunnel, or publicly or privately owned utility or part thereof shall be constructed or authorized to be constructed in the Municipality; nor shall any street, avenue, parkway, boulevard, or alley be opened for any purpose whatsoever; nor shall any street, avenue, parkway, boulevard or alley be widened, narrowed, relocated, vacated or its use changed; or any ordinance referring to zoning or other regulations controlling the use or development of land be passed, unless and until it shall have been submitted to the Planning Commission for report and recommendation. Any matter so referred to the Planning Commission shall be acted upon by it within sixty (60) days from the date of referral unless a longer time be allowed by Council. If the Planning Commission shall fail to act within the time allotted, it shall be deemed to have approved such matter. Any provision of any proposed ordinance, resolution or order disapproved by the Planning Commission shall require an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the membership of the legislative authority, for adoption or authorization.